Through my food photography journey, I have learned a lot of tricks through experimentation and getting a bit creative. Here are some methods that I started implementing to make my food photos look even better and more professional looking!

Check out my previous photography tips before you read this one:

5 Tips For Appealing Food Pictures

5 Simple Props That Go A Long Way In Food Photography

Use a good editing software

Not all editing apps are created equally… there are so many apps to choose from and it can be time consuming finding the right one. Back in the day, I used to use VSCO Cam but after experimenting with other apps, I realised this app tends to wash out details and didn’t actually help with improving the quality (or appearance of quality). Recently, I have been using the free version of the app LightLeap, formerly called Quickshot. I tend to use the same features and filters with each photo so the limited features are not a problem for me. Another great app is Lightroom which a lot of people enjoy using.

Want to go the extra mile? Are you a perfectionist?

I must admit, I do have perfectionist tendencies when it comes to photo aesthetics. If you’re like me – you may even feel the need to use another app if for instance, there’s a smudge that you want to remove or a specific dark area that you want to lighten. In these cases, I use the app FaceTune. This app is notoriously known for its prevalance in the social media sphere and its ability to morph a person’s appearance. It is a paid app but I consider it to be worth it considering it’s a once off payment.

The main two tools I use in this app is the patch tool and the whiten tool. I use the patch feature to cover up any spills or spots that I missed while taking the photos. The whiten tool is used less often and I tend to reach for it when the photo background is shadowed or a different hue and I want to create that clean, white appearance. Another handy way to use FaceTune is to use it to blur out reflections from the sun. The blur tool is great for things like a reflective spoon or glare on parts of your photo.

How do I edit my photos?

The main things I do to my photos is brighten, enhance vibrance, increase structure and exposure. I find that doing these things really brings the food to life. The exposure function is a real game changer as it can create a ‘glossy’ effect to the picture.

Use matte surfaces where possible

To prevent having to edit reflections out or having glare, you can swap out your cutlery, surfaces, plates and bowls for matte ones. The tiles that I got from the hardware store are matte, which allow the backdrop to remain as seamless looking as possible. It is unrealistic to swap everything out (most regular cutlery is shiny silver), so simply changing the positions of certain items can improve glare, or even just changing the location or time of day can work wonders (opt for early morning or afternoon to achieve a softer, dreamier look).

Use a DIY reflector and an alternative source of light on darker days

A reflector is great to balance the lighting of your picture and reduce shadows. You don’t have to use anything fancy. I simply use a large photo frame with a white picture inside that helps to reflect light onto the shadowed areas of the picture. Without a reflector, one side of the dish ends up becoming well lit while the other side ends up losing vibrance and detail. Play with items you already have lying around like a white t-shirt or something else reflective. All it does is even out the lighting for a well lit photo.

I recently got a selfie ring light as a gift and found that it really helped me with replicating natural light on gloomier days. I simply place it at the original light source and adjusted it to its maximum brightness.

Style and add textures

Some food pictures have really impressed me because the dish itself has been styled beautifully! It’s easy just to throw some things together in a bowl, but if you really want to impress for that shot, choose exactly where you want the elements to go. Even better if you can show off your fancy cutting or presentation skills (thinking about an avocado rose right now).

Play with different textures! In a previous post I mentioned how good tea towels or fabrics were to create a ‘dreamy’ effect. The more textures that can be seen in the photo, the more visually interesting it is (and the food doesn’t look lonely all by itself). Don’t think that you have to use a proper kitchen tea towel. If you follow my Behind The Scenes on Instagram you will know that I use something completely random as a ‘tea towel’! I love finding creative ways to achieve a certain effect.

Prepare your photography setup in advance

In many areas of life, being prepared is always a good thing. You want to ensure that once the food is ready, you can quickly add it into a scene and take some good photos while it still looks fresh! I can tell when a dish isn’t at it’s optimum freshness when it looks dull and dry (especially pasta and oatmeal). This doesn’t look appetizing! For me personally, I get super excited once I finish cooking a meal and just want good pictures ASAP. When you have your setup and main props ready to shoot, the job is a lot easier and all you need to worry about is getting those good angles. It also helps to have a plan of what you envision your end product to look like.

What does setting up my photography space look like?

At the moment, I have 2 tiles – one gets propped up against a chair and the other sits on the floor. These are heavy, and can be a nuisance to carry around. Once I’ve set up my tiles, I prop up my reflector against the tiles so now it is like an enclosed space. Then this is where I place my props.

RANDOM TIPS WITH PEZ

• Dull, dry looking pasta? Drizzle a bit of extra olive oil on top for added glossiness.
• My favourite method of smoothie bowl decoration: cover 3/4 of the surface with a variety of toppings and leave the 1/4 free to see the actual smoothie.
• Food props on the table/surface give a ‘messy’ and ‘natural’ appearance but for optimum results, place these items carefully and strategically.

That’s all my tips for today! I hope you found this useful. Feel free to share this with someone who might find this useful as well. As always, you can reach me at @cookwithpez on Instagram for enquires or further questions – I am happy to help!

Until next time,

Pez

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