Food Photo Hacks: Useful Skills To Takeaway

Whether you just love food, own an independent café or coffee shop, or want to start a new career path… this one’s for you!

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Food Picture vs Reality

Love taking photos of your signature dishes but they never look quite right? There are so many food photo trends out there, it can feel a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry – as always, we’ve got a friend who can help! On a recent food photoshoot for our new Signature 1815 collection, we worked with the super-talented, experienced Food Stylist and AEG chef Tom Guise. 

Tom’s amazing at what he does – everyone from the shoot will agree (doggy bags all-round) and we couldn’t help noticing he’s as cool as a cucumber, even in a steamy kitchen! So, how does he do it?

We asked Tom to share some of his presentation and food photography tips and tricks when it comes to creating great food photos for Instagram.

Food Photo Inspiration

If you’re struggling with your composition, here are a few accounts we think you should check out for some food photo ideas before you start – give them a follow on Instagram!

What Makes A Good Food Photo?

Over to Tom…

Follow the Rainbow

Choose contrasting tableware so your food stands out and really makes a statement. Use hues from opposite sides of the colour wheel to pick the most suitable plate, dish or bowl. Don’t be scared of bold colours. Tom’s top-tip is that food looks great on anything blue! 

Dish The Dirt

When choosing tableware for a particular dish, make sure it fits on the plate comfortably and isn’t too big or small for the portion size.
 
Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy 

When it comes to yummy food photos, less is more! Try not to overcomplicate things and stay focused on the main event – your signature dish.
 
Get Ready For Your Close Up

To achieve delicious-looking ‘foodie’ pictures, don’t be nervous about going in for a food photo close up – the closer you get, the more luscious food tends to look. Mmmm just look at those plums!
 

Lights, Camera, Action

A food photo challenge is always light. When thinking about your food photo setup, consider your lighting source – where is the light coming from? Plate your dish so that the light is on the most photogenic part of your dish. Experiment with taking photos at different times of the day and even different times of the year to find out what type of lighting works for you. Is your style dark and dramatic or light and airy?

 
… and there you have it! We hope these five food photo tricks and tips have helped you? Tag @royaldoulton and @tomfoodstylist on Instagram so we can see what you get up to. Have fun and good luck. You never know – maybe one day, one of your Instagram images will end up being the most liked food photo on Instagram?!

If you’d like the recipes from this shoot, take a look at ‘Food Glorious Food: Recipes From Signature 1815 Photoshoot’ blog.

For this shoot, Tom Guise worked with Photographer Mark Duckett at Studio Six Photography Ltd, along with Stylist Sophie Purser.
 
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