5 Unexpected Ways to Improve Your Food Photography
Food photography has a huge learning curve. When you start out you pick up skills really fast, but at a certain point you may feel that you are plateauing. You’ve become comfortable with your lighting set-up. You have a handful of composition techniques always in your back pocket. What’s next?
Ultimately, practice makes perfect. The more photos you take, the more talented you will become. But still, there are things you can do to accelerate your path to becoming the photographer you know you can be. Here are 5 things I have done that have helped turn me from an amateur to a full-time food photographer in just a few years:
Upgrade your studio space.
I think that having a beautiful, clean work space is essential to creating great work. It allows you to walk into a shoot with a clear, focused mind.
Take inventory of the space where you shoot. Is there anything that bothers you? Anything you can improve?
Don’t get me wrong, I am not telling you that you need a full home renovation. It is the little changes that make all the difference. Maybe you can come up with new storage solutions so that your equipment doesn’t feel cluttered. Maybe you can re-organize your prop collection as it grows and get rid of props you don’t need anymore. Every time I clean and organize my studio, it makes me so excited for my next shoot!
Try shooting “ugly” foods.
I love shooting desserts and extravagant dishes but let’s be real: it’s hard to make a cupcake look unappetizing.
Push yourself by shooting dishes that aren’t picture perfect. Think stews, curries, meats, etc. This will force you to strategize, focusing on elements like styling, lighting, and composition, rather than relying on your subject to shine.
On the right is a shoot I did for a magazine. I was DREADING shooting this pot roast, I thought it looked so ugly in the pot. I focused on plating the dish beautifully and capturing highlights on the meat to convey its texture. I ended up really loving how the images turned out!
Focus on a brand-new photography skill.
Is there a photography skill that you’ve never tried before, even though you love the look of it on your Instagram feed? Maybe shooting photos with hard light? Or creating stop-motion videos?
Plan 3-4 shoots in your personal time that utilize that skill you’ve been dying to learn. It will make you a more well-rounded photographer, and you will learn to think on your feet!
On the left is a shoot I did to play with hard light. It was something I’d never tried before at the time, and I ended up using it all the time!
Study the work of your peers.
Here’s an exercise I love to do… Find a photo you love from a photographer you admire. Study it. Identify the specific elements of the image that really draw you to it. Maybe it’s the deep shadows. Maybe it’s an interesting composition.
Next time you shoot, try to recreate that thing in your own work. Don’t copy the whole image, just draw inspiration, keeping in mind those elements you noted.
Take your camera out in the wild.
As photographers, we need to be problem-solvers. Photoshoots often require us to adapt to change and think on our feet. While I love the comfort and control I have in my home studio, I think it is important to shoot in new places and circumstances.
Try taking photos somewhere new. Maybe you can go to a restaurant, or shoot outside. Every time I shoot on-site I take away valuable lessons and become a stronger photographer.
