Our meals have become our traveling partners.
Not all that long ago, our blogs and social media posts were more focused on our locations – “Look, I’m at the Eiffel Tower!” “Here I am at the county fair!”
All of these updates are generally easy for friends to ‘like.’ But the ease of shooting photos, especially with the popularity of mobile devices, has led to more people taking pictures of other aspects of their scenic journeys, namely what they’re putting in their bellies.
Most of us know what the Leaning Tower of Pisa looks like and it’s a given that you and thousands of other tourists are going to take a photo of it. There’s even one spot you can stand where it looks like you’re pushing the tower.
You can gain some additional social media cred by taking photos of that tasty pizza you found at the café near the tower. But this creates another challenge: you must make it look good since food is notoriously tough to shoot well. This is why magazines sometimes use fake food for studio shots, like mashed potatoes in place of creamy vanilla ice cream or motor oil for maple syrup.
Since you likely won’t be able to duplicate studio conditions at the various bistros, cafes, or beachfront snack shacks you’ll encounter in your travels, you’ll have to try some other methods to get your food looking as good as it tastes.
- Experiment with light, filters and flash. Provided you have the storage space, you pretty much have unlimited opportunities to get it right and try every possible combination before you create something suitable. Every environment is a little different as far as available lighting – just because you can see fine doesn’t mean the camera can. Since you don’t have to worry about the old-school problem of wasting film, you can try it with the flash on, the flash off, the auto flash until you find a winner.
- Create a mini-vignette. Make the area around the food look good too, which can include arranging glasses, plates, silverware and bread baskets to look more symmetrical and planned. Ask your server for help as well – because more and more people are shooting their food, servers may be used to what originally was an odd request. They may even have suggestions about ways to rearrange items or if you should switch to a different table with better light.
- Stick with the ‘before’ shot. Though your audience may love seeing what you ordered up, especially if it’s a local delicacy, fewer of them want to see it while you’re eating it, or worse, the messy results. Unless it’s a gourmet accomplishment you’re particularly proud of – like eating a whole pizza or a 15-egg omelet, an empty plate doesn’t tell the story as well as what was originally on it.
Photography:
Foodie with Phone: Copyright – Anna Bizoń
English Breakfast: Copyright – ikontee
Camera and Coffee: Copyright – welcomia
Arrange your Plate: Copyright – Sergii Kumer
Photo by Phone: Copyright – Marti Sans