How to Photograph Food with Any Kind of Camera

Whether you are a professional photographer shooting photos for a food publication, a serious blogger posting anything from recipes for healthy eating to delicious desserts, or just a foodie who enjoys cooking or baking and likes to share pictures of your latest creations on Instagram or your Facebook page, you can take incredible food photos with any camera you own.  We have the basic tips you should follow whether you are using your smartphone camera, a point and shoot camera, or the top of the line DSLR.

Be Prepared

Before you even make the food, have everything positioned exactly where you want it in the photo. This includes the serving dish, props, lighting equipment, and tripod.

Natural light is your best friend

Try avoiding using the flash on your camera, unless you’re using it as foreground fill with other side lighting. It creates harsh, uneven lighting when used alone. It’s always best to use natural light, so try to take your photos near a window or outdoors. Natural light is every food photographer's best friend whether they are using a cell camera or an expensive DSLR, but natural light is even more imperative for those using a point & shoot.  No amount of editing software can you give your food photography the effects that good, natural light can give. As with most photography, the best time of day to shoot food photography is late morning to early afternoon.

Manipulate the light

Lighting is everything, but you need to know how to manipulate it. If the light coming from your window is too harsh, soften it with a diffuser from Beachcamera.com. Want shadows on the right side of your food? Make sure your light source is coming from the left. For a brighter, more evenly-lit photo, use a homemade bounce board and place it directly opposite from the light source.

Slow and steady

When photographing your food creation, a tripod from Beachcamera.com is a must to eliminate the chance of blur caused by the slightest movement. Use the image stabilization function on your camera as well for some added security,

Read the manual

The best way to take mouth-watering food photos is to know the ins and outs of your camera.  The best way to do this is to read the manual that came with your camera and learn about all of the settings and capabilities.  You’ll be able to cure that nasty graininess that appears in your photos when you enlarge them on your computer screen by understanding how to lower your camera’s ISO setting. A high ISO is used for low-light situations, it is best to use the lowest ISO possible to produce the least grainy image. A favorite camera feature of all for food photography has to be the macro setting. Usually indicated by a flower or tulip button on your camera, this setting allows you to take close-ups that keep the food in focus and the background artfully blurred, otherwise known as bokeh.

Secret tip

Don’t be afraid to use a computer program to edit your food photos. Almost every food photographer out there edits their photos in Photoshop, or a similar program. It can be your best friend when it comes to touching up the cropping, color levels, contrast, and sharpening elements of a photo. There you have it! How to take high quality food photos with any camera.