Four food photography tips for Instagram addicts

I love taking pictures of my food. There’s just something satisfying about getting to brag about a meal you just had.

However, taking Instaworthy pictures of our food is not as easy as it seems. We often struggle with bad lighting, and we cannot fathom how others manage to take a decent shot without the help of 10 photographers and professional lighting.

If that is basically the story of your life, I’ve got you covered. I spoke to French food stylist and photographer, Elodie Bellegarde, for some tips on taking Instaworthy shots of your food.

Here are her four food photography tips for Instagrammers.

1. Use natural lighting

One of Elodie’s most important tips for taking photos of food is to make use of natural lighting as much as possible.

Natural lighting is wonderful because it instantly makes your photo look awesome. Relying too much on lights from the restaurant can make your photos look dull and unpleasant because many restaurants tend to use mood lighting.

If you have to use unnatural light, make sure that the light source is not directly over your food (top light), and you should be just fine.

2. Simplicity is best

When it comes to taking photos of food, Elodie is a firm believer in simplicity.

Use simple props that you can find around your house or make them yourself. You do not need to blow your budget at Crate and Barrel just to take good pictures of food.

In fact, Elodie told us that she actually dyed some of the cloths used in her shots herself or improvises by using her son’s toys to make the picture stand out.

3. Use not more than three colours

While we are talking about simplicity, Elodie also recommends that you only have a minimum of three colours in your shot. This ensures that your photo will not be too crowded and the focus of your picture, which is your scrumptious food, will not be lost.

4. Remember to eat!

Most of us can get caught up trying to get that perfect shot of our food till we forget to eat. It can often mean that the people eating with us suffer, because they cannot touch the food until we take at least 30 shots.

Always remember that food is meant to be enjoyed and not just photographed. After all, as Elodie says, you cannot expect to take good photos of a subject if you do not truly love and enjoy it.

So, there you have it. Four tips to taking the perfect food shot for Instagram. Happy Instagramming!