{"id":12945,"date":"2018-08-07T11:12:08","date_gmt":"2018-08-07T10:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/?p=12945"},"modified":"2025-10-29T10:06:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T10:06:12","slug":"5-top-tips-food-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/5-top-tips-food-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"Our 5 Top Tips for Food Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pl-12945\"  class=\"panel-layout\" ><div id=\"pg-12945-0\"  class=\"panel-grid panel-no-style\" ><div id=\"pgc-12945-0-0\"  class=\"panel-grid-cell\" ><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-0\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor panel-first-child\" data-index=\"0\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<p><strong>City Academy Photography tutor Zarina Holmes loves photographing food, but knows it's not an easy feat. So, in this post she shares some of her top <\/strong><strong>food photography tips<\/strong> for taking great photos of scrumptious edibles.<\/p>\n<p>We photograph food to remember the experience and capture the exquisite taste. Food is a photogenic subject matter. That\u2019s why we are moved to preserve the memory with our cameras and smartphones. Glossy magazines and food brands spend a huge amount of money and effort to create the best food images. It\u2019s fun to capture food beautifully for your own personal enjoyment.<\/p>\n<h2>Our Food Photography Tips<\/h2>\n<p>Here are our top 5 food photography tips to help you achieve better photos of food:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-1\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-image\" data-index=\"1\" ><div id=\"Lumut-MalaysiaZHolmes\" class=\"panel-widget-style panel-widget-style-for-12945-0-0-1\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-image so-widget-sow-image-default-c67d20f9f743-12945\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\n<div class=\"sow-image-container\">\n\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips.jpg\" width=\"792\" height=\"792\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips.jpg 792w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-330x330.jpg 330w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-690x690.jpg 690w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/food-photography-tips-580x580.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px\" title=\"Pesticide-free tropical fruits, Lumut seaside town, Malaysia. \u00a9 Zarina Holmes Photography\" alt=\"food photography tips\" \t\tclass=\"so-widget-image\"\/>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"widget-title\">Pesticide-free tropical fruits, Lumut seaside town, Malaysia. \u00a9 Zarina Holmes Photography<\/h3><\/div><\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-2\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor\" data-index=\"2\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2>1. Composition and Styling<\/h2>\n<p>Think of a great angle when photographing food. The 45 degrees angle is an easy winner. Try both wide angle and shallow-depth-field. A good portrait lens such as the 50mm could achieve these. Don\u2019t forget about styling to enhance the subject. On Instagram, you can find many good inspirations on styling.<\/p>\n<h2>2. Set Your Mood<\/h2>\n<p>Your images will be better if you could set the mood. Is it light-hearted? Lavish? Homely? Rustic? Festive? Think of an idea first before you shoot. Have a look through travel magazines and see how other photographers give unique voices to their food story.<\/p>\n<h2>3. Get as Much Natural Light as Possible<\/h2>\n<p>This is not an absolute gospel, but many photographers prefer to photograph food using natural light. The morning light by the window is the best. It is softer and cooler than the afternoon light. Avoid photographing in a poorly lit room, as your food may appear too yellow as a result.<\/p>\n<h2>4. Or be Creative with Your Lighting and Shadows<\/h2>\n<p>If you don\u2019t have the luxury of working using natural or morning light, you can simply use electric lights and light modifiers to lit your subject. They are pretty affordable and worth investing in if you are really into making creative food photography. Don\u2019t forget creative shadows too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-3\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button\" data-index=\"3\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-wire-ddd71a55377f-12945\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\">\n\t<a\n\thref=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/food-and-product-photography\"\n\t\tclass=\"ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBROWSE FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-4\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-image\" data-index=\"4\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-image so-widget-sow-image-default-c67d20f9f743-12945\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n\n<div class=\"sow-image-container\">\n\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket.jpg\" width=\"960\" height=\"637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-330x219.jpg 330w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-296x197.jpg 296w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-690x458.jpg 690w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-874x580.jpg 874w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/oysters-in-ice-bucket-930x617.jpg 930w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" title=\"Native oysters, Whitstable, Canterbury, UK. \u00a9 Zarina Holmes Photography\" alt=\"oysters in ice bucket\" \t\tclass=\"so-widget-image\"\/>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<h3 class=\"widget-title\">Native oysters, Whitstable, Canterbury, UK. \u00a9 Zarina Holmes Photography<\/h3><\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-5\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-editor\" data-index=\"5\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-editor so-widget-sow-editor-base\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t>\n<div class=\"siteorigin-widget-tinymce textwidget\">\n\t<h2>5. Background, Background, Background<\/h2>\n<p>For me, the background is just as important as the food subject itself. Make sure there are no unwanted details in the background. Choose background colours and textures that complement the food subject.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to know more about creating good compositions, check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/digital-photography-for-beginners\">Digital Photography for Beginners class<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-21725\" src=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/zarina-holmes-photography-teacher.jpg\" alt=\"zarina holmes - photography teacher\" width=\"200\" height=\"299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/zarina-holmes-photography-teacher.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/zarina-holmes-photography-teacher-100x150.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Zarina Holmes is a City Academy Lifestyle, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/london-street-photography\">Street<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/digital-photography-for-beginners\">Digital Photography<\/a> tutor. She is a founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/alohaglue.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GLUE Studio<\/a>\u00a0agency. Before photographing for fashion and lifestyle brands, she was an art director for travel magazines. City Academy run adult<a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/photography-classes\"> Photography<\/a>\u00a0classes across central London, find a class for you below:<\/p>\n<p>- <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/photography-classes\">All Photography<\/a><\/strong><strong>\u00a0classes<br \/>\n- <a href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/digital-photography-for-beginners\">Digital Photography Beginners<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"panel-12945-0-0-6\" class=\"so-panel widget widget_sow-button panel-last-child\" data-index=\"6\" ><div\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tclass=\"so-widget-sow-button so-widget-sow-button-wire-ddd71a55377f-12945\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t><div class=\"ow-button-base ow-button-align-center\">\n\t<a\n\thref=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/food-and-product-photography\"\n\t\tclass=\"ow-icon-placement-left ow-button-hover\" \t>\n\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tBROWSE FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>City Academy Photography tutor Zarina Holmes loves photographing food, but knows it&#8217;s not an easy feat. So, in this post&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":21723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[243,130,346],"tags":[847,850,851,852,192,853],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Food Photography Tips - Our Top 5 [Updated] | City Academy Guides<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Read our top 5 top food photography tips by City Academy tutor Zarina Holmes. From lighting to texture and background, here&#039;s how to get it right...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.city-academy.com\/news\/5-top-tips-food-photography\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Food Photography Tips - Our Top 5 [Updated] | City Academy Guides\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Read our top 5 top food photography tips by City Academy tutor Zarina Holmes. 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