Food pictures how to make it look better.

[Rusty Kettle]

So my food pictures always suck. So what can I do to improve them? As in how do you get nice food pics that don't look like my mugshots? :laugh:
When your taking pics what do you do? I am curious about how you set the plate and how you set the light to get the best picture. Do you have professional cameras or is a cheap smart phone good enough?
What props do you use to make it look better? I usually see beer of some sort thrown in.
So if you were explaining how to take nice food pictures to someone who is not a photographer how would you explain it to them?
Thanks for the input. I have some time on my hands and really am looking at putting some Depression era recipes on the Daniel Boone and I would like to be able to get good pictures of that. Keep in mind I just have a cell phone with a camera. It was free with buying a phone card so its a refurbished old model. Thanks for the input.

 

[Titch]

Read thru this post
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96575

 

[smoke ninja]

angles. it's all about angles...and lighting

take plenty of pictures with multiple angles. try to focus on lighting, look for shadows, I find natural sunlight works best, if not get multiple sources of light buy avoid it being to direct.

use some filters. alot of phones have editing filters, or apps. Instagram let's you vary the intensity of them. the goal isn't to make pics look fake just better. my phone has a food filter that works well

all my pics are from a phone camera, they can take great pics, keep the lens clean and your hand steady. make sure there is good lighting and get plenty of shots from multiple angles and dont be afraid to doctor up your pics

 

[LYU370]

And bigger is better, but not too big. I often see really small pics with bad lighting. Mine have gotten better over the years, but I still occasionally post some bad ones. I just use my cellphone camera, but I know others have high $$$ setups.

 

[sudsandswine]

I think lighting is the most important part. I have pretty poor lighting in the places I take food pics or would like to so I have to go out of my way to deal with it. Outdoor lighting is usually the best for me in lieu of improved interior lighting.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

+2 on the lighting. What with all these new LED bulbs and all, it really throws off a good plate shot.

 

[TravelingJ]

I think we all have different ideas of what makes a photo stand out to us.

You might try looking at the Throwdown voting threads. You can see a variety of photo styles comparing a typically similar subject matter. You'll also find people who have amazing photos, so you can look at their posts and see what you do and don't like about them. The clean camera tip is a big one. I always take 2-14 photos before I realize it's all smudged from a dog snout or my greasy fingertips. Clean her up and get a clear shot!

I always notice busy backgrounds. I go mental and look at every detail that ISN'T the main focus. "oh, what do they have on their counter" "wow, he needs to wash his truck" "someone needs to mow their yard" etc. I do the same on phone calls where I realized I'm listening to the TV show they are watching, instead of paying attention, etc. I think my favorites photos tend to be the shots that don't have anything that wasn't intended. I tend to get further away for my own pictures-so that the camera can focus and I don't have a shadow. Then I crop out anything I don't need, like the now wfh-desk taking over the table, an errant grill cover, etc.

 

[Happy Hapgood]

Read thru this post
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96575

Dang shame caseydog decided to leave. This post helped me a lot in the Throwdowns back when.

 

[16Adams]

I’m an amateur. Pro’s may scoff and that’s cool. I use a version or my comprehension of Photography Rule Of Thirds. Think of a Tic Tac Toe hashtag. Now put an X in the middle. You want the subject of your photo anywhere except in that center X. You can cross the imagination lines but to me perfectly centered head On is where a “mugshot” comes from. Lines Shadows Angles can easily be created, Offset
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
My Bride says I cook for the photo. She laughs when I say let’s cook this or that because it’ll make a great photo to send to some Flyfishing buddies— we stay in contact daily texting food photos.
Anyway my amateur recommendation is get what you’re wanting people to focus on out of the center X. Obviously there’s more but That’s a good start

 

[Titch]

Dang shame caseydog decided to leave. This post helped me a lot in the Throwdowns back when.

Two most important things caseydog told me to do was take lots of pictures and pick the most appealing
And as mentioned here , lighting.

I have some really expensive cameras but they are only used when we go on holidays etc
My pictures come of my samsung tablet

 

[Ron_L]

My pictures are taken using my iPhone. Most are in my kitchen, where we have a 4 tube fluorescent fixture that provides plenty of light, but I prefer natural light. The pic below was taken in our porch.

 

[Dweverett]

That old thread had some great tips around how to position the lighting. You will be fine with the camera on a cell phone. It won’t have the shallow depth of field you can get with some dedicated cameras but with the right lighting it will still be a great shot.

Also, try pulling some of the shots into a photo editing program. While not photoshop, there are free ones available. Tweaking the white balance and contrast can make a big difference. Also, you can artificially mimic the shallow depth of field (only part of the picture will be in focus) that would otherwise require the expensive camera. Similar to what the iPhone 11 Pro does with portrait mode actually.

 

[16Adams]

Continuing. Some people enjoy the perfectly spaced center X photographs. It’s a style. I took this photo at a closed bbq joint in Estelline TX. Rule Of Thirds

 

[16Adams]

A true Pro Tip I learned from cowgirl. If you have a knife fork or spoon in the photo they should be impeccably clean. Look at her photos. If you’ve used the fighting utensils to take a few bites and have food smears bits and pieces-replace them with new clean to take the photo. Same with pit residue grease etc under fingernails. Holding the most beautiful hamburger in the world will look suspect with crud from the pit duties under your nails.

 

[PnkPanther]

good point, I too have been thinking of upping my game


of course part of it is my wife mocks me for photoing my cooks, so I tend to rush. But some good tips in here and prior thread I'll try to incorporate

 

[Ron_L]

This is a Facebook video, but hopefully everyone can see it.

https://www.facebook.com/Chef.Todd.Mohr/videos/263793481674374/

This is from Chef Todd Mohr and he talks about making food prettier. Things like proper plating and presentation are as important, maybe more important, than photography skills.

 

[Smokin Dawg77]

All good points here , angles and lighting are REALLY IMPORTANT. i find my inside pics toyally differnt that outdoor shots. Both these are outside...

 

[Cat797]

I think you can take decent pictures with most current smart phones........I'll ask since you referenced it in your original post; what cheap smart phone are you using, or do you have a relatively new one? Also, I like to resize to 480 x 640 as that seems to be what most folks want in format for forums. I'll admit that I struggle with this, which is why I don't post many pictures. I don't have an easy way to do it.......

Ed

 

[Rusty Kettle]

I think you can take decent pictures with most current smart phones........I'll ask since you referenced it in your original post; what cheap smart phone are you using, or do you have a relatively new one? Also, I like to resize to 480 x 640 as that seems to be what most folks want in format for forums. I'll admit that I struggle with this, which is why I don't post many pictures. I don't have an easy way to do it.......

Ed

https://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-L61AL-premier-lte

This is the exact one I have. It was free with buying a phone card. Refurbished one too. All the things they are complaining about in reviews is absolutely true. I guess for free I can't complain too much :laugh:

Thanks guys for the info. I appreciate it.

 

[SmokinAussie]

^^^ That Camera really is pretty light on but you can do a reasonable job if you use natural light. 8 megapixels doesn't mean much. It's the size of the sensor itself that makes the difference. You can have a huge 8 megapixel sensor that will effectively capture more light and give you an awesome result. Then you can have a tiny one like is in that phone. Then there is the the software and the processing which has gone on leaps and bounds in the last 2 years... but money right!

Try and avoid using the little flash at all. Try post processing with either Lightroom CC or even just in Google Photos.

The most important advice: Don't get too drunk before you start taking pics. The amount of times I've screwed up an otherwise perfect throwdown entry is ridiculous. Nothing worse than getting up in the morning and noticing you have literally no decent photos.