When I’m wearing my “food photographer” hat, I am constantly amazed when someone says to me that ‘taking pictures of food must be so easy’ or ‘man, you have such an easy job’. In fact, shooting food can be one of the most demanding genres of photography, and the people that I work for and with are some of the most discerning perfectionists on the planet.
A well-lit subject, more than any other factor, is the most important aspect of photography and that includes photographing food. Lighting can make an average plated dish look amazing and, conversely, poor lighting can make a beautiful dish look unappetizing. When shooting food in a restaurant environment, it’s a careful balance of strobes lighting the food and various light sources illuminating the background (which can be window light or the restaurant lighting itself). All together (as you can see from the examples) you have a well-lit, delicious looking dish with either the ambiance of the restaurant in the background, or a non-distracting simple background.
If you’re a restaurateur there is absolutely nothing more important than a well-shot, high-quality professional photograph of your food. (Sorry, stock photography doesn’t work in this case. In our highly competitive and visual world the viewer demands authenticity, which means showing people the food you actually serve.) I cannot stress this enough to my restaurant clients. Beautiful food photographs are the most important tools that you have when it’s time to advertise your restaurant. People are very visual, and a sumptuous picture can sell your menu almost as good as actually having the food in front of you.
Other then lighting, another factor in a ‘good’ food photograph is the way that it is set up on the plate. A nice balance of color and shape is important and, unless you’re selling the plates, use of a white or non-competing colored plate will help the food ‘pop’ more in the photo. I always recommend having either the chef or a food stylist available to make sure the dish is looking it’s best.
Finally, while it may seem like a good idea to put as much food as possible on a plate (thus making it look like your restaurant has bigger portions) a plate that is overcrowded can actually take away from the beauty and work against you. When shooting food, like many other subjects, sometimes less is more.
Jon Evans
Plated Food shot Spencers at the Waterfront, by Jon Evans
Plated food shot at Trendz Restaurant, by Jon Evans
click to view the food photography portfolio of Jon Evans
