Take a nice picture for food

Many years ago, after I came out of college, I took my first job in a food magazine in Beijing. However, since we did not have a dedicated photographer to cover the interview and shooting, I was forced to make occasional cameo appearances. Usually, I finish the shoot as early as possible so I can eat the food before it gets cold. My boss needs pictures. I need free food.

Background tone and the main complementary

This photo above is my first food photography. I went to a bar, and the bartender made four cocktails, and I used them as my subject. The background of my picture is a cool color (with a white stripe on the outside of the focal point), which is a good choice to highlight the cocktail and hold the audience's attention.

How to deal with simplicity

When plates and food are not too fancy and complicated, we need to think about how to make the subject stand out so that they don't blend in with the background. When this happens, I prefer to keep the food close to the edge of the table. In this way, I can make the background more layered. In addition, I will choose a plain and monotonous background to highlight the color of food.

Bring textures and lines into the picture

Photographing food on a wooden table is a clever way to do it. At this time, all the elements in the photo look rustic and real. If the food you're photographing isn't as good as what's done in a big restaurant, but is handmade at home, pairing it with an old wood background adds texture.

Take advantage of natural contrasts

The strong shadows make the background more interesting, while the difference in color makes the whisky stand out. I hope there is some flash in the highlighter part of the whisky so that people's eyes are drawn to it.

Even the ultra wide Angle zoom, can also be used

I remember that I had to stand on the railing and wobble to get a bigger Angle in this shot, and I had to guess where the shot was from. But now, with the advent of real-time LCD viewings, things are less complicated. Although the cost of using an ultra wide Angle lens was that I had to correct the distortion in post production, it was very difficult to render the entire desktop without such a lens.

Pay attention to every detail in the photo

I took this picture because I wanted to show off my homemade cocktail. I added elements related to the cocktail, including the tea, to the background and made sure they were all slightly reddish. Note: in this case, I need to increase the depth of field so that people can see the material I'm using.

Choose the focus position

I took this picture with an f/3.5 aperture to get a little more depth of field. By shooting the dish from a bird’s-eye view, the food in the photo is clearly presented, while the decorations are slightly blurred.

Consider the weather, seize the time

My favorite time to shoot is late afternoon, preferably cloudy. Similar to portrait photography, soft white light is best for food photography. A less-than-clean window ACTS as a diffuser, spreading light evenly over the food, so if you're sitting near a window, move your table closer.

Use your utensils

Food containers can be fun or plain. In this photo, I took the simplest white plate and asked my colleague to hold it at an almost vertical Angle, so that the light outside could illuminate the plate like a photographic lamp. I must say, it's a miracle the food didn't fall.

Always think about the color of photos

Chateau d 'Yuen is one of the best wines in the world. Sometimes when the light condition is not very good, I think it is a good idea to try to illuminate the wine bottle, on the one hand, it can make the wine color more beautiful; on the other hand, it can show this delicious nectar from god better. Let them briefly glow before I swallow them down!