Tips for mouthwatering food photography

Out and about and forget your camera? Don’t discount the humble smartphone when it comes to food photography. My old Samsung S9 can still pack a punch — the lens is equivalent to a full-frame 35mm lens, which is great for food photography!

If you shoot in RAW with the Lightroom mobile app, you can shoot, edit and share quickly and easily.

True, the image size and quality may not be quite the same as a DSLR or mirrorless camera, but if you are shooting for social media, then they are perfectly fine.

The compression rate on social media sites can do some pretty unjust things to the humble food photo. So if you’re just looking for a few quick shots to show you’re a wiz in the kitchen or found the perfect latte, using a smartphone is great.

The best advice is to look for the light. Great light makes for great images.

Try and remove anything distracting from the background. Nothing destroys an image quicker than Uncle Bill in the background playing the fool. Even if it means just holding up the tablecloth in the background.

A great idea when it comes to food photography is the flat lay. Hold your phone directly over your subject. Compose and look for the shot. Try a few different angles to see which is most flattering.

Don’t forget to crop for social media in the Lightroom app, too. Your phone’s camera probably shoots at something like 16:9 (unless you change the settings). Facebook loves a 5×7 crop, while Instagram loves a square 1:1 or 6×8 crop.

And enjoy that latte!