5 Tips – Taking Great Photos Of Your Food

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Consumers eat with their eyes. This isn’t new information but with the rise of social marketing it has become ever more apparent over the past 10 years. No matter the age well-presented food that is arranged with care and attention connects with our feel-good receptors. It’s a human thing.

That’s why chefs are trained in the art of plating. That’s why we hit the “order now” button when we see plates of food on website, Facebook or Instagram page.

If you want to create a healthy following with high engagement on Facebook and Instagram, then you need to learn the art of taking food shots. The best thing is, you don’t need any fancy equipment anymore, you can do it all on your phone.

Here are our Marketers top 5 tips to taking great food photos.

1. Use natural light

Never use a flash light as it distorts the natural colours. The Flash will bounce the light off the plate leaving an unsightly white spot. Ideally place the food next to a window which allows natural light to land over the plate or take it outside into a shady area. Natural light will keep the authenticity of the food’s colours.

2. Keep it simple

Use colour, background and additional items, such as flowers, spices or ingredients you have used in the recipe, to complement the plate in question, but not to compete.

There is a balance, remember that the picture is about the food as the feature. Too much distraction around the plate will take away from addressing the eyes to mouth link and get us thinking too much about what’s going on.

3. Think about the angles

Many people tend to take photos from above the food. But you can imagine an Instagram feed looking a little dull with photos all from the top down. Also, this angle does not complement all plates. Work a few different angles to see what is best for that dish.

Try some shots from the side or do some close-up shots of the food, perhaps even focusing on an ingredient in the food. Use different angles for your dishes to keep your social media feed interesting.

4. Experiment with the colours

The colours in the food are what evoke a response and draws us to it. Play with the colours and don’t hold back from getting a little creative, you can always delete what you don’t like.

Use neutral backgrounds so that they don’t compete with the food, ideally dark, light or wooden backdrops for food work the best. Table cloths can work depending on the food, if the colour or pattern is subtle.

The golden rule is that it that the background and props that you might use around the foods complements and does not compete.

Social media gives instant feedback on what people like, so have a look at how much engagement you are getting and learn from this.

5. Enhance the colours

Once you have taken the photos, use the effects on your smartphone to play with the colours. Bring out contrasts and shadows in a subtle way that enhance the colours of the food. Remember however, that you still want your plate to look authentic and delicious.

So, use subtle effects and remember it is about enhancing the food and ingredients, not the other way around.

The more you practice, the better you will get.

BONUS TIP

Check out other users on Instagram for some in use examples. If your market is pizza search the #pizza hashtag to see what other people are doing for their layouts.

Now you have Facebook and Instagram content to share

Go ahead and post to your Facebook and Instagram pages and delight the taste buds of your customers. Remember to be open to feedback and see what pictures get more feedback than others. Have as look at our blogs for more ways to promote your website and social media https://deliverit.com.au/blog/

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