5 Simple Food Photography Tips

Part of the Food Photography & Styling Series | Season 1, Guest Post #6

Do you think you need beautiful props, fancy backgrounds and lots of accessories to make your food photographs look good? Not necessarily.

Sometimes, the simplest food photographs are the ones that make you stop scrolling. A well-lit plate of food, a clean background, the right angle and a little patience can do much more than a table filled with props.

When I started my Food Photography & Styling guest-post series, I wanted to bring together food bloggers who had their own way of looking at food through a camera. For this edition, I invited Nags of Edible Garden, whose photographs have always had that lovely quality of looking natural, inviting and completely focused on the food.

What I especially loved about her approach was its simplicity.

No elaborate food photography setup. No need to keep buying props for every new dish. Just good light, thoughtful composition and a willingness to take plenty of photographs until you find the one that works.

So, here are five simple food photography tips inspired by Nags’ approach.

Guest Contributor: Nags of Edible Garden
Food blogger, photographer and writer

A little about Nags and her food photography style

Nags was one of the food bloggers whose work I admired during those early years of food blogging. She had a very practical approach to photographing food, often working with whatever light and space was available at home.

And that is perhaps the most useful lesson here.

You don’t always need a dedicated photography studio to take good food photographs.

Sometimes you simply need to look around your home and find the spot where the light is kindest.

1. Find the best natural light in your home

If there is one thing that can make a dramatic difference to food photography, it is light.

Before worrying about props, plates or backgrounds, look for the brightest natural-light spot in your home.

A window can be your best friend.

The quality and direction of light can change throughout the day, so move your food and your setup around until you find a spot that works. You may discover that one corner of your home gives you beautiful soft light in the morning while another works better later in the day.

Nags’ early setup was wonderfully simple. She used a plain white table near large windows and moved it around depending on where the natural light was best.

Later, when the light inside her home became more difficult to work with, she adapted her setup rather than giving up.

And that is the important part.

Work with the light you have.

You don’t need to wait until you have a perfect photography studio.

A simple tip for beginners

Before placing your food on the table, spend a minute watching the light.

Where is it coming from?

Is it too harsh?

Is one side of the dish beautifully lit while the other disappears into deep shadow?

Move the dish, background or camera slightly and see what changes.

Sometimes a tiny adjustment is all you need.

Chilli Paneer

2. Keep your food photography setup simple

A beautiful food photograph doesn’t have to look complicated.

In fact, adding too many things around the food can sometimes take attention away from the dish itself.

Start with the food. Then add only what helps tell its story.

A simple table, a cutting board, a sheet of craft paper or a textured cloth can completely change the look of a photograph without requiring a cupboard full of photography props.

This was one of the things I loved about Nags’ photographs. She often used everyday spaces and simple surfaces rather than creating elaborate setups.

At one point, even a white sofa near a window became part of her photography setup.

That is real food blogging!

You cook the food, photograph it, try to keep everything from getting cold, and somehow manage to finish before everyone at home starts asking, “Can we eat now?”

So don’t wait for the perfect setup.

Start with the space you have.

A simple background that complements the food can be far more effective than a busy arrangement filled with things that don’t belong.

Eggless Garlic Rolls

3. Take plenty of photographs and experiment with angles

One photograph may look good. The next one might look even better. And the one after that may be the photograph you eventually choose.

So don’t be afraid to take lots of photographs. Try moving slightly closer. Then step back.

Photograph the dish from above. Try a lower angle. Move the plate slightly.

Change the direction of the spoon. Take a photograph with the whole plate in the frame and another that focuses closely on the food.

The more photographs you take, the more likely you are to notice which angle makes the dish look its best.

Nags’ approach is simple: take plenty of photographs and choose the strongest ones later.

That also gives you an opportunity to notice small things. Perhaps the food looks better from a 45-degree angle.

Perhaps the top view shows the whole composition beautifully. Perhaps a close-up captures the texture that makes the dish tempting.

There is no single “correct” angle for every dish.

Let the food decide.

A layered cake may look beautiful from the side. A colourful salad might work better from above. A bowl of curry may look more inviting from a slightly lower angle.

Experiment.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

4. Start with a few basic food photography props

Before you start buying every beautiful plate, bowl, spoon and piece of fabric you see, start with the basics.

You really don’t need a huge collection.

A few versatile pieces can take you a long way:

• One white plate
• One white bowl
• One dark-coloured plate
• One dark bowl
• A few simple spoons and forks
• A couple of napkins
• Some neutral or coloured craft paper
• A simple wooden board or tray

That’s enough to begin experimenting.

And trust me, food photography props can become addictive!

You buy one plate because it will look perfect with cake.

Then another because it will look lovely with biryani.

Then a little bowl because surely you need it for chutney.

Before you know it, the cupboard is full and you are wondering where all those plates came from.

So buy slowly.

Look at the food you actually photograph and choose props that can work with several different dishes.

The food should remain the hero.

Props are there to support the photograph, not compete with it.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Falafel

5. Edit your food photos, but don’t overdo it

Taking the photograph is only part of the process. A little editing can help improve brightness, contrast, colour and sharpness.

But there is a fine line between enhancing a photograph and changing the way the food actually looks.

Start small.

You may only need to:

• adjust brightness or exposure
• correct the white balance
• add a little contrast
• improve sharpness
• crop the photograph
• straighten the frame

The aim is not to make your food look unreal. If the curry is naturally golden, let it remain golden.

If your cake is soft brown and chocolatey, don’t turn it into an entirely different colour just because a filter looks dramatic.

Dal Panchratan

Natural-looking food photographs are timeless.

The editing tools available today are very different from the ones food bloggers were using when this post was originally published. The important principle, however, hasn’t changed:

Edit to enhance the photograph, not to hide the food.

Do you need an expensive camera for food photography?

Not to begin with. A camera can certainly give you more control over things such as depth of field, exposure and lenses, but beautiful food photography starts with understanding light and composition.

If you are just beginning, concentrate on:

Good light + a clean background + an appetising composition + practice.

You can learn the technical side of photography as you go.

And if a smartphone is what you have today, use it.

Don’t wait for the “perfect” camera before you start photographing your food.

The best camera is the one you know how to use well.

Food photography tips at a glance

If you want to keep just five things from this post, remember these:

1. Find good light.
Look for the brightest, most flattering natural light in your home.

2. Keep your setup simple.
A clean background can be more effective than a complicated one.

3. Try different angles.
Photograph the same dish from above, straight on and from different distances.

4. Buy props slowly.
Start with versatile plates, bowls, cutlery and simple backgrounds.

5. Edit lightly.
Correct brightness, colour and sharpness without making the food look unnatural.

Stir-fried Raw Papaya

The most important food photography tip?

Don’t forget to enjoy the process.

Food blogging has changed enormously since this guest post was first published in 2011. We now have smartphones with excellent cameras, countless editing tools, beautiful photography backdrops and endless inspiration at our fingertips.

But the heart of food photography hasn’t changed.

Make the food look like food.

Let its colour, texture and personality come through.

You don’t need a perfect kitchen, a huge prop collection or a professional studio to begin.

Sometimes all you need is a plate of food, a little natural light and the willingness to take one more photograph.

And perhaps, before the food gets cold, choose the winning shot and finally let everyone eat!

Banarasi Dum Aloo

A little throwback to our Food Photography & Styling series

This post was originally published in October 2011 as the sixth guest contribution in my Food Photography & Styling series.

Looking back at these old posts is such a lovely reminder of how much food blogging has changed — and how many of the basic lessons still hold true.

I especially wanted to keep this post because it isn’t about chasing perfection.

It is about finding your own style.

About working with what you have.

And about remembering that beautiful food photography doesn’t always need to be complicated.

Thank you, Nags, for being part of this little piece of Kitchen Flavours history.

5-min Chocolate Mug Cake

More In This Series

Food Styling and Composition

10 Tips to Improve Your Food Photography and Styling

Props Styling in Food Photography

All About Food Photography Backdrops

Mastering Food Photography: Tips, Tricks, and Inspiration