A bounty is not just a chocolate bar
And it isn’t about hunting down criminals, either. Plated food always looks best when it’s in abundance, because it says “come feast with me”. Now how can anyone resist that? Simply make sure that you make enough food to go around, and the camera will love you for it.
Fabrics, dahling, FABRICS!
I kid you not: I have ENTIRE DRAWERS dedicated to tea towels. Plates can come off cold and sterile - unless you got fancy schmancy hand-crafted stoneware, in which case could you please tell me where you got it from? I need some more - and a well-placed tea towel can create a lot of texture and interest in your photo! If you can, natural fabrics work best: I have a cream linen napkin that sneaks its way into many of my photos, because it’s so darned pretty.
When in doubt, think Gulliver’s Travels
So creating a bounty (see point 1) can be more than just about having enough food. To make it look like you’ve got enough, you sometimes need to use teeny tiny plates. Often, I’ve had to use a dinner plate as a serving platter and side plates as dinner plates, because filling that space can really trick the eye (and brain!) into thinking that there is more there than there is...and thus creating the look of abundance.
Fresh is best
We often hear the phrase “fresh is best” when it comes to cooking, but did you know that it applies to photography too? Sometimes a scattering of fresh ingredients that you’ve used in the dish can really up the ante, and lend that sense of a healthy personally-cooked meal to your photograph.
Copying is the greatest form of flattery
Photographer’s block is a real thing, and hey, sometimes I get stuck in a rut too. And when that happens, the Internet is here to save you. There’s no shame in googling a dish for inspiration, and then using that as a springboard to help get you started! I’m still taking inspiration from magazines that I love - gotta learn from the real pros, right?
Ready, set, ACTION!
If you think that your food looks a little boring - there are some things that are just not that photogenic - then why not make it an action shot? Simply grab a hand model - I usually find that the promise of delicious food gets them coming in - and get them to spoon out a heaping scoop of your dish. Et voila! A dynamic and interesting photograph.
Consider the hero of the shot
So you’ve got your plates all laid out, and your table covered in fresh ingredients, but the photo still looks a little...off. Well, sometimes we can forget about showing off the true hero ‘dish’, when the mad stylist in us takes over! It’s like Coco Chanel said, “Take one thing off the table before you shoot the photograph”. Oh wait, or was that about clothes? Well, you catch my drift.
A bird’s eye view can provide a different perspective!
While a close-up shot of dripping sauce can make for amazing food porn, a well laid-out table that’s shot from above can make for a gorgeous photograph. Especially when you don’t have fancy lenses that give you that dramatic depth of field that I love to use. This is especially useful when you have many favourite condiments to go with your main - break out those mismatching sauces and get creative with it!
Edit edit edit!
I can count on one hand the photographers I know that use their photos straight off the camera without editing. And with even smart phones coming pre-installed with photo editing software, there’s just no excuse for flat pictures anymore. Simply play around with your Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation controls until you get a photo that really pops. It’s really that simple!
Just have fun with it!
Okay, so every creative guide has GOT to have that one cliche advice about having fun. But it’s repeated so constantly for a reason! I don’t believe that stress fosters any true creativity, and the best surprises comes out of having fun with whatever you’re doing. Remember, it’s food, not the end of the world. You’re allowed to get a little cheeky with it. ;)
Tammi Kwok is a Chef, Food Photographer and Stylist based in Sydney. She blogs at Tea for Tammi , sharing her favourite recipes and travel stories! You can also follow her adventures on Periscope, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
