Tips for Photographing Food for Cooking Articles and Hubs
What are some good tips for photographing food?
This question was recently asked by Hubber ktrapp. Since many people comment favourably on the photographs in my cookery hubs, I would like to share what works for me.
There are three factors to consider when photographing food:
1) Lighting
2) Taking the best shots
3) Making adjustments in a photo editing application
A Portable Photographic Studio
Portable mini studios available on Amazon
This portable studio is similar to the one I use, and has a choice of 4 background colors:blue, black white and red.
1) Lighting
Daylight Is Best For Photographing Food
Whenever possible photograph in daylight. This avoids the need for flash, which can cause harsh shadows and can reflect in some foods or dishes.
We have a conservatory (sun room) and I often photograph finished products in there. But you don’t need a conservatory to get good photos: the light from a kitchen window will be enough, providing you take your photographs close by.
The Next Best Thing To Natural Light
It’s not always possible to cook and photograph in daylight, so we bought a mini portable studio. This contains a folding box, two strong lights, a tripod and a reversible background cloth. Similar portable studios on Amazon have a choice of 4 background colours. As you can see from the photograph of the Mini Studio, the lights are positioned outside the box. This gives a soft lighting effect, with minimal shadow.
I use this equipment in two ways:
1) For a photograph of a finished meal or cake I use the entire studio.
2) For photographs during the preparation and cooking I use the lights only.
Using The Mini Studio
One of my most popular cookery hubs, and one which has won the Hub of the Day accolade, is Hedgehog Cake – a Chocolate Cake Recipe.
For the photos of the different stages of icing and the finished cake, I set up the Mini Studio, chose a blue background, placed the cake on a board and took shots between each stage of icing.
When my daughter and I had finished icing the cake I swapped the board for a cake plate and took the picture that gets people drooling.
Using The Lights Without The Box
When using the lights to photograph different stages of cooking, position them at opposite sides of your working space, and move them around until you minimize shadows. I’ve found it works best with one light above and slightly behind the food I am preparing, and the other at counter level on the opposite site of the food. I prop the higher light on a bread bin or hang it from a cupboard handle. Be careful if you do this because the lights get very hot. It is best to keep them switched off until you are ready to take photographs.
Taking The Best Shots
Choosing the Camera Setting
You need a digital camera that can take close up shots. I usually use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 with a 10x optical zoom, or occasionally a Canon PowerShot SX210 1S, which has a 14 x optical zoom.
My camera has a food setting, which I sometimes use, but more often than not I use the macro setting. Both work equally well for getting close to the subject. I rarely use the zoom lens because I find the focus is less reliable. The exception to this is when photographing steaming food on the hob or stovetop. Getting too close can sometimes steam up the lens, so step back or take the photo from an angle rather than from straight above.
Take photos at several stages
Take More Photos Than You Expect Use In The Hub
When taking photographs expect to take up five or six for each one you will actually use. I take each stage of preparation from several angles. Sometimes what looks best on the camera’s playback screen doesn’t look best on the computer screen so it pays to have a selection. I don’t always use the photos from each stage, but having them available means I can choose those most appropriate to the clarity of the recipe and layout of the page.
While I cannot give my readers the food I’ve made, I want to give them the next best thing: confidence that they too can cook. Taking photographs at several stages of the preparation allows people to know what to expect as they cook. When photographing food in a mixing bowl I generally choose a shot from directly above. This means the focus is on the mixture, not on your pretty bowls! If you use specialist equipment include that in the shot – the names of some utensils vary country to country, and you want your recipe understood worldwide.
Get Close
Close up shots help people to see how the food should look, both during preparation and when it’s ready. So they are good for the reader.
Close-ups are also good for you, the writer.Here’s what hubber Horatio Plot, wrote about a close-up on my Kids Cook Monday - Classic Scotch Pancakes recipe: “That first picture made me want a pancake so much.”
If readers want to eat the food you have showcased they are more likely to make it and may try more of your recipes.
The best way to get a good shot is to get close, especially with food such as bread or cakes. Air bubbles in bread or a cake let the reader see that it has risen well. And getting close makes the online food look much more real.
Heidi the Hedgehog Cake - the finished shot
In this photo the background was too obtrusive…
Don’t make everything too perfect
Let’s return to Heidi the Hedgehog cake. As I write this article it’s around 5 weeks since I published that recipe. A google search for hedgehog cake recipe or hedgehog chocolate cake, brings up the recipe on the first page, and it has been there since the second week. There are a lot of hedgehog cakes on the internet, so how did Heidi rise so high so quickly?
I suspect that when people look at Heidi, they think, “I could do that.” Certainly people have commented that it looks easy. I can’t say for sure, but I think this could be because the cake isn’t perfect (there’s a chocolate button slightly loose) and yet it looks cute. Some of the other hedgehog cake images available online look so precise that people probably look at them and think, “I couldn’t do that.”
But Do Clear Away Clutter
My photograph is also much closer than most other hedgehog cakes, the blue background offsets the warm brown chocolate and there is nothing else in the photo. The cake is sitting on a cake plate, but in the photo all that shows is a curve of white. This means the focus is on the cake.
Making Adjustments On Your Computer
Two considerations when making adjustments
After uploading photographs onto the computer I check through them with these thoughts in mind:
Would someone seeing this photograph benefit from it?
Is it clear enough?
Any adjustments made at this stage should be to improve clarity, not to deceive readers. I’ve read that food photographed for cookery books is varnished and otherwise tampered with. Whether this is true or not, it’s not something I’ve ever done or plan to do!
It’s not always necessary to crop this closely
For PC users
In Windows Live Photo Gallery Auto Adjust performs the same function as enhance.
On Picasa it is: I’m Feeling Lucky
Enhance and Crop
I use an Apple Mac, and edit photos in iphoto, but similar edits can be made in different programs, and I have included alternatives.
The edit I most often make is to click the Enhance button. This is because sometimes a photograph looks darker on the computer than it did on the camera screen. In the photos of risotto above you can see the difference made by enhancing. Very occasionally clicking enhance makes the photograph less clear. In this case just undo it.
After enhancing, the next most useful adjustment is to crop the photo to remove any background clutter.
Sometimes after these two edits I make more specific adjustments such as to make the color warmer, or to sharpen the focus.
After that all that’s left is to upload the photos to HubPages and fit your recipe around them.
Comments
AUTHORHi Gypsy Willow,
Good luck with your cookbook! Glad you found this useful and thanks for your comment.
I'm going to give this a shot! Intend to write a cookbook one day. My most viewed hubs are recipes. Great tips
- AUTHOR
Thanks SidKemp,
Glad you found this useful. I will take a look at your hub!
Hi Melovy: Thanks for your excellent advice. I just wrote my first recipe hub, a French salmon omelet, and I used your tips for taking the photos. They came out great!
- AUTHOR
catchadream, glad you are enjoying your portable studio. They're so cheap they are definitely worth it. Thanks for your comment.
Great information, I have invested in the portable studio which is great. Now I am working on fine tuning the process, lots of photos and looking for the great ones. Thank for the tips.
- AUTHOR
Hi geekinmotion, I’m glad you found this useful, and thanks for your comment.
Very useful advice! I'm not sure if I'll be investing in a portable studio just yet, but the many other tips are things I can (and will) put into action on my next hub!
- AUTHOR
Hi Claudia,
I was glad Ktrapp asked the question!
Your method of photographing outside sounds great - unfortunately it wouldn’t work here in Scotland, especially in the winter when it gets dark early. Luckily we get a lot of light in the conservatory so I use that when I can.
I agree that composition guidelines are important - I started my working life as a designer and that sure comes in handy now! I’ll take a look at your recipes too.
Thanks for your comment.
What a great idea for a Hub! You have developed quite a professional technique, nothing better than practice to do so.
I usually take my food photos outside using the light of the sun when it is not at its peak (not at noon when light is orange and too strong). The best time to use the sun´s light is when the sun is going down (blue light) or coming up (yellow light) and light is softer. I apply composition guidelines to my food photography too: geometry, perspective and creating interesting light by creating interesting shadows within the photograph, which gives depth and texture to the image.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Brian. You are right about the camera. I uploaded some old photos (not of food for a change) onto a hub recently and the photo quality is nowhere near as high. It’s not even a huge outlay for a decent camera and well worth it.
Your idea of linking food and photography hubs to this one is a good idea - or even any time I use the box. I hadn’t thought of that - thanks!
Congrats on HOTD with this hub Melovy much deserved. I think getting a good camera is a must if you want good food pictures. I know you can take them with almost any camera but you need the sharpness that only a good lens will offer.
You have made good use of the photographic box and equipment, I think this could be an excellent sales hub on it's own. Food for thought for you, you could link your food hubs and your photography hubs to it.Voted up :)
- AUTHOR
Thanks peach purple. The camera I use is a Panasonic Lumix DMC -TZ3
your photos look delicious and well taken. What camera are u using? Thanks for the tips. Will take note.
- AUTHOR
Hi GoodLady,
The portable studio is indeed a reasonable price, isn’t it? And you are right about my daughters. They both love to bake and one made that bread in one photo and the other helped with icing the hedgehog cake. So yeah, you heard them! :-)
I am glad to share the ideas with others, that’s what makes Hubpages such a great place to write, it feels like the true community it is. Thank you for your kind comment.
The portable mini studio is so reasonable, thanks for the tip. Love your pictures, the whole feel and look of your home cooking hub, (could hear your daughter in the background?). Thank so much; it's great of you to share how you make your hubs about food look so appetizing and so intimately attractive.
Congratulations on your award and on the first page with Heidi the Hedgehog cake. SO, so CLEVER!
- AUTHOR
Hi AliciaC and thanks for your very kind comment.
- AUTHOR
Brainy Bunny - go for it, you won’t regret it I’m sure!
Thanks for your comment.
- AUTHOR
Hi catsimmons,
My camera was a mystery to me until I started writing on HubPages, and I was surprised to discover all it can do.
Thanks for your kind comment and glad you found it useful.
- AUTHOR
Hi prasetio30,
I’m glad you found this useful, and interested to hear about your friend. A portable studio makes such a difference for many subjects, not just food. Thanks for your comment.
- AUTHOR
CookwareBliss, thanks!
- AUTHOR
Thanks Kelley!
- AUTHOR
Hi rebecca, I’m glad you found this useful. I’m not that tech savvy really: just got a very techy husband and a teenager who has been using computers since she was 2 and is also a whizz with a camera, so between them they’ve educated me recently. I now need my daughter to teach me photoshop - it amazes me how kids just seem to get it without needing to learn!
- AUTHOR
Hi LadyMar,
Although I trained and worked as a designer and have always loved taking photos, I am not a professional photographer so I am pleased to read your comment. Thanks very much.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Homesteadbound!
Thank you for the very useful tips for photographing food! Your photos are beautiful. Congratulations on the well-deserved Hub of the Day.
I've been thinking about getting a new camera and a little studio setup. Thanks for the great tips for using them effectively!
Super hub, and very useful!
I didn't know that some cameras actually have a "food" setting...interesting.
I like taking pics of food too, usually to remind me of how tasty it was, so the pic has to be able to make my mouth water :-)
Very inspiring hub. I learn many things about photographing food. My friend is a photographer, he also us a portable photographic studio. The result is amazing. Thanks for writing and share with us. Rated up and useful!
Prasetio
Great hub, thanks for SHARING! Plan on pinning this:)
I always loved this hub! Congrats on the Hub of the Day you deserve it! Take care, Kelley
Wow, I have a lot to learn about photography. This was very helpful. But you sound much more tech savvy than me. Good job, and I agree: your pancake pic makes me want one!
I write articles about cooking and recipes for another website. I use photos from iStock and SXC, but sometimes I take my own photos. My oldest son is a professional commercial photographer. He gave me a light box that easily folds up, then I purchased me a light on a stand for taking photos of some my food recipes. I use a digital camera, that I'm not too impressed with, hope to get a new digital camera sometime this year.
Good ideas for photography of food in this article.
Another great hub, Melovy! Your pics always look good, and now you have shared your secrets! Thanks! And congrats on Hub of the Day!
- AUTHOR
BigSerious, thanks for your kind comment!
- AUTHOR
urmilashukla23, thank you!
- AUTHOR
Thanks prairieprincess, and glad you found it useful.
I can see why this was a hub of the day (congratulations, by the way!) Great photo examples and clear advice. Thumbs up! (And that hedgehog is totally cool).
- AUTHOR
TwillightDream, Heidi was also good to eat! Glad you found this useful and thanks for your comment.
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Marigeo, I’m glad you found it useful and thanks for your comment,
- AUTHOR
Victoria, I think someone somewhere is going to get a surprise at the run on portable studios! Thanks for your kind comment.
- AUTHOR
Hi Gail, thank you so much for coming back. You are so kind! And yes it’s fun to have 100 score.
- AUTHOR
Hi Vinaya, I agree it's enjoyable taking the photos - and eating the food afterwards.
Thanks for your kind comment.
- AUTHOR
ComfortB thank you!
- AUTHOR
Hi StephanieBCrosby, I am so glad you found this useful and good luck with editing your photos. I haven’t yet got the hang of photoshop either, but it’s my kids who help me out mostly!
Thanks for your kind comment.
- AUTHOR
Pamela thank you! I’m glad you feel better about your end results how. I truly do think too much perfection just puts people off. We want something we can relate to.
- AUTHOR
Gypsy Willow, I’m glad you found it useful and look forward to reading your cookbook. Thanks for your comment.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Stephanie. And as you know I love your photos too!
- AUTHOR
RealHousewife, you are so kind!
Sorry to hear your photos didn’t turn out so good but glad you found this useful and thanks for your comment.
- AUTHOR
randomcreative, Thanks for coming back and for your congrats.
- AUTHOR
Thank you ktrapp! I was glad of the question because it inspired me to write this hub.
- AUTHOR
Cyndi10, you are right this can apply to other shots. I’m glad to share the tips and thanks for your kind comment!
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mary615, thank you! That is so kind of you!
- AUTHOR
pstrauble, Hubbing definitely is a learning curve and I still have much to learn. Glad to pass on what I have grasped already. Thanks for your comment.
- AUTHOR
My Nurse Says, that sounds like such a fun trip to make! I’m so pleased you found the tips useful. Thanks for your comment and enjoy your trip.
- AUTHOR
Peggy W, from the comments here you were certainly not alone in not knowing portable studios existed. We have my husband to thank as it was him who bought mine! Thanks very much for your kind comment.
- AUTHOR
cute photo Jools99!
I definitely think it’s worth taking your own photos for recipes because then reader know you’ve tested it!
Thanks for your kind comment.
- AUTHOR
savingkathy, thanks a lot!
- AUTHOR
Coffeegginmyrice, I agree that taking photos from different angles so you have a choice is essential, and that midday shots are idea. I am glad to have more daylight hours now that it’s springtime.
Thanks for your comment.
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wayseeker, the photo studios are great and not expensive. I’ve even used it without the lights now we’ve more daylight. Hope you get one soon. Thanks for your comment.
Great idea. Thanks for sharing it. Useful and voted up. Congratulations on Hub of the Day award!
Wow, fantastic information! Man, I miss that bookmarking function right now. Thanks for the great tip. I just started photographing my food for recipes and I really need to learn how to do it better. Thank you!
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tillsontitan, thanks for your very kind comment. And yes, chocolate is always a hit!
- AUTHOR
audra that studio is well worth it. Thanks for your comment .
- AUTHOR
Thank you Deborah. I appreciate it!
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Yes, ishwaryaa22, Sunshine is a fortuneteller it seems! I laughed when I came back here and saw that comment again. Thanks for your comment.
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Ha, ha, Moonlake. I know the feeling. Sometimes we seem to photograph every meal. Thanks for your comment.
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Cardelean, it was my kids who showed me what to do on the computer, and now I’m hooked. I’m glad to share these tips. Looking forward to yours on how to do great videos! Thanks for your comment.
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Poshcoffeeco, thanks a lot!
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vespawoolf, thanks so much!
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Thanks Eddy. You have a great weekend too.
- AUTHOR
cclitgirl, Sorry for making you hungry! :-)
Thanks for your comment!
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Thanks RTalloni.
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Made, a mini studio is very useful. I use it for more than just cooking hubs. Thanks for your comment and congrats.
- AUTHOR
@ Indieswebs,
@Natashalh,
Thank you for your comments.
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CyclingFitness, thanks for your comment. I think hub pages definitely brings out any latent passion for photography.
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Hi Linda Biss, your remote control idea sounds intriguing.
Thanks thanks for your comment.
Congrats! Cute little Heidi is mouthwatering! Bookmarked this hub for reading it whenever I feel like reading this hub, because it is soooooooooooo much interesting! Thanks for sharing great tips on photographing food items.
Very informative for those of us who are new and love to take photos. Advice always helps us go on to try new things. Thanks for sharing this with us! Great job!
Great hub! I might have to try the mini-studio for better pictures. Very attractive hub you have here--many votes. Congrats on hub of the day! Way to go!
I returned to wish you congratulations on making Hub of the Day with this very useful and comprehensive article. I also see your Hubber Score is a perfect 100!
Way to go dear friend.
Gail
congrats for well deserved the hub of the day.
Photographing food really is a fun. Thanks for sharing wonderful ideas.
Cheers
Great tips for photographing. The mini-studio is a must for anyone who sell on marketplaces like Etsy.
Congrats on the HOTD award!
Really great advice. I have always struggled with taking photos of my food. I actually have a ton of pictures of food I have made, but I have not gotten around to writing the hubs for them. Now I'm glad I didn't, because I can apply this information to hopefully make my upcoming food hubs better. And I may play around with a photo editor to see if I can make previous photos look better. Worst-case scenario...seek the help of my husband who knows PhotoShop.
Thanks for all the wonderful tips. And congratulations of Hub of the Day. Your truly earned it!
You do have great pictures. I love the hedgehog cake. My photos or end results are never perfect and I worried about that but after reading your story I feel better about them.
Useful hub. I intend to write a cook book one of these days!
Congratulations on your well-deserved Hub of the Day! Your tips are extremely very helpful -- and I love your food photographs!
Melovy! Thank you very much! I'm so glad this is HOD because I must have missed it. I have had many problems taking food photos. I've heard food photographers make really good money and I know why.
I am getting one of those studio boxes to start. I just worked on photos for a food hub - I messed with the lighting because it totally ruined the photos having my chandeliers directly over every space in the kitchen.
Excellent tips - this is so good I have to share:)
I just came back to say congrats on getting HOTD!!
Melvoy - I appreciated you answering my question with this hub and providing such really helpful food photography tips, and I am thrilled to see that it earned Hub of the Day too Congratulations!
Hello, I think these suggestions would be useful for other types of still shots. Thanks so much for letting us know your techniques. They obviously are very good tips, because your pictures turn out great. Congratulations on Hub of the Day.
Hi, I read this Hub when it was first published and enjoyed it, but I just wanted to drop by to say congrats on HOTD!
Congratulations on hub of the day.
This whole hubbing thing is a learning curve for me for sure. I have learned so much these 7 months I have been on here. These tips you shared will definitely help me to sharpen my skills. I am so glad that those of you who 'know' share your secrets. Thanks.
Oh very very useful Hub! Thank you for posting because the tips you gave are additional knowledge for me. I find it very useful because my best friend and I are planning to do trips across the country (the Philippines) and we would like to cherish our experience with each province we visit, from culture to food. Especially Food! I am excited to try out what you've instructed as we take pictures of the best cuisine there is in the Philippines. Again, thanks for the Hub!
Great tips! I did not even know that portable photographic studios even existed! Your photo editing advice is also good. It is no wonder your food shots are so mouth watering! Voted up, useful and will SHARE. Congrats on Hub of the Day! Well deserved.
Great advice Melovy. I have done a couple of recipe hubs and I do like to try to use my own photos but I am never really sure whether it's worth the bother.
Thanks for the advice about the Windows Live Photo, I wasn't aware of that.
Voted up and well done on getting selected for HOTD, well deserved.
Thanks for sharing your tips with us, and congratulations on the well-deserved Hub of the Day!
With using a white stove top only as my mini studio, I clean up/edit my food photos from one of the free photo editing sites. Trying shots of different angles from side to side, top view and zooming in (focus) gives me the choices to pick the best one. Since my SLR is damaged, I have been using Nikon Coolpix with 10x optical zoom + I use macro a lot and works well. Presentation play an important role in my pictures as well. Also, I aim for midday shots when the sun's rays peeks through my kitchen window. I like the play of light and shade. But this timing is limited to brunch photos and probably some early baking.
This is a helpful hub for those who are into cooking and posting their work gastronomically.
Voted up! Cheers!
Melovy,
This is great information all around. I have found myself doing more and more food hubs, and this will definitely help me make my photographs more appetizing. I'd love to get one of the photo boxes, so I'll be putting that on my wish list.
A great Hub of the day!
wayseeker
Congrats on your hub of the day, couldn't be more deserving. Your photos are always outstanding and make me hungry! I especially like the tip about close-ups versus zoom lenses and need not even say anything with chocolate is a big hit. Voted up, useful and interesting!
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