Food photography sounds so easy, but producing photos with a professional shine is a big challenge, especially if you only have to work with a smartphone and available light. But a few simple tips can help you create delicious images, and we asked two professional photographers to reveal what those secret ingredients are. Using a smartphone to take photos of food is nothing new, and when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. You'll usually always have your phone with you, so if something particularly photogenic comes out of the kitchen, you're all set. There are other reasons why smartphones are good for food too. Because smartphones are small and thin, you can get up close to food for the best creative angles, which isn't always possible with conventional cameras. Most smartphones these days have modes like "Portrait" that you can use to create shallow depth of field effects, while multiple lenses can also be used for different compositions. With all of that in mind, we asked a few professional snappers to share their secrets to amazing food photos. Our pros use both Android and iOS, so you should find that all the tips here apply to any phone model you own.
1. Keep it straight
Professional photographer Tim Clinch has been taking photos for a long time. About 18 months ago, he did his first professional shoot entirely using an iPhone, producing the footage for a new website for his client, Cardenal Mendoza Brandy. He says that he showed the client comparable DSLR images, but the client preferred the iPhone images. Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Tim Clinch) Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Tim Clinch) One of his biggest tips is also one of his easiest. "By far the biggest problem I see when looking at people with smartphones, especially the larger models, is what I call 'new phone failure,'" he says. "Basically, hold it!" It's very easy to let the top of your phone lean forward, which makes all your verticals go to the boat,” he adds. "Sometimes I make sure the phone is upright by having someone stand to the side to tell me when my phone is upright. It's a very different discipline than shooting with a standard camera," he said.
2. Find the color
While black and white has a place in food photography, a bold use of color will make your food images stand out from the crowd. Look for bright colors when choosing potential themes, remembering that not all colors will look as good on a phone as they do in real life. Browns and beiges tend to look a little less appetizing, while bright greens, yellows, and reds generally look great. Image 1 of 2
Look for bright, eye-catching colors when using your phone for food photography (Image credit: Tim Clinch) Image 2 of 2
Look for bright, bold colors when using your phone for food photography (Image credit: Tim Clinch) It's also beneficial to shoot in the best light possible, avoiding artificial and dim lights to give your phone's sensor the best chance to reproduce the best detail possible. If you are photographing food inside your home, try moving closer to a window to take advantage of the natural light coming from outside for the best results. These photos by Tim Clinch show that the best way to add impact to your food photography is through colour, which smartphones are most comfortable with.
3. Use Portrait mode (but be careful)
Most smartphones have Portrait mode. Sometimes it can be called something else, such as Aperture or Live Focus. You're looking for the mode that creates shallow depth of field effects, giving your shots a professional edge. This works especially well when your theme outline is clear or well defined, so be careful about when it might not be as effective. Image 1 of 2
This photo shows how sometimes Portrait mode doesn't always work well with typical food photography subjects like glasses (Image credit: Tim Clinch) Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Tim Clinch) “'Portrait mode' is a very useful tool in your arsenal, but be careful when shooting subjects like glasses,” he says. "Often it can't stand the edge of the glass and you end up with a weird 'ghost' around the rims and often the glass can just disappear."
4. Activate the grid
Kratia Garwal, a professional photographer and content creator based in the Netherlands, often uses her phone for foodie shoots. In addition to taking photos, she also organizes food photography workshops to help others improve her own style. You can also see more photos of her on her Instagram page. A quick and easy trick that she often recommends is to enable grid lines in her phone's native camera apps. Most smartphones offer this somewhere in the settings menu. “I keep this feature always on because it helps me line up the horizontals and verticals in my frame and get my composition right, using the rule of thirds,” she says.
Use your phone's grid lines (find them in the settings menu) to create pleasing compositions (Image credit: Kratia Garwal) If you're not sure about the rule of thirds, check out the screenshot above. Placing your subject at the intersection of the grid lines will generally be a good composition, but it's worth experimenting to see what works.
4. Use professional mode or a third party app
If you have a smartphone that has the Pro / Advanced mode, you can use it to good effect for food photography. That said, some models, especially the iPhone, don't give you much control over settings, as a standard camera would. While this can be good for quick shots, third-party apps will allow you to get more done.
(Image credit: Kratia Garwal) If you want to regain some of that control, Kratia Garwal recommends Adobe's all-in-one approach. “The Adobe Lightroom mobile app has a fantastic feature where you can shoot right from the app,” she says. "Auto and professional mode options are available, but being able to control shutter speed, ISO or white balance before pressing the shutter button is very helpful. This is something I often recommend to my workshop participants," she says.
5. Place it on a phone stand
If you follow a lot of foodie accounts on Instagram, you're probably already very familiar with the concept of a "flat shot," which allows you to get a bird's-eye view of your subject matter. They work especially well with food, and they're easy to create with a phone because they're so easy to place and move around the stage.
(Image credit: Kratia Garwal) That being said, for best results, keeping your phone still and in one position is also a fantastic idea. This will also allow you to change settings from the flatbed settings without having to recompose each time you take a photo. Kratia Garwal uses a phone holder (like the simple Lamicall gooseneck model above) for top-down shots. She explains: “That way I can set the timer and not press the shutter button myself. This frees up your hands and also helps prevent camera shake.
6. Cover with Snapseed
Editing is an important part of any professional photographer's workflow, and while most smartphones do a fantastic job of producing great photos straight from the camera, a few simple adjustments can enhance your photos even more.
(Image credit: Kratia Garwal) Both Tim Clinch and Kratia Garwal are big fans of the popular Snapseed app, which is free to download. “In addition to the usual editing features like brightness, shadows, and highlights, I always highlight the Brush tool in the app,” says Kratia. “With this tool, you can selectively control brightness, exposure, temperature, and saturation. This is one of my favorite features. While Tim is also a fan of editing, he says it's also important to be careful. “With all of post-production, knowing when to stop is much more important than knowing where to start,” he says. “My motto is this: you can never make a bad image look good through post-production, but you can always improve a good image. "
(Image credit: Tim Clinch)