How to improve my food snaps?

Try different angels 

When taking photos of food, there are a few angels that most people decide to go with, from the side and from above.  Some dishes are best when you snap from the side and some are best snapped from above. 

From above you get to see the full size and shape of the food and also other objects surrounding the food. Taking a photo from a side angel you can focus on the detail of the food, but the viewer wouldn’t see the full size or shape of the food. 

It’s often a good idea to snap photos from a few angels and see what works for your dish.

Use colour 

It’s a great idea to have a few colours in your dish, rather than just one colour which can be dull including at least two or three to jazz up your dish. You should choose your colours wisely and not to overpower or take the focus away.

Think about your lighting 

Taking photos under natural light is usually best, try not to use extra lighting, lamps or your built in camera flash. Move around to find the best light, you don’t have to stay in the kitchen to take snaps of your food if the best light is in your lounge. 

Composition 

Think about the composition and layout of your food on your crockery when plating up, make it neat. Try to minimise clutter in your surroundings and think about what's placed on the table and where. 

Use a neutral background that won’t take away the focus from your food but complements it. Be sure that it's not too messy or colourful but is interesting and draws attention to the subject.

You could consider decorating the scene with some props, these should be small not to overpower but to complement. For example if you were photographing a nice coffee you could include some coffee beans.

These are just a few hints to help you improve your food photography.