Food Photography Tips, Part I.

Part I – Types of Food Photography 

I attended a food photography lesson last Friday, organised by the Singapore Management University‘s Visual Arts Society (SMUSAIC). This society was formed by members with an interest in photography, digital imaging and cinematography.

With the permission of Kejie and Gabriel (the two student instructors), I am going to do a series of tips on food photography which I picked up from their class on my blog. Let’s all strive to capture the gorgeousness of food in our photography.

Today I’ll be covering the different types of food photography.

There are 3 types of food photography:
1. Packaging Photography
2. Naked Food Photography
3. Display Food Photography

1. Packaging Photography

This is one of the toughest types of photography. It is the responsibility of the photographer to create a 3-dimensional effect out of boxes, sachets of packets of chips, etc. One tip would be to tilt to packages at different angles before taking the photograph.

2. Naked Food Photography

Source: Gastrofotos

Naked food photography simply means food that is out of a package and is styled. There is usually only one or at most two components in this type of photography. This type of photography is great for beginners with compact cameras.

3. Display Food Photography

Source: dkimages

Display food photography simply means that the photograph showcases a range of components. It could be a set meal with drinks and dessert or perhaps different types of food that used a particular ingredient, etc.

The most important thing before you plan to photograph food is to settle on your objective. Ask yourself, what do you want your photo to portray and which type of photography would suit that objective the best?

My personal favourite is Naked Food Photography. I love taking close up shots so that my viewers can almost touch and smell the food. In my opinion, the ability to do that is what sets great photography apart from good photography.

Here’s a behind-the-scene video on food styling and the hard work that goes into food photography.

My photographer friend Amos Wong takes really awesome food photographs too, check him out here.

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