Easy Tips for Taking Professional Food Photos Using a Smartphone, So That Those Who See It Become Hungry

Dream - It's not just about showing off the food you ordered, taking photos of food is also commonly done so that others can see and imagine the deliciousness of the food even just through pictures.

Taking appetizing food photos doesn't always have to be done by professional photographers. With the smartphone you have, anyone can easily do it if they know the right techniques for taking photos and choosing the correct angles.

Professional Food Photographer, Togi Panjaitan, said that food photography is actually about how we capture food to stimulate the appetite.

“How do we capture food in a way that looks appetizing, so that the people who see it feel hungry,” said Togi during the Food Photography Workshop with Redmi Note 12 Pro in Jakarta, Thursday, June 22, 2023.

The techniques used by Togi can also be easily applied by Dream friends who want or already have a food business and intend to promote it on social media.

Here are some tips for taking photos of food to make people interested and want to buy. 

1. Use natural light

You don't need expensive lighting, you can take food photos by relying on natural sunlight. The way to do it is by placing the object on a table near a window so that it can be directly exposed to light on one side.

But don't forget to pay attention to the timing. There are times when sunlight is not ideal for food photography lighting.

“So don't take photos at 12 noon, not at 1 o'clock, and don't take photos during sunset,” he said.

According to Togi, yellow light during sunset will cause the color of the food to turn yellowish. This type of light is more suitable for taking selfies or landscape photos.

“For food photos, the best time is from 9-11 am, or if you want to take photos in the afternoon, from 2-4 pm, but it depends on where your house is and where the windows are. Basically, the easiest way is to look at the shadows as a benchmark,” he explained.

2. Find interesting angles

When taking food photos, you can try various angles, such as from the side, front, or top. However, when using a smartphone camera, there will be a wide-angle effect that makes the plate look distorted or disproportionate.

Togi suggests using the zoom feature on the camera to capture food details more clearly and make it look more proportional.

“Texture is also important to capture, so that people who see it can imagine the shape and texture of the food. If it's crispy, it should be visible, so use macro mode for more detail,” he explained.

3. Choose suitable props

Togi said that when taking food photos, you don't really need a lot of props. It's better to focus on the food as the main object in the photo.

“The food should be 80% and the props can be 20%, if you want to use props, choose ones that are related to the food,” he said.

Some props that can be used include cutlery, spices, ingredients, or even a drink placed as a background for the food.

4. Pay attention to color proportion

When taking food photos, Togi suggests using tableware, such as plates, that have contrasting colors with the food being served.

“You have to know about color contrast. For example, if the fried rice is brown, you can't use a red plate because red and brown are in the same color range. So you have to use a different color, like white, green, or blue,” he explained.

He also mentioned that blue is often considered to create a calm impression and reduce appetite, but on the other hand, it is also the rarest color found in food. Therefore, using blue can make the food more contrasting and look more beautiful and appetizing in photos.

In addition to using contrasting tableware, creating a suitable color proportion can also be done by adding garnishes to the food to make it look more interesting and not plain.

5. Do food styling

Sometimes, when food is served, it doesn't look as good as we imagine. Before taking photos, we can arrange the food to make all the elements in it visible in the photo.

For dry food, you can use toothpicks to make all the components of the food visible in the camera.

Meanwhile, for soupy or liquid food, you can use agar-agar to make the filling from the soup or liquid food rise to the top, making it more attractive and appetizing in the photo.

To maximize the results of food photos, you can use a smartphone that already has supporting features, such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro. The results can be seen in the food photos above.

Among the features are the Pro-ven camera feature that carries a Quadruple AI Camera setup consisting of a 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor, which can produce sharp food photos with minimal noise.

The 108MP main camera can provide color accuracy and detail in every food photo taken. 

To get sharper details and clearer food textures, you can also use the Macro feature on the camera.

Meanwhile, the 8MP ultra-wide camera has a field of view of up to 120 degrees, so it can capture more elements in one frame and support interesting and artistic food photos.

Currently, the Redmi Note 12 Pro is available in Glacier Blue & Graphite Gray colors, which can be obtained through official Xiaomi Indonesia sales channels, both online and offline, with prices starting from Rp 3,499,000 (6GB/128GB) and Rp 3,999,000 (8GB/256GB).