Use these helpful shooting tips when photographing or shooting video of food.
Tip 1. Angles
When taking photos or shooting video of food, the angle of your shot is one of the most important decisions you have to make. The position of your food and where you take the photo from helps tell your story. The shape and size of the food is important to consider when selecting your camera angle.
Some foods that are symmetrical or round may look artsy if shot from overhead. However, if you want to show off the portion size of a particular food item, an overhead photograph does not give good representation of size. Side angles add depth to a photo and accentuate the size of the food item being photographed or videoed.
Tip 2. Lighting
When it comes to lighting food, you can never go wrong with daylight from a window in the kitchen or restaurant. If you are in a studio setting with no windows, utilize soft lights with lots of diffusion. Soft lighting, like with Kino Flo lights, as your key light will make your food look more smooth and attractive. Lighting your food item by direct and harsh lighting from a spot light will give you the opposite effect. In the end you want your food to look delicious and inviting, not scary.
Tip 3. Setting
The environment that your food is in really matters. If you want more of a home feel, wood textures with interesting dishes and cutlery may be the way to go. If you are going for something more stylized (like for a tropical dish) adding items like palm leaves, shells or sand to your scene can give your content the tropical feel.
The ideal setting for a food video or photo shoot really depends on the feelings you want your images to give to people. Google is a powerful tool for you to use when making this decision. Find inspiration from other photographs or videos. The possibilities are endless.
Tip 4. Food Placement
The way you position food in a shot is important. You can use other props to add lines and layers to your shot composition. At the end of the day, the food item is your hero and you want it to be the focus. Adding in other foods for an accent color can really make a food item pop.
Adding props to a blurry background behind an image can really accent the food item and give the photo or video shot the feel you are looking for. Capturing images of making pancakes in a cabin needs to have a different background than images of a dessert being completed at a five star restaurant. These backgrounds can be created or you can utilize existing locations for the ideal setting for your food shoot.
Griffs Deli video and photo shoot in Bowling Green, KY
For a recent video and photo shoot at Griffs Deli in Bowling Green, KY, the Sublime Media Group production team used these same shooting tips to capture high quality video and images. The goal of the shoot was to film a commercial campaign highlighting the great food at Griffs Deli and their new delivery service, plus take photos of various food items available at the restaurant.
Food photography and video production can be challenging but it’s also a lot of fun. The next time you are creating content with food, don’t forget these angle, lighting, setting, and food placement tips from Sublime Media Group in Bowling Green, KY.
