There are so many ways to be creative with food photography, I wanted to explore this by documenting a simple photo shoot of a pack of iced donuts. Within this shoot I will be using minimal props and showing you several ways you can experiment with food photography. This blog post is by no means a strict guideline on how to take your food photos it is just meant to inspire you to try something new and to have fun with your food photo shoots.
1. Lay Them Flat!
Sometimes less is more. Simply lay the food out flat and shoot from above. This is great for photographing food that has a lots of detail on the top, especially food that is colourful and speaks for itself.
2. Stack 'em High
By getting on the same level as your food, the food looks bigger and more powerful in the frame. In this shot the focus is kept at the very front of the stack bringing all attention to the detail and shape of the food. Stacking food makes a fun and focused attention grabbing shot - especially with food that drips! It is also great when photographing small items of food as draws in all attention and avoids the risk of the food getting lost within the frame.
3. Get in Line!
Play with composition in straight lines and patterns to bring a formalist approach to the photoshoot. This is great for showing off a quirky side to your work. A fun and playful approach is created by the simplest of compositions.
4. Get Wonky
Mix up the standard composition by shooting the food off centre in the frame. This allows the photograph space to breathe. It is also useful for using the photographs as a background for copy (text).
5. Prop it up
Bring in a couple of simple props to make the food look more natural by giving it context. Even the edge of a utensil or crockery can place the food within a more natural situation.
6. Get Funky
Playing with colour within food photography is a great way to create bold eye-catching imagery to really showcase the food on offer. To create this photograph I just used coloured card layered on top of each other and held in place with Blu-Tack.
7. Get Talking
Bringing in text in a creative way can add another dimension to your food photography. Experiment with different fonts and layering text over the image in post-production.
8. Get Stuck in
Finally ignore all that childhood advice and just play with the food! Experiment and have fun. Take a bite out of it to bring in some action, hold it as if the camera is going to eat it, drop it, crumble it around, drizzle things on top, shake icing sugar or flour over it.... The possibilities are endless!
There are no rules, just remember the aim of the game is to showcase the food in a way that makes the viewer desire it. I hope this has inspired you to try something new!
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