Written by If you are in the business of running a restaurant, writing a food blog, or producing a cookbook or any content that contains pictures of food, then good food photography can be a key factor that will make or break the business . Food photos, when executed properly, stimulate appetite appeal, accentuate the texture and ingredients of your meals, and present your dishes in the best possible light (and here I am speaking of both, literal and figurative).
Even if you have the urge to pick up your phone and take several snapshots, it is always wiser to get an experienced food photographer. Here are the top reasons why:Here are the top reasons why:
1. They have the right equipment That means they have stewardship over the proper equipment in order to do their jobs.
The professional food photographers adopt the best quality digital SLR cameras, specific lenses for detailing the photos like the macro lenses, quality and efficient lighting equipments among others. They know how to manage available light, equipment settings, utensils, and backdrop to make your food look irresistible appealing. You therefore not only lack the tools and knowledge needed to properly sell your cuisine to the viewers but you also do not have the experience that comes with preparing for a professional meal.
2. They Understand How to Plate Food
Just placing a dish on a plate is not suitable for a good picture or a beautiful, attractive-looking meal. The layout focused on aspects related to color, texture, height, negative space, flow, garnishes, fabrics or surfaces, and other styling elements. They understand things like using a piece of chocolate as a garnish in a cappuccino by brushing milk foam on top or spraying water on vegetables before cooking to enhance their crispiness.
3. Some of them have photography skills especially when it comes to food.
Manipulation of focal lengths and positions, depth of field and lighting is not a mere child’s play. The principles of good food photography are not guesswork; professional food photographers have honed their skills over many years. They understand how to maneuver past simple mistakes of a beginner, for example, with regards to shadows and reflections or overly brightened areas or wrong white balance on images. Expertise also leads to great photos that reflect the taste and presentation of the meal.
4. They Can Enhance Imperfections
It is important to understand that not every meal you prepare will turn out like the pictures in the cook books. A pro knows how to adjust defects in post-production stage, although they may be unnoticeable during the shoot. They can place steam coming out of the dish, enhance colors, change backgrounds, adjust brightness of the objects that can be barely seen in the shadows or just crop the unwanted parts of the frame out of the picture. The final edited images will be those that show the real type of food you want to display, only made to look more appealing.
5. They Work Quickly
Professional food photographer is aware of techniques that can help to complete the shooting session as quickly as possible. Although spending time on food styling is a long process, when the camera is brought out, a professional takes pictures very quickly because the food could get cold, wilt, perish, change color or look terrible in a few hours. They do not fiddle around with equipment, settings or even different positions at the drop of a hat. They can give clients the food shots that they need in a fast manner.
6. They Shoot for Usage
A professional food photographer should enquire from the client regarding the intended use of the photos – for social media, web galleries, cookbooks, commercials and more. They then design images that are best suited for specific targets and dimensions. The photo that is meant to be placed in a full-size cookbook is very different from the one that is created specifically for the Instagram feed. Pros adapt their process.
7. They know how to advance a plot.
It will be remembered that mouth watering photos do not depict food, which just lies there. Powerful shots draw a person into an experience—sizzle of skillet, pour of melted chocolate, slap of lime over tacos. As any photography professionals will testify, it is possible to coax images into telling a story.
8. They Follow Food Safety
Especially when working with fresh or delicate foods such as meats and cheeses, handling the food correctly makes the items safe for both photographing and tasting during long shoots. Holders of professional stakes strictly observe all the laid down food laws and standards. The need to safeguard the health of the clients serves to ensure that clients have the assurance needed to pursue their other activities.
9. They Have Creative Vision
Photography experts employ a unique artistic perspective to picture orientation, color gradation, and display. It is important to note that they have unique and unique ideas that you probably would have never come up with and through their mastery, they can even create artsy stories from simple ingredients. They are the true artists whose vision can turn even regular snapshots into stunning photos.
10. They Handle Post-Processing
That is not all, after the shooting session there are still some photography jobs to be accomplished. Photographers understand how to work on images in Photoshop, Lightroom, or any other software to adjust colors, clean the picture from specks of dust or blemishes, or even enhance aspects that may not be visible or diminished when moving from the actual scene to the image. The last pictures effectively present your meal in terms of colour as close to the real one as possible.
The Importance of Good Photo of the Meal
While there are millions of superficial snapshots taken with the help of an iPhone or any other device, beautiful and appetizing food photos stand out from the background. Restaurant fan segments are prompted to share, like and comment more based on the photos that are posted on the restaurant website and social media pages.
Live cookbook and blog pictures make hom chefs get excited when browsing through the pages. The pictures can potentially impact people who browse through images of different restaurants considering where to have their next meal. Merchants employ pictures which help them market their products to other merchants or distributors.
Employing the services of a professional food photographer presents pictures that are likely to reflect the type of food and the nature of your business. Your food and presentations require pictures the same way you capture a meal on a plate. Hussain and Hassan (2010) revealed that professional photography transform taste appeal from table to images that appeal to viewers and turning them into buyers.
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