Impress Your Friends: Take Amazing Food Photos on the Fourth
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The Fourth of July celebration means delicious food on the table. But why stop at cooking good food when you can also take great pictures to remember this occasion? Make this memorable event extra special by taking food photos worthy of Instagram and Pinterest. So whip out your smartphones! Here are some tips on food photography to raise your food photography skills to a new level.
Food Photography Tips
Tip #1: Yes to Natural Light, No to Flash
When it comes to food photography lighting, use natural light. Don't use flash. If you are cooking and eating outside, the golden hour (in the afternoon, from 3pm until the sunset) is a perfect opportunity for some warm photos with good contrast, excellent detail, and just a perfect sprinkling of nostalgia.
Just look at that picture of lemonade by Margaret Jaszowska. What a thirst-quenching image.
Tip #2: Combine Blur and Focus
For the best food photography and videography, use your smartphone camera's portrait mode to create a dramatic blurred background that allows the eyes to focus on the subject. Here's something you can try: focus on the food and blur the person holding it. This makes the atmosphere appear more casual and relaxed - friends and family sharing a meal. That is how our Fourth of July celebration should be.
For inspiration, check out this hamburger photo of Oliver Sjöström.
Tip #3: Go Messy and Greasy
When considering food photography and styling, don’t be afraid that the food at the table looks like a mess. You are taking a picture of food you are cooking and eating in your backyard, like this photo of potato fries by Ella Olson which are perfect for your Fourth of July grilled meats! (What wine goes well with grilled meats?) Messy? Sure. Appetizing? Absolutely!
Remember that this is not a photoshoot for a food ad. Neither is this an upscale restaurant requiring manicured eating manners. Messy is human. Take a look at this photo of Lee Myungseong. Sure, people browsing the internet for photos of food want to see a beautifully plated dish, but guess what? A lot of people also enjoy seeing not just what's on the plate, but what is on the table, and the people gathered there enjoying the meal.
Tip #4. Fine-Tune Your Photos and Avoid Filters
Filters improve our smartphone photos, but it also takes something away from the photo like appearing natural. One of the tips on food photography you must remember is that, instead of filters, use free-to-download post-production apps and adjust for exposure, brightness, white balance, saturation, clarity, and contrast. You can try Snapseed or other highly-rated apps on the app store.
Peter Pham's photo looks like your typical Fourth of July food platter. Using Snapseed, I altered the photo's appearance by using the white balance and vignette tools, to darken the background and focus the attention on the plate of food. There’s a lot you can do so feel free to experiment with the app.
Tip #5. Compose Your Shot
An important aspect of good food photography lighting is sound composition. Composition refers to how we put or arrange all the elements in the picture together. Find ways to use lines and spaces to make your photograph dynamic. Try looking at things from a different perspective.
Krzysztof Kowalik's photo of grilled meat, which is a favorite during Fourth of July cookouts, gives you an idea of how to look at your food as a subject, and how to frame them when taking a photo. This is somewhat an unnatural view since we never grill or barbecue at eye-level (usually, we are looking down on the grill), but see how changing perspective resulted in a great photograph?
Tip #6. Make it Thematic
Using the red, white, and blue colors is a common theme many people use during the Fourth of July celebration. It may sound cliché, but it does not mean it doesn't make for good food photography and videography. Just look at Deva Williamson's photo of a cake. The American flag in the background adds to the overall thematic appeal of this photograph, don't you think?
Go ahead and enjoy taking photos of the food you made for the Fourth of July. Or if you are a guest and the host prepared a wonderful meal, I bet they’d be delighted to see the beautiful photos you’ve taken of the food they shared with you. That might even get you an instant invite for next year’s celebration.
Once you are done studying these tips on food photography, don’t forget to put your phone down after snapping a few shots so that you can enjoy the food and enjoy the company.
Happy 4th Fourth of July!
Experience a Texas-style celebration for Independence Day! Dive into our mouthwatering menu featuring BBQ ribs, zesty jalapeno poppers, refreshing salads, and more. Prepare to grill and savor the authentic flavors of the Lone Star State. Don't miss out on these enticing recipes!
