#9 – Food Photography Tips That Are Total Game Changers

There are certain photography practices that have not only changed the way I shoot, my photography process but also the quality of my work.

Everyone has their own workflow which can depend on our schedule, how much time you have available for photography if you have a full time job, or it may depend on your gear which may depend on your budget for example, whether you use a tripod, do you use an editing application etc.

So, workflow is very subjective & it depends on our style of working, our goal with photography, whether it’s a hobby or profession and other factors like budget etc.

Over time, I have established a few photography practices that have been gamechangers in my process, in my workflow. It is with their help that I can now execute faster and better.

Some of these practices need a slight extra investment but many of them are just about knowing camera settings and using the right settings to create good results.

Also, if you have been photographing for a while and have a your own rhythm or workflow, it might be hard to adopt new practices, break the inertia & do things differently esp. if it requires a little extra effort, but a little pain in the beginning sets us for a lifetime of success.

With that, lets dive into the game changing practices.

1. Manual mode –

The first and most important photography tip or practice, if you’re not already doing so is to shoot on manual mode.

Do you own a car? Is it manual or automatic?

Have you noticed that those who drive manual cars absolutely love it. Even though automatic cars are godsend for drivers like me who don’t want to handle gears, there is this whole section of people in the world love the experience of changing gears as and they basically like to have complete control.

Using a camera on manual mode gives you control and who doesn’t like to be in control.

When you shoot in auto mode, the camera decides the amount of light you need, the white balance, the depth of field and when you hit trigger it gives you the best results as it has been programmed to give.

But we are artists. We do not work on a programmed model. We are unprogrammed, we are wild, we are creative, we like freedom, we like to create our own program, we like to control what we create.

On that manual mode, you decide the light, your ISO, you take charge of the depth of field, your f-stop, and you decide your shutter speed. When you take the reins in your hands, you truly create art as the artist you are and set out to be.

Shifting to Manual mode can be intimidating. We need to have at least a basic understanding of what ISO is, how the aperture impacts the light and the shutter speed too.

Once you understand the exposure triangle, which makes up the ISO, f-stop and shutter speed, you shift gears and switch to manual mode

My favourite way to exploring camera functions is to place an apple on a table where I get good natural light and then take photos on different settings to study how it translates to food.

If you’d like a podcast on the exposure triangle and 3 components that comprise it, just send me an email or a message on Instagram and we can create this topic for you.

2. Manual focus –

Has it ever happened that you finished a shoot and once you began editing, you realised that the photo wasn’t sharp.

You wanted the frosting in focus, but because you were using Auto focus the camera picked a random walnut in the brownie and made it the focus.

Again, the camera is programmed to pick up points of focus based on contrast. It probably did not find any contrast in the brown chocolate frosting, so it decided to pick the walnut instead. 

Not just for still photos, Auto focus can be tricky when we do action shots. We want the drizzle of honey or that flour sifting or sprinkling of sugar to be sharp so that the audience can experience the action in all its glory but because the subject is moving, many times the camera cannot focus so it ends up picking a focus that is not the action and as a result, the drizzle, the sifting or the sprinkling ends up blurred.

We need to take control because it is our photo & the camera is a tool that we need to use as we need.

The way we do it is to set up our scene, select our camera settings, place our hero, the food and then use the lens to manually set the focus on our desired details of the hero.

That’s how you make your audience experience what you want them to experience – that drizzle of honey or sprinkle or sugar or the drop-dead delicious frosting and in all its sharp focused glory!

3. Shoot on tripod –

Not earth shattering, but you’ll be amazed at how many photographers do not use a tripod. Maybe that works for the kind of photography they create but there are so many advantages of using a tripod, leave alone the fact that it is downright convenient, protects your back and basically makes your life 1000 times easier.

There are so many aspects to take care of during a photoshoot that having one less thing to do, is a game changer in making your workflow more efficient.

Without exaggeration, by using a tripod my photography changed overnight.

• I did not have to resort to any sort of acrobatics to get a top-down/ flatlay shot. My lower back was thanking me.
• I could set my camera on the tripod, set my focus manually and take a sharp photo hands-free.
• I could also be in the photo myself. Either bring all of me in a straight – on shot or just my hands in a flatlay.

A tripod is one of those game changers that requires investment but this one is so worth it esp. if you would like to improve your food photography. Choose one that fits your budget and watch how it improves your workflow.

4. Shooting Tethered –

Raise your hand if you shoot tethered and give me a virtual hi-five because, you my friend, are rocking another photography gamechanger.

 The next game changer practice is shooting tethered.

Connecting your camera to the laptop and seeing the photo in full screen makes it so easy to see the composition in live view as you create, check details as soon as you take a photo, check the sharpness, and even edit as you go – It is life changing.

By shooting tethered, you can click remotely from your laptop, from your phone or even a remote and have the best quality photos so that your energy is spent on the right things like manipulating light and composition. When you see it on a big screen, you can make changes easily and can easily take a few trial shots before the final.

In fact, I always shoot tethered on client photoshoots because the client can see the photos on the spot & approve so there are no surprises in the end.

5. Edit your photos –

Out of everything I’ve talked about, editing was honestly the first change I made to my photography process. I began editing when I was still taking photos from my phone, just as a hobby.

What the camera captures is usually very different from real life. The colours, the light – they are all different through a camera vs. our eyes.

So, it falls back on us to bring our vision to life the way we want our audience to experience it.

Even before I learnt how to use a camera, I learnt how to use lightroom. That’s how powerful editing is.

Creating moods & bringing that visual story to life by enhancing the colours, bringing out the textures and really making a photo pop on the digital screen just like our eyes experienced and just like we visualized our audience to feel– is what editing helps us with.

It is key to making your visual story come alive.

Editing can bring your photos to life, but it cannot salvage a poorly taken photo. We must make sure that our light and composition is in place when we take the photo itself. The shadows are in the right spot, the highlights are in the right place, the composition is telling the story and once we have all of that in place, editing can help us enhance that story.

Photoshopping can probably salvage a not-so-great photo but then that doesn’t make us very efficient, does it.

Editing allows us to bring out the power of our photography in full force. If you’ve seen before and after photos from photographers who edit, you know I’m not exaggerating when I say that editing is a gamechanger.

Choose an application that works for you – lightroom, photoshop, capture one, Snapseed – whatever works for you and give your photos that powerful finishing touch.

Those were my top 5 photography tips that have been absolute gamechangers. These practices have helped me grow as a photographer and present my art as I visualize it, without breaking my back & letting the camera take me for a ride.

They are total game changers and will allow you to be the artist you are by taking full control & becoming more efficient.

If you’re looking to come up with your own photography process, streamlining your workflow, getting efficient & saving time, checkout my free guide called the 10-step photoshoot right here.