A Guide To Taking The Perfect Instagram Shot Of Your Food

You probably already know that food photos on Instagram are by far the most popular option. Millions of users post eye-catching images of their food, whether they prepared it or ordered it, and it can feel like the competition is fierce. Here are a few tips on how you can take the perfect shot of your food, which will inevitably allow you to get Instagram likes like never before. 

Follow The Rule Of Thirds

A well-known concept in art and photography, this is a method that involves splitting your image in thirds horizontally and then vertically – keeping important parts of the photo (such as the main dish) at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines. This is an old technique that can instantaneously make your photos more interesting. Using the grid in the Instagram camera can help you achieve this easily. 

Lighting Is Everything In Photography

A great way to improve the quality of your photos is to learn the basics of lighting. There are many ways you can change the lighting in a photograph, and you should know that natural light is probably the most visually appealing choice. A lot of photos can be enhanced simply by increasing the amount of light in them – some people do this on the go by adding a light source from another phone. For example, when you’re in a restaurant with friends, you can ask them to use the torch feature of their phone to add more light to your shot.

The direction of light also significantly changes a photo. Think of every time you’ve taken a selfie with the sun behind you in the photo, and how much that selfie improved once you turned around to bring the sunlight in your face. The same concept can be applied to food photography – just play around with different directions until you get the one you think is best. 

A Little Composition CanGo A Long Way

Instead of just snapping a photo of your plate wherever the waitstaff has placed it, you can take a minute or two to think about the composition of your shot. Align the cutlery (or disorganize it), ruffle your napkin, and place it somewhere artistic in the shot. In other words, stage the photo according to an image you have in your mind of what the result should be. You can also change some things about the food itself – cut open a burger to reveal its juicy interior, allow the ice cream to drip a little, or even just use your fork as a prop in the photo. 

Different Angles Make For More Interesting Shots

You may have seen professional photographers lying flat on the ground to get a shot from that angle – this is because the dimensions of a photograph change drastically when you use a different angle. You can bring your food into focus, or focus on different parts of the food by playing around with your photography angle. The standard angle of you seated at a table in front of your food may look boring. Some people even stand up on their chair to snap a shot from a higher position – of course doing this at a restaurant may get you some stares, but you get the point. Angles will add character to your photos in an instant, so play around with them, 

Taking a great snap of your food for Instagram is not as difficult as it seems. Practice different techniques and take lots of photos to understand the different effects you can create. Using a filter can also change the photo for better or worse, depending on the photo and the filter.