Tag Archive for: composition

Outdoor Food Photography: Behind the Scenes of My Autumn Shoot

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

I am taking you behind the scenes to uncover how I took some sunny, cozy autumn photos for one of our retreat sponsors. (This post is not sponsored by them.)

I was really inspired by the drink, which was a vine liqueur with spices that go perfectly with the autumnal feeling)

Here’s a short recap of what I’ll share:
The Vision Behind the Perfect Photo
Overcoming Challenges in Outdoor Food Photography
Time To Style: Creating the Perfect Autumn Setup
Capturing the Golden Hour Light
Planning The Photoshoot Was Key
Essential Tools for Outdoor Food Photography
Post Production Magic
Final Photos

Let’s start and break the entire process down a little bit.

The Vision Behind the Perfect Photos

The idea was to shoot the drink and the beautiful bottle on a sunny autumn day. Something that would accentuate the lovely dark red color of the drink I was photographing and give that lovely, cozy autumnal vibe.

Overcoming Challenges in Outdoor Food Photography

The problem was that it would be ideal to make the photos look like it was shot in a vineyard, but I don’t live in an area with vineyards (only beautiful mountains and fields)

So I had to scout the perfect location. Something that would be reminiscent of the vineyard look. I was searching for grassy areas that have some dried brownish grass and no houses in the back (which can be a bit tricky here).

Fortunately, I already shot a video this year in an area that would fit this description, so I just needed to find a micro-location that would work.

Tip: When you scout locations for outdoor shoots, it is convenient to save them in your Google Maps in a separate list of these locations. I like to save them as we hike or drive around our area (or beyond).

Once I found an area with beautiful high grass, I had to check if it would work for the camera angles I wanted. My idea was to use the lovely warm autumn backlight, so I first walked around looking through the camera to see if there were any distractions (which may be removed from photos, but I also wanted to record a video).

This is the place with some bushes on one side and a field of soil on one side.

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

Time To Style: Creating the Perfect Autumn Setup

Often, when I photograph products, I like to keep the scene relatively clean and not too busy. This was also the case here, especially since the light would be a big part of the photo, so I avoided cramming the frame with many props.

I found an old wooden drawer that would act as a table, brought a vase, and picked some branches with leaves at the location ( to match the color and look of the scene). I also had a few linen napkins with me, just in case I’d need an extra layer of interest, and a linen apron, which I used as a skirt.

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

Capturing the Golden Hour Light

Outdoor shoots require patience 😅. Usually, the timeframe for that perfect golden light is pretty narrow, and in this part of the year, it also gets cold very quickly after the sun sets (hence also the decision for fewer props). Once the light was starting to get right, I started recording and taking photos and even reshot a few after the light changed (just in case!).

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

Planning The Photoshoot Was Key

Yes, since I was mainly going for the video, I had a list of frames listed in my notes app on the phone and then used those same scenes also to take photos, which I’m showing you today. Just like with any photography, outdoor food photography (especially in a tight timeframe like this one) is a lot easier when you plan things ahead, which includes creating a moldboard and a shot list.

Essential Tools for Outdoor Food Photography

Was there anything else that helped me with the photoshoot? Yes, first and foremost, I had two helpers – my husband and my son there to help me if necessary. But my most essential helpers were my two tools – my tripod (I chose a smaller lightweight one, so I could more easily carry it around) and my phone to connect it with my camera for wirelessly taking the photos.

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

Post Production Magic

While the light and the scene were lovely, I always like to use editing to bring all those details in the story and my subject out.

But there was also one issue. I was working fast and didn’t really have the time to clean the glass after each take properly. Also, in some of the shots of the bottle, my reflection was clearly visible. So, these were things I had to remove in post-production.

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

Final Photos

In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.
In this post, I’m taking you behind the scenes of an outdoor food photography project that turned from a creative challenge into a true joy to create.

These are just a few photos I took on the day and I think I got the vibe even without having access to a vineyard. What do you think?

Special thanks to my husband for providing the BTS photos ❤️

Creating Depth in Food Photos: A Quick and Simple Technique

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? 

We are about to uncover what depth in food photos stands for and learn a straightforward technique to add depth of space to your frame. You can achieve it in many different ways, and I’m going to show you two of the simplest ones. But trust me, they can make a world of an improvement in your food photos.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

What is depth in food photos?

Depth refers to a perception of three-dimensionality in the frame. When done right, it gives the illusion of space and volume. It also gives the subject space to stand out and makes the frame appear more realistic and natural.

The easiest (and also essential) way to add a three-dimensional feel to a photo is to create a background, middle ground, and foreground.

What are the background, middle ground, and foreground?

The middle ground is, in short, the part of the photo where the focus lies. It is the middle part of the photo in terms of depth. It is the part between the foreground and the background. This is the part of the frame where your subject lies.

The background is the part behind the middle ground (or your subject), and the foreground is the part of the photo in front of the middle ground. That’s the space between your subject and the camera.

A photo may include only the middle ground and foreground (without the background) or the middle ground and background (without the foreground). And that is up to you to decide what works best for the subject you are photographing and feel you want to create.

However, in a lot of situations, when the photo lacks a sense of space, adding both a background and a foreground is ideal.

How to add a background and a foreground to a food photo?

In this article, I am going to show you two techniques I use in my work to make the background and foreground work best.

In short, to do that, you want to make the background and foreground blurry in regard to your middle ground, which is in focus.

Distance

Adding distance between the elements in the middle ground, foreground, and background is the easiest, most clear way to add a sense of space.

Imagine having your subject on a table that is right next to a wall. The distance between the subject and the wall is so small that both are relatively in focus. That means the sense of space is not as pronounced.

Let’s look at the photo below. I started with a cup placed so it touched the background. What this means is that both the background and the middle ground are in focus. Actually, there really isn’t any background at all. At the same time, nothing significant is placed in the foreground of the image as well, making it look flat.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

When I moved the cup towards the camera a bit, I was able to create a separation, and the background was already a bit blurred. I also placed some elements in front of the cup, making them appear a bit blurry. In this photo, you can already feel a sense of space.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

What if I went even further? In the next photo, I placed the cup further from the wall, and now the wall looks even more blurred. What that means is that now there is a clear focus on the cup, which is the main subject. It is beautifully isolated while still having a context of what is happening around it.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

That being said, the first two photos are not bad. And I am not saying you absolutely need to follow this all the time. But hopefully, this will give you an idea of how differently a photo can feel, depending on how much depth you create.

We will talk more about depth in an upcoming workshop with Bea Luba and me. In order not to miss it, get on the waitlist!

Aperture

Using aperture is an addition to using the distance between the elements. If you learn to use both together, your photography will skyrocket. And this is why you’re here today!

To sum it really quickly, aperture can be used to control the amount of light hitting the camera sensor, but it also controls how much of your scene is in focus.

When setting the aperture on your camera, you will find that it is measured in f-stops. We won’t go into detail as to how that works. If you want to know more, check Food To Frame.

  • The higher the f-stop, the more of your scene will be in focus. Meaning more of the background and the foreground will be in focus.
  • The lower the f-stop, the less of your scene will be in focus. That means that lower f-stops create more of a separation between the foreground and the background, leaving the middle ground in focus.

Let’s look at a practical example.

In the photo below, I had my backdrop placed quite far away from the scene, but it is still not blurry enough for this photo. The pattern is too recognizable, and there isn’t enough separation between the subject and the background.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

I used an f-stop 11 in the photo, making a big chunk of my frame in focus.

Now, let’s look at the second photo. I left the setup exactly the same (besides some greenery), except I switched the f-stop to 2.8, which is the lowest setting on the 100mm lens I used to take this photo.

Creating depth in food photos is often spoken about, but what does it really mean? A simple way to creating depth in your food photography.

You can see how much more blurry the background appears. You can still see that there is some pattern, but it is very subtle. And with just changing the f-stop, I was able to create a sense of space.

Additionally, I added some greenery in front to add foreground and enhance the sense of space even more.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating depth in food photos requires a bit of practice and observation. Observe how the background and foreground interact with your subject whenever you take a photo. Do these add a sense of space to the overall image?

4 Essential Composition Tips For Better Food Photography (with Bea Lubas)

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.

Composition is the part of the food photography process that is usually the most frustrating to students simply because there are so many elements and techniques to think about.

In this article, I joined forces with my friend Bea Lubas to bring you four essential composition tips that we use to make our compositions look natural and flowy.

These are easy composition tips that you can apply straight away. If you do, don’t forget to let us know in the comments or DM us on Instagram (@useyournoodles, @bealubas)!

So here are the four essential composition tips to help you compose your images more easily:

CREATING A SENSE OF FLOW (Anja)

Food photography is unlike a lot of photography genres. We, as food photographers, are there to create a beautiful composition. One thing that I like to create in my composition to make it appear more natural and organic is flow.

Adding flow helps lead the eyes through the composition and to your main subjects. There are many ways to achieve that, but my favorite is using curves.

Curves are imaginary lines that you use to place your elements inside the frame. It’s about positioning your props, dishes, and all the elements in the frame in harmonious progression. 

Curves can take different forms. You’ll hear me speak a lot about the S- and the C-curve in the article Using curves in food photography and some other curves as well. But actually, a curve can take any shape that feels natural.

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.
Photo: Anja Burgar

CHOOSING THE COLORS (Bea)

One of my favorite color techniques that you’ll see me use in my work over and over again is choosing props and the background in the same color.

This technique really helps to draw attention to the food, even if you decide to fill the scene with many items! And what color of props and background to go for?

This will depend on a few things.

  • Firstly, what color would help to enhance your subject? What color would make it ‘pop’?
  • Secondly, it will depend on the type of contrast that you’d like to create in your image. High color contrast can help to add a more energetic vibe to our image, and low color contrast can help to infuse our frame with a soft and gentle atmosphere.

When selecting a color, we can also consider color psychology and what emotion the selected color can help to evoke.

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.
Photo: Bea Lubas

ADDING SOME NEGATIVE SPACE (Anja)

Using negative space in a composition can give it a sense of balance. Not only in busy setups but also in simple scenes, the visual elements need a counterbalance to make the photo more pleasing to the eye.

My favorite way of including negative space in a frame is when I intentionally leave place inside the composition, especially around the main subject. This gives the entire composition some breathing space, makes it less intense for the eye, and, at the end of the day, brings focus to the main subject.

Creating negative space is a delicate balance. Finding a sweet spot might take a bit of experimentation, but when you find it, you’ll see how more relaxed the entire composition looks.

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.
Photo: Anja Burgar

CREATING A SENSE OF DEPTH (Bea)

A beautiful sense of depth can help to draw the viewer in and make our image more captivating, and it’s something I try to always pay attention to when building my compositions.

One of the techniques that I find very effective is to place the elements at different planes within the frame. Some items are in the foreground, some in the middle ground, and maybe some in the background, too.

When placing these elements around the frame, I also like to place the items one behind the other  – the overlapping helps to create more sense of depth and make the composition look more natural, too!

Here are four essential composition tips that will transform your food photography, adding flow and a natural feel to your photos.
Photo: Bea Lubas

WHAT’S NEXT

Composition is a beautiful yet delicate art. Knowing how to fill the frame so it tells just the right story is key.

To learn more about composition and put your new knowledge to practice, we invite you to join our 3-Day Composition challenge from October 5-7th. Get all the details in my IG highlights. But to dive even deeper into the topics + get more tips and our Composition Guide, head over here.

See you in the challenge!

6 Ways To Create a Focal Point in Food Photography

I am sharing some of my favorite ways to create a focal point in food photography. There are simple techniques you can apply to take better food photos today.

A cover for a blog post called 6 Ways To Create A Focal Point In Food Photography

If you ever took one lesson and applied it to your food photos, it would be this – make sure your photo has a focal point.

There are exceptions to this rule, like anything else in life, but truly keep this sentence in the back of your head. ALWAYS!

Creating captivating images is all about the viewer understanding and emotionally connecting with what they are seeing – your food photo.

And if you want to achieve that, you need to master creating a focal point in a photo.

 If you’re looking to enhance your food photography skills and make your dishes pop off the screen, then you’re in the right place. Because in this blog post, we’ll delve into the concept of the focal point and its crucial role in food photography.

The Heart of Food Photography – The Focal Point

In food photography, the focal point is the heart and soul of your shot. It’s the element that immediately grabs the viewer’s attention, leading their eyes through the frame and making your subject shine.

So, what happens when your photo doesn’t have a focal point?

As I mentioned, there are times when there is not just one focal point. But in most cases, you will need only one focal point in the frame.

When you don’t have a clear and compelling focal point, your food photos risk falling flat and failing to engage your audience. So what that means is they will be confused with what they are seeing or have a hard time knowing what exactly is happening in the frame. Where should they be looking?

So, how can you master the art of creating a powerful focal point in your food photos? Let’s dive into these six super easy techniques you can use straight away to make your food photography a million times better.

For more in-depth concepts and techniques around the focal points and composition, enroll in my masterclass – Food To Frame.

Here are some of my favorite ways to create a focal point in food photography. Keep in mind that, in most cases, you will use more than just one of these techniques.

1. Leading Lines

Leading lines are one of the most effective and straightforward ways to bring the viewer’s eye to the focal point. But it is also quite tricky since you need to learn what works and what doesn’t.

These lines can take the form of utensils, tableware, or even the arrangement of ingredients and even just empty space. However, keep in mind that the subtlety of leading lines can be an art in itself.

If you want to read more about leading lines, I have a whole article on this topic.

A person holding a pineapple
Forest blueberries on a vintage plate on a dark green backdrop

2. Depth-of-Field 

When you skillfully blur out parts of your frame either in the back or in the front of your subject, this can create a stunning way to emphasize whatever is not blurred.

The depth of field is a super technical thing because you need to find that sweet spot in your camera settings, aperture to be exact, and the placement of the elements in the frame. 

In general, we know:

  • Shallow depth of field, where the majority of the frame is out of focus, aka blurred and
  • Deep depth of field where the majority of the photo is in focus
  • And all the spots in between

Lower aperture settings create a shallower depth of field.

Higher aperture settings create a deeper depth of field.

When you can master how narrow or wide the depth of field your photos need, you have mastered one of the most powerful techniques for bringing focus into the areas you want without any distractions.

A zoomed in tomatillo flower
A person holding blueberries in a basket in the garden

3. Post-Processing

Post-processing is where your food photos truly come alive. It’s that final way to make everything in your photo shine – especially the focal point.

During editing, make sure that your adjustments not only enhance the colors, textures, and contrast of your entire frame but also accentuate the focal point. 

Any kind of local adjustments that you can apply to only parts of the photo will have a great impact on the way your final photo looks.

Using local adjustments, brushes, masks, and all this fun stuff is one of the things a lot of my students are super scared of. But trust me, it’s not too scary once you know how to work all the tools.

When you learn a new software, the first thing I suggest doing is learning to work with the tools that allow you to edit parts of the photo instead of the entire photo.

Fresh basil in a dark mood
A person holdin a pan with a cake

4. Play of Light and Shadows

Light is essential to any food photo, right? Well, so are shadows.

But the thing is, light is not just a way to make your subject bright and visible. It is far beyond that.

The way light and shadows play can not just add depth to your food photos but also create an emphasis on your subject.

Whether it is making it brighter, keeping the surroundings in the shadow, or having stronger shadows on the main subject in comparison to everything else, the possibilities are truly endless.

And I encourage you to explore light and shadows more.

A purple and pink cocktail with crushed ice decorated with flowers
A person holding green pasta dough

5. Layering

Layering can be achieved in various ways. You can create layers in multiple ways, using the space around your subject. 

I like to teach layering in different directions and how those affect the final photo, plus how the layers interact with each other.

Actually, creating a depth-of-field is one way of adding layers to your photo.

But one of the simplest ones is placing elements below your subject (which would be the props) and on top of your subject (which would be the parts of the dish or garnishes).

Layering adds depth and visual interest to your photos, so do not forget about it.

Colorful macrons on a wooden table
Blueberry ice cream in a metal cup decorated with frozen blueberries

6. Enhancing Textures and Shape

Texture is something we don’t often associate with creating focus. 

When intentionally enhanced or sometimes even reduced, texture can bring additional focus to a focal point. This can either be done through styling, camera settings, or, finally, editing.

Note that this is usually not the main technique for creating a focal point but rather something that supports all the other techniques.

Similarly, emphasizing shape through careful placement of both your subject or other elements in the frame can bring focus to that particular shape.

When a shape is clearly standing out, it will immediately attract our gaze.

Purple radicchio zoomed in
A person sprinkling icing sugar over croissants

Conclusion

With these six techniques and your creativity in your toolbox, you’re all set to become a pro at creating a clear focal point in your food photos.

Just like any craft, practice is the key element. The more you practice, the more intuitive these techniques will become.

And guess what? The next post is just around the corner. We’ll keep delving deeper into the exciting world of composition for food photography. So, stay tuned for more juicy insights and tips that’ll make your food photos absolutely delectable!

How I styled this – Hot Cocoa

Take a look at how I styled a cup of hot cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

Welcome to this tutorial on I how I styled this photo of hot cocoa.

Even though the composition seems relatively simple, there were things to consider to make it appear light and bright. So keep on reading to find more.

Or, if you prefer to watch, you can watch the video below.

https://youtu.be/-XLPqhE0T-s

Starting Point and Inspiration

This was a photo from a recent photoshoot for the article How To Use Negative Space In Food Photography.

The idea was that I needed some negative space. However, I also wanted to include some visually interesting elements to fill out the space.

I wanted the photo to be flowy and dynamic without being overly full and crammed with props.

How I Styled This

I placed the tiled backdrop in the back at an angle to add some dynamics to the photo. (left photo below)

Then I started playing with how they are positioned in relation to each other. (right photo below)

I preferred the focus to be on the mug, and that’s why I ended up placing the vase more to the side. I just didn’t want it to overshadow this beautiful mug, which would eventually hold cocoa.

By changing the placement of the camera bit I was able to get more space at the top. This is a technique I love to use for brighter, whiter photos to give them that extra breathing space.

Then I started placing different elements around, starting with a little bit of color, which kind of gave me a clue of what the colors were gonna be like. To get that really nice cold and warm contrast, I went with the orange in contrast with the blueish whites. I love blues with brown foods because they bring the warmth out of the browns.

While the orange color from the dried oranges adds that extra color punch, a color emphasis.

The placement of the chocolate bar on the right balances out the darker bottom of the vase on the left.

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

Then I started playing with a spoon to make it appear more lived in, so I went with a golden one for an extra pop of color.

I tested different placements and ended up placing it on the other side so it caught just the right light. You can see how much more colorful it is when the light catches it. With the way I positioned it, I was able to get a similar hue to the oranges. I placed the spoon diagonally to add some dynamics to the frame.

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

Then I filled the vase to make the scene more realistic. I used the same colors, the brownish-orange, so it doesn’t distract and is just a nice complement, and added texture to the photo. (left photo below)

And then I decided the angle was too low, not giving enough space to showcase the cocoa (right photo below). If we compare the two angles (left and right photos below), you can see how we can see more of the inside of the mug, which you’ll see later works better.

Then I made the bottom dried orange more visible to really emphasize the orange color.

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

And you can see in the back how I also then moved the chocolate further out (change from the photo bottom left to bottom right). It’s a very dark element, so hiding it a bit makes the entire frame more balanced.

And I added some crystal sugar or candy sugar (photo bottom right), which not only adds to the texture but also gives a cozy wintery vibe.

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

I also added some crystal sugar in the back to balance things out. And played around with the positioning a bit so they are not too distracting (photos bottom left & right).

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

And then I added the cream. For this photo, I tested a styling trick, which I explained at the end of this article, so keep on reading!

As a finishing point, I wanted to add a little bit of texture on top, so I made some chocolate shavings. And sprinkled them over, and I also added a bit in the bottom corner.

And then the final touch, the dried orange slice in the cream. It’s that last interesting detail in a drink.

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!
Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

After the finishing touch – photo stacking. This is a technique we’ll discuss another time; I was able to get the entire drink pretty much in focus, with the background nicely blurred for a soft effect. So this is the final photo:

Take a look at how I styled a cup of cocoa. From how I created the composition to how I faked the cream!

Styling trick – Using Shaving Cream

Instead of using whipping cream, I used shaving cream.

The reason I liked working with it is that it holds for much longer, and it is easier to shape and create nice swirls. If you want to take a look at exactly how I worked with it, check the video at the top of this article at 5:55.

Just be sure not to drink the cocoa afterward!

Hope you enjoyed this mini-tutorial about how I styled this lovely (but unedible) cup of cocoa.

How To Use Negative Space in Food Photography

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

*This post is sponsored. All opinions are my own.*

Negative space can sound pretty pessimistic, right? Fear not. Using negative space in your work can be very positive. See, what I did just there 🙂

In order to achieve balance in your photos, you must know how to include and place negative space inside a frame. Because, like all good things, it can help a composition, but it can also ruin it.

I’ve partnered with V-Flat World to use their beautiful food photography backdrops called duo boards in some photos showcasing how I use negative space in my work. If you have never tried these, they come with a very handy pair of duo legs that you can use to hold up the board in the back. Such a nice solution!

In this article, you’ll find out:

What is negative space?

That’s the empty space around your subject, while positive space is the space filled with elements. In short, negative space is the boring part of the photo where nothing really happens. I say boring, but it’s far from boring in reality.

Your job as a food photographer is to balance negative and positive space to create enticing compositions.

We also know the term passive space in art, and that’s the space where you might have some things, but they are very neutral and almost blend with the background, so they don’t carry as much visual weight, and just like the negative space create a space for the eyes to rest.

Why is negative space important in a photo?

It adds a sense of size and scale to an image, a sense of space and gives your subject room to breathe. It will lead the viewer to the main subject.

It creates areas in the photo that recede (that’s the negative space) and areas that advance (that’s the positive space). So what this creates is dimension and layers in your photos.

Too much negative space can overwhelm and distract from the subject just as much as something very bold and bright could. On the other hand, if there’s not enough empty space, the frame might be too saturated, and adding negative space would make it look more balanced.

When done correctly, a significant amount of negative space can actually be great and make the subject even more noticeable. This way, it can give a photo a dramatic feel and look. Heck, it can almost make it look quiet and peaceful. 

Simple ways to use negative space in food photography

FRAMING

When it comes to negative space, it can act as a frame for your subject, and using it like that will make your subject stand out.

You can approach that by placing your subject centrally and leaving room around it to make it pop and create a centerpiece for your photo. But be careful not to make it look disconnected from the rest of the image.

In the photo below, I placed my subject in the middle of the image to create a frame with negative space. But you can notice that I added some smaller elements around to make the connection with the frame edges. 

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

VISUAL BALANCE

Knowing that negative space holds a massive weight in a photo is essential. Much more than you might think.

This is especially important when you try to troubleshoot a photo where your subject needs to stand out. It can be a balance problem; one way to balance an image like that is by adding some empty space.

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

MOVEMENT

Negative space can be used to create movement in an image by leading the viewer’s eye through the composition. It can add dynamic visual interest to an image.

To do that we can use the empty space around the subject to create a sense of direction and movement that leads the viewer’s eye through the composition.

One way to create movement with empty space is to use diagonal lines or shapes. In order to know how to use this technique, you need to look at the negative space as positive, as if it were filled with elements. This way, you’ll notice the shapes it creates.

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!
Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

CREATING MOOD

Negative space can be used to create a sense of calm or tranquility in a photo, by leaving plenty of empty space around the subject. On the other hand, it can also be used to create a sense of tension or drama by filling the frame with elements and leaving very little empty space.

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

MINIMAL VS. BUSY SCENES

You might be thinking: Negative space only works in minimal scenes, with only a main subject and all that negative space. But that’s definitely not the case.

Let’s look at these two photos and see where I’ve placed the subjects in relation to negative space. 

In the left photo – a minimal scene – deciding where to place negative space is just a matter of left, right, up, and down. Mostly.

When it comes to busier scenes, or whenever you add additional elements to the frame, you must also look at the space between the elements and how negative space creates a connection or separation between them. Finding the right balance is achieved by proper composition, which I teach in detail in Food To Frame.

When we create images with lots of elements, we can easily create a very distracting scene, and it’s hard to know where the main subject is. It can make our eyes wander and never stop on a specific element in the frame. This is when we went too far and needed to remove some elements and introduce some empty space.

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!
Elevate your food photography with empty space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

TEXT OVERLAYS

Leaving empty space is super important whenever text needs to be added on top, for example, magazines, packaging, brochures, and such.

I prepared a magazine cover mockup to give you an idea of how creating photos with the intention of placing text over can be different. For example, look at the image without text and the photo with text. The one without text might feel slightly unbalanced, but placing text over fixes that. Whereas if the picture was crowded, it would make the text hard to fit.

Elevate your food photography with negative space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!
Elevate your food photography with empty space. Learn how to create balance, depth & impact. Techniques & examples included!

CONCLUSION 

Negative space is here to add some lightness to the frame. It makes the photo breathe. However, adding negative space is not a rule, and many beautiful images have almost no empty space. It all comes down to what feeling you’d like to portray.

How To Mix And Match Photography Backdrops

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

*This post is sponsored. All opinions are my own.*

Let’s face it, once you start building your backdrop collection you start facing the issue of how to pair them. The options are literally endless however not everything works in every situation.

So I gathered a list of ideas and tips to spark your creative fire, try new combinations, and be comfortable doing so.

While doing so I tested my new food photography backdrops from V-flat. It’s the first time I tried backdrops with a stand or as they call it Duo legs. I was always used to either leaning the backdrop on the wall or clipping it to a stand. However, I found the legs to be very useful, especially since I’m often playing around with my artificial light and I can very easily put the light behind the backdrop if need be. Which is something I wouldn’t be able to do if I lean the backdrop to a wall.

So before we go to the tips and creative ideas, I just wanted to mention that all the photos in this post are made with the V-flat duo boards, and you can see how easy it is to set them up and mix and match them. Not to mention that they don’t curl like vinyl. I love and appreciate my vinyl backdrops, but these boards saved me time in editing (no curly edges in the photos, no-no). 

Without further ado…

Here are my creative ideas and tips in a nutshell:

1. Mixing and matching different colors

2. Mixing and matching smooth and rough textures

3. Mixing and matching patterns vs. no patterns

4. Mixing photography backdrops to create space

5. Mixing photography backdrops to create dynamics

6. Play of light & mixing photography backdrops

7. Mixing and matching backdrops to fit the story

1. Mixing and matching different colors

This is probably the most common technique and while it’s easy to mix two backdrops with similar colors, choosing two different colors can create a lovely feel and mood in your photo.

To really know which two {or more} colors to choose, we need to understand color theory. Since this is such a broad topic, we won’t go too deep. I suggest reading some art books or simply searching for them online and you should get a basic idea.

But whatever you do, always keep the food the star!

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!
Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!
Even if you don’t have two colorful backdrops you can test this out. Simply edit the colors of the backdrops into another color.

2. Mixing and matching smooth and rough textures

By smooth I mean a texture without a lot of visible bumps whereas by rough I mean a texture that has a very pronounced bump effect or pattern.

You can absolutely mix those two together, however, you need to be careful about a couple of things:

  • carefully choose the colors based on what we discussed in the previous section
  • it’s better to choose food with the opposite texture. Meaning, that if your subject is a very textured salad it might not work on a highly textured backdrop. In this case, you need to place the salad in a way where it has minimal interaction with the textured and more interaction with the smooth backdrop.
Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

3. Mixing and matching patterns vs. no patterns

This is very similar to the previous creative idea, however in this case the texture is much more pronounced and looks more geometric hence – the pattern.

You need to watch the same things as above {so go ahead and read it if you haven’t yet}.

In comparison to simple but textured backdrops patterns are so much heavier in visual weight. This means that pairing them with highly textured foods is usually not a good idea. Choosing simpler and more uniform subjects is a better way to approach patterned backdrops.

Pairing them with a smoother photography backdrop makes it easier for the eye to process everything happening in the photo, so I encourage you to try it out and see the effect.

4. Mixing photography backdrops to create space

You can think of your backdrops as a vessel to create space. If it’s a flat lay it’s creating a feeling of a table or any other flat surface.

If you combine the two, you can give a sense of a familiar space. We are used to seeing floor and wall interact all around or a countertop and a wall interact in a kitchen.

But you can go even beyond that. Combining more than two photography backdrops is certainly possible. If you take a look at the example photo below, you’ll see how adding that extra backdrop on the left created a mystical feel {almost like whatever is behind is a secret}!

Before you choose a backdrop for your next photoshoot thinks about the space you want to create and what backdrops you can use and how many to make the viewer feel like they are in that space.

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!
Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

5. Mixing photography backdrops to create dynamics

Let’s talk more about the space we are creating with backdrops. Placing backdrops at certain angles can create beautiful diagonals and adds another dimension to a photo.

It’s very easy to get stuck in placing one backdrop behind another and set up that line between them to be perfectly horizontal. It’s just very logical. However, once you start to think about the backdrops as not only how they look, but how they can add to the flow in the composition, you’ll start to see that it can have a massive effect on how your photos look.

Think creating diagonals, triangles, placing one backdrop on top of another… the options are endless!

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!
Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

6. Play of light & mixing photography backdrops

Playing with light is one of the most exciting things about food photography if you ask me. I often like to play with hard light and shadows to create an interesting effect in my photos.

However, there is something crucial that can make or break a photo with a shadow play, when you are mixing different backdrops at the same time. Adding strong shadows to an already busy backdrop can become distracting very easily. That’s why I prefer having a strong shadow effect on the less busy backdrop. Just like you can see in the photo below.

Curious about photography backdrops and how to mix them in your food photography work? There are a number of ways you can mix and match backdrops and I hope my ideas will give you a creative boost for your work!

7. Mixing and matching backdrops to fit the story

It goes without saying (although I’m saying it right now) that anything you put inside the scene needs to match the story you are telling. 

Including photography backdrops! Imagine those white tiles in the photo below to be black. 

Do you see how that would not fit the story of early morning breakfast? The photo would lose its freshness. 

And imagine if I used a green backdrop below and a purple one in the back. While the color combination might somehow work, the story would be completely crushed.

Never stop exploring photography backdrops and their combinations

Hope you enjoyed these tips and ideas for combining different backdrops. Now let’s roll up the sleeves and go practice, because practice makes perfect, as they say.

One thing you should never stop is trusting your own feeling and explore new options.

Let me know in the comments what are some of your favorite photography backdrop combinations!

Repetition in Food Photography: Breaking the Pattern

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

I’ve talked about creating a Symmetrical repetition in one of my previous articles and symmetrical composition is something very beautiful and natural. But when it comes to repetition I think the king of repetition is the inconsistency – the breaking of the pattern.

Our eyes are quite used to seeing patterns and they seem very natural, safe and pleasant to look at. However, when it comes to drawing the eyes to your photo, there’s probably no better thing but to make that pattern just a little bit off. This is something that sparks up questions and makes us think about the photo.

Okay, let’s talk a bit about something that might sound completely off-topic, but here it is. The main subject. A photo should in almost all cases have a main subject. That one element where not only the focus (in the technical term) lies but also the focal point where our eyes are drawn to. And introducing the breaking of the pattern does just that. It brings attention to that one particular part of the photo.

Through a few examples, I’m going to show you a few ideas you can integrate into your photos with patterns to make that one subject pop a little bit more and make it the focal point of the frame.

Examples of breaking the pattern

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

The photo above is a very classical representation of a photo with a pattern. The way I broke the pattern here was in two ways. First of all, not all the elements are placed in the same way. So even though there are repeating elements in the frame, it’s not overly graphical. And secondly I chose to place two popsicles one over the other for the purpose of breaking the pattern. You can see how this part of the photo now carries a little bit more visual weight and draws the attention.

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

So in this brownie photo, I did a very similar thing to in the previous photo. Brownies, although amazingly delicious, can look flat and boring quickly, especially when they are laid flat onto the surface. So how did I solve the problem with the boring pattern formed by how the brownies were cut?

I simply turned one of the brownies to the sides. So this way I created the focal point of the photo and what is more, I showcased the insides of the brownie which is always a good thing!

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

Something similar happens here. We have the spring rolls that are forming this linear pattern, but then that one roll that is cut open shows a different shape – a circular one – breaking the pattern along the way. This is probably the easiest thing to do in food photography – cutting something to break the pattern by introducing another shape.

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

In food photography, we are often faced with patterns, that we might not even notice. Like in the example of this tiramisu here. The way the cookies are stacked creates a pattern in the dish. However, you can take it a step further. Here I piped the cream in a way that also created an interesting pattern, so I basically made a mix of two patterns. The second one breaking the other one in a very natural way.

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

Produce photos are a great example of how you can introduce patterns and also how you can break the pattern. I have mostly round shapes in this photo of oranges. However, I cut a few pieces in a different way. I placed one of them in a very bright spot. Note how much variety and playfulness just one irregular shape brings to a photo.

Following the pattern is a natural thing to do, but breaking the pattern is what makes the food photo truly stand out!

Now, this beautiful radicchio, even though incredibly beautiful and delicious, was not the easiest subject to shoot. It made a bit of effort to make one single element stand out. Here you can see that the shape of the radicchio florets creates a pattern. But how did I break the pattern?

It might be a bit more subtle here than in the previous photo, so let me explain. I made sure that the radicchio that was in focus had a very distinct shape. So basically I chose the best-looking one there was. I made sure all the other ones did not look as perfect (still good, but not perfect!). This made the one beautiful radicchio floret stand out.

Conclusion

Patterns are an amazing way to add interest to a food photo and even though we might not always be aware, there’s almost always one form of a pattern in a photo. With some photos, this is more obvious or even intentional. And when you are aware of the patterns you can exploit that and create a breaking of the pattern, which will add even more interest to the photo.

Let me know in the comments what is your favorite way to break a repetition pattern.

Number One Newbie Food Photography Mistake

We’ve all started and we’ve all made this super easy fixable food photography mistake. Let’s go through my old images and see how to spot the issue.

Number One Mistake Newbie Food Photographers Make

Today, I’ll walk you through a few mistakes I see new food photographers make all the time. They are very easily fixable and I’ll show you in my old photo examples. If you prefer following a video, here’s my YouTube video, and below you’ve got a transcript of the video.

In case you’re interested in more mistakes you might be doing and how to fix them, I have an article about that too.

Not making the main subject the hero

So one of the most common things I see food photographers do is not really thinking about their main subject and making it the hero or the focal point of the image. There should always be one clearly defined center of attention in the image. Always!

Actually, the more complicated scene you do, the more chance you have of missing what your hero subject is.

There’s a number of reasons why this can happen.

Let me explain.

Image #1

Let see the image below, for example. This is one of my oldest recipes from the blog. These are some super delicious chewy Guinness caramels. But you can’t really see it, because it’s wrapped in a wrap. I wasn’t thinking about, what about the hero dish is important. It’s not the wrap, it’s the caramel.

Number One Mistake Newbie Food Photographers Make

Image #2

So in the image below I’ve opened up a few caramels so the viewers can see them, and the image is a bit better, but everything that’s happening around is still overpowering. The bog glass and can in the back, the big bowl on the side, they all compete.

Number One Mistake Newbie Food Photographers Make

Image #3

Let’s see the third photo.

I’ve zoomed in a little and gotten a little more depth of field which is making the stuff around less obvious and less prominent.

Let’s see another photo form the same photoshoot. Again, the caramels should be where our eye goes, but that’s definitely not the case.

I mean it’s far from a perfect photo. I was just starting out. But through showcasing the caramels in the front and keeping distarctions away, blurred in the back I was able to keep the focus on the caramels, not the props and I also kept the storytelling.

Number One Mistake Newbie Food Photographers Make

Image #4

Let’s see another photo form the same photoshoot. Again, the caramels should be where our eye goes, but that’s definitely not the case.

First of all the caramels are not in focus. I missed the focus and placed it on the top of the glass, so now what’s in focus is the beer head.

Second thing, I’ve placed the caramel too close to the edge of the frame, so it gets lost in all the things that are happening inside this shot.

And third, the caramel compared to everything else in the frame is very small. So it also gets lost in terms of size.

Number One Mistake Newbie Food Photographers Make

My tip for you if you’re seeing these kinds of issues in your images would be to get good at less busy scenes first, so you can focus on your main subject instead of all the props and an elaborate story.

And I suggest identifying your main subject and keeping it on top of mind all the time during the photoshoot. Always re-evaluate if your main subject is really the hero.

So, this was the number one food photography mistake I see new photographers make. I hope you got some useful tips, let me know in the comments if this is something you struggle with as well.

Repetition in Food Photography: Symmetrical Repetition

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques symmetrical repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

We often overlook patterns when it comes to food photography techniques. When we hear about patterns, oftentimes we think of monotony. And who wants to be monotonous?

But what if I told you that patterns and repetition in food photoraphy are one of the most beautiful ways to bring interest to our image?

I am just finishing judging a challenge on Instagram all dedicated to repetition and it got me thinking about how you can incorporate repetition in your food photos without making it boring and flat.

So here are a few tips on how to add repetition to your work:

1. Create a feeling of a graphical image

When you have a photo with a very symmetrical repetition and an interesting light you can create images where the pattern itself becomes an element and the point of interest.

You can achieve that by filling the frame with the same or similar elements and place them in very geometrical positions – squares, circles, lines…

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

2. Repeating lines

Lines are one of the best compositional tools, as I’ve already mentioned in a few of my articles. When you place repeating lines next to each other, they can form interesting visual patterns and can also become very graphical.

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques symmetrical repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

3. Breaking the pattern

Monotonous pattern can work very well for certain images, but when you wnat to add some extra interest, you can play around with breakin the patterm.

If every element is placed in the same way and one is placed in a slightly different way, it creates a strong visual interest. This is how we can also bring the unexpected to a pattern. It will instantly led the viewer’s eye to where the ‘rule breaking’ is happening. and instantly you get a focus point!

It also gets the viewer to think about why and how the change in pattern is happening.

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

4. Repetition in the dish

When it comes to repetition it doesn’t always have to be created through composition. Food itself is already a great source of repetition and patterns. Thinking about the dish as a separate frame and adding some patterns in the dish brings the attention to our subject – because our eyes love patterns, as we’ve already determinded!

So keep an eye on pattern sin your food and also think about how you can add repetition in your dish when you’re styling it.

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

5. Mirrored image

Just like the name suggest this is a composition technique where the frame has more or less two symmetrical parts of an image. This can create a very calm feeling. A feeling of something we know.

Symmetry can be created either vertically, horizontally, or both.

When I create symmetrical images, I try to not make it completely symmetrical – you know – breaking the pattern! Just like in the image below. It is symmetrical, but not to a point where every element is perfectly aligned.

When it comes to interesting out-of-the-box techniques repetition in food photography is definitely the one to look out for.

Busy composition – when is it enough?

There’s a trend in a busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you’ll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

When it comes to composition, my style is not very minimalistic. I sometimes do minimalistic images, but more often I will add lots of elements to my photo. Trying more minimalistic images is also one of the things I want to do more in the future!

But we’re not going to be talking about minimalistic compositions today. We will focus on how to create a busy composition without making it too busy.

Because the line is very thin!

So let me give you a few tips on how to approach busy food styling:

1. Your dish should be the hero

Pretty obvious right?

But when you’re planning on adding lots of elements in your image, chances are they will overshadow your main dish. And your main dish should ALWAYS be the hero!

So a good exercise is to stop and take a good look. Really think about whether any element is distracting and ditch it, or place it just enough outside the frame so it doesn’t take as much attention.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

2. Make your dish the biggest element in the scene

Example. When you go to the forest to pick mushrooms, and you a small one and a big one. Which one will you pick first?

Okay, bad example, I never go mushroom picking, I’m the worst. I have my dad do this 🙂

But you get the idea, right? Bigger elements get more attention, would you agree? Same in composition, if you have an element inside your composition that is larger than everything else, it will probably become the focus.

Imagine you have an image with a burger and some fries and you want the burger to be the star. If you placed a huge bucket of fries right next to the burger it would become the hero.

But if you make sure, you only have enough fries so that they still look ‘abundant’, but the whole container of fries is not larger than the burger, then you’re good.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

3. Avoid overly colorful and patterned props

This is usually my advice for any type of food photography and styling. But since rules are meant to be broken, you can get away with crazy props in certain minimalistic photos. Not with a busy composition though! It is even more important to be selective about the props you use.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

4. Add some negative or passive space to your busy composition

Every image needs air to breathe and a place for our eyes to rest. Especially when you have lots of elements in the frame. So think about where you can add a little negative or passive space. If you are not familiar with the term ‘passive space’ it is the part of the image that isn’t necessarily empty but can be filled with neutral props and elements, such as linen, bowls, glasses that are almost the same color as the backdrop.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

5. Use leading lines and curves in a busy composition

Lines and curves are one of my favorite composition techniques when it comes to busy composition. They are used to lead the eye around the frame and to your subject. So you can see why they would be really important in busy compositions. With lots of elements, our eyes can get confused. By using lines and curves you can guide the eyes carefully around the frame (so the other elements are not left unnoticed!) and then to our subject.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

6. Make your dish stand out with color

One of the ways I keep focus on the main dish in a busy composition is to set it appart through color. I try to keep every other element other than the main dish very low key in terms of color.

Our eyes tend to go to the brightest and most vibrant parts of the image first. So by removing color from other parts (even when there’s a lot going on) I can get the viewer’s eye to always end up looking at the main dish.

There's a trend in busy composition that you can see on Instagram. With these food photography tips you'll be able to know how to style the scene so your dish is still the hero.

Hands In Frame For Food Photography

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a freak when it comes to showing hands in frame. I feel like they add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way.

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Hands connecting with food make a scene look very natural and the hands almost invite the viewers hands to also interact. It puls you in and makes you feel like you’re here helping, not just observing.

​Now, let me tell you how you can incorporate hands in the photo.

Make sure to have a clear story

I think it’s pretty clear why this is necessary. If there are some hands just hanging out in the frame without a specific reason it will look like a mistake.​

So think about how you can add a story to your photo. Did someone just bring a meal on the table, are you offering a drink to the viewer, did you just come from the farmers market and are bringing fresh veggies, are you lighting a candle to add some mood to your meal,…

Do you see a pattern here?

All of these stories make sense. So think about what the story is and how you can add interest to the frame.

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Wash your hands – dah!

Okay, you’ll say that’s obvious. Who touches food with dirty hands?! Uhm okay, it happened to me more than once (a lot more than once), that I styled the set and hurried to take the shot with my hands in the frame and completely forgetting that there was some flour, sesame, or whatever food I was touching before, still on my hands (and my camera – oops).

You can usually edit this out (unless it’s a huge mess), but who has the time, right?

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Out of focus

The hands don’t necessarily need to be the focus of the image or interacting with the main subject. Having a cake and someone eating a slice in the background can have a powerful story.

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Show some action

I love process and action photos. They are the most dynamic food photo can be. Pouring a sauce, sprinkling some sugar on top of a doughnut, piping on frosting, cutting veggies… All these actions start with hands, so you don’t need to cut hands in the frame, but rather make them a part of the story.

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Make them look soft and natural

This is probably the hardest part. At least for me. For some reason, placing your hands in a natural-looking way doesn’t always mean that they are actually in a natural position. More often than not, you’ll feel weird and unnatural holding your hands for the frame. It goes the same with your body if it’s also in the frame.

​That’s so weird right?

​So how can you make them look natural? Well, there’s trial and error and mostly it’s checking out the photo and trying to determine what looks unnatural. Are the fingers too square? Maybe they too close together and looking very tight or are they too wide apart looking like claws. Are you making sharp angles with fingers or elbows (this one happens very often)?

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Make composites

​When it comes to images with multiple set of hands in frame, they are not the eaiest to capture in one take. And impossible if you’re the only person in the room.

Here’s where composites come in handy. All you need is a few photos taken with the same settings and photoshop. The rest is explained in my IGTV video here.

Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura

Think about how the light hits your hands?

Also a very important part. If the hands are very close to the light source they might be too bright and have too much highlights. One way to solve this is to place them in a different position or if that just doesn’t go with your story, you can try editing the brightness in post-processing, which is my next point.

  • The highlights are not too strong. The cake is the hero.
  • The hightlights are so bright that they compete with the cake.

​Editing

Editing people and editing food are two very different types of editing. That’s why it can often happen that while the food looks nice and inviting, the hands may look lifeless.

​This totally depends on the way you edit your images and the dish you are photographing. But, if it happens that your hands look lifeless and colorless, chances are they are too green. I usually bring photos like this in Photoshop and use the Selective tool in the Layers panel to add a Selective tool layer. Then choose Reds from the Colors Panel and lower cyan just enough to make the hands look natural again. By that point the whole image will look weird, so you need to mask out just the hands in the Selective color layer. And you’re done!

Btw, I have a Moody Food Preset Collection available, if you’re using Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw.

  • Hands in frame add a human element to food, which brings food to life in a completely new way and make a scene look very natura
    The color of the hands looks natural and true to life.
  • Hands look a bit green and lifeless.

Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to create some images with hands in the frame. Hands are not the easiest to photograph, but they add so much character to an image that it’s worth going the extra mile.

Using curves in food photography

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

When it comes to composition, there is a number of compositional techniques that you can apply to your food photography. Which one you choose is greatly impacted by your style, the story or even who your client is.

I’m a big fan of natural-looking food photography and some of the key compositional techniques that I like to use are curves and lines. Today I’m going to focus on using curves because I think they add so much dynamic and sense of movement to the photo as well as making the composition look natural and somewhat feminine. Curves are also a great way to lead the viewer’s eye towards your main subject in a natural way.

Curves can be a separate or I should say main composition techniques or it can be just an addition to others, such as the rule of thirds or golden rule to add some movement to the photo.

Since curves can really be anything, I put up a list of curves that I use in my food photography the most.

S-curve

This is a curve that mimics the letter S. I sometimes use S-shape to build the entire composition around it like in the ramen photo. Or I use it to support my composition and add movement and softness to the photo like in the cookie photo.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.
Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

C-curve

C-curve is the simplest curve you can use and the reason I love it so much is because it’s subtle and adds dynamic to the photo without being too obvious. Just like the S-curve, you can use it as a main compositional technique (egg photo) or support other techniques (apple pie photo). One great way you can use a C-curve is by placing the curve around your subject, which makes the objects on the curve almost hug the main subject.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.
Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

Irregular curve

That’s any curve that connects objects in your frame in a way that makes the eye flow through those items towards the main subject.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.
Invitation to the Food To Frame course

Spiral

Most often I use spirals as a main compositional technique and not so much as a supporting technique. That’s mainly because the spiral can look very obvious very quickly. When they are obvious they also look unnatural. The other reason is, that the spirals lead your eye toward its center. So I wanna make sure that the center of the spiral is my main object.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

Continuing s-curve

That’s an S-curve that is continuing and is forming a wave. I use this technique when I have lots of objects in a frame, that I want to visually connect and lead the viewer’s eye to the main subject.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.
Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

A combination of curves

More often than not I use a combination of curves so I can visually link different objects in the scene with different effects. For example, let’s take a photo of the breaded sweet bread. I used a C-shape by placing pine in a C-shape to create a shape that hugs the main subject and gives a warm feel. I used the hands to lead the eye to the main subject.

In the second photo with lemons, I also used different curves to add dynamics to an otherwise simple shot.

In most of the above photos, I’ve used a combination of curves. I intentionally left it unmarked for you to go through and try to find other curves and think about how they affect the photo. Let me know in the comments if you’ve found any other curves in these photos.

Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.
Using curves in food photography can add softness and natural feel to the photo. Here is a tutorial on how to use curves to create beautiful compositions.

Creative food photography composition techniques

With these nine food photography composition techniques you’ll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the rule of thirds, golden ratio or others. We are not going to talk about them today. Today it’s all about forgetting the grid. Well, not forgetting but rather focus on other powerful food photography composition techniques that add something extra to your food photos.

While you still want to keep those grids in the back of your mind, I want you to focus on details. Here are a few composition techniques that will add interest to your photos and help you bring your delicious dish to life.

Diagonals and movement

This is probably a #1 mistake I see with new food photographers (hello, I was there too). We were taught to place things parallel to the table or any edge. Your mom probably didn’t say: ‘Make your bed and make sure the lines are diagonal’ or did she? Probably not. We’re used to placing things straight, which is great in real life because this means order and cleanliness and we love to have a tidy (or at least a tidy looking) home.

But when it comes to food photography using only parallel lines is usually very boring and doesn’t create interest or dynamic.

On the other hand use of diagonals can be a really effective composition technique, since diagonals create movement and dynamic tension.

In the photo below you can see how I used two different diagonals. The napkin is placed diagonally and the dusting of sugar is following the other diagonal.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Negative space

Using space, that isn’t crowded with props is another great composition technique. If used wisely it can lead the viewer’s eye straight to the main subject. It adds harmony to an image and gives a sense of cleanliness and simplicity.

Negative space is not only a plain backdrop, but it can also be a part of the image where the props are very neutral or of a color that’s not distracting from the food but rather emphasizes it.

The great thing about negative space is that it creates a clean space for adding a copy.

This is the number one composition technique that I suggest new food photographers use. When I started out, I had almost no props that would actually be fit for food photography. I had things I used in real life and those are not always great in food photos.

By eliminating or using fewer props you can really focus on the dish itself without being distracted by the props that don’t really look good.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Go off-center

When you take a photo of someone, where inside the frame do you place that person? Was your answer in the middle? Yeah, we all do that. It’s natural to do that. But it doesn’t always make the biggest impact when we look at a photo like that, does it?

The same goes for food photography. Placing the subject in the center can be powerful when you know what you’re doing, but most of the time placing it off-center will lead the viewer’s eye around the image and to that main subject placed off-center.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Lines

Lines are a powerful technique of placing objects in the frame in such a way that they lead the viewer’s eye towards the main subject.

As in the photo below. There are chopsticks leading to the bowl on the left, the napkin is placed so that it creates a line leading to that plate. The rice and meat in the top right plate are styled so that they form a line in the middle. And this line is leading towards the main subject – the plate on the left.

One word of caution. I never set all the lines in a photo to lead towards the main subject. This would inevitably end up looking fake and unnatural.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Layers

This is my favorite composition technique when I want to tell a story. It allows you to add multiple props or layers of food that work cohesively together and tell a story about food. The great thing about layers is that they add texture to a photo. Using layers works miracles with flat foods, that don’t have a very distinct texture.

Layers can be anything. A backdrop, fabric, props, the food itself when it creates a nice texture and so on.

In the photo below you can see a few layers. There’s a wooden backdrop with lots of texture, two pieces of gauze napkins, a cooling rack, a pie pan, the pie itself and extra sugar on top. All these layers add another dimension and texture to the photo. However, they are not distracting since they are neutral in regards to the main subject – the pie.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Framing

Framing is a very simple concept. It literally means creating a frame around your subject so it creates a visual frame and leads the eye towards the main subject inside that frame.

Framing is very useful for dishes where it is not clearly visible what is in the dish. By placing the ingredients around to form a frame they let the viewer know what’s inside a dish and at the same time show where the hero of the image is.

It is also great for storytelling since the objects around your main subjects can tell a story of that dish while still emphasizing the main subject instead of distracting from it.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Repeat patterns

Patterns are one of the most if not the most graphical food photography composition technique of them all, especially when all the elements in the frame are the same.

Repeat patterns can be simply repeating objects of the same shape, like round objects or long objects.

Another powerful way to use patterns is to add something unexpected to the image. Like in the image below. There’s a cookie missing. This is breaking the pattern and adds interest to the image. It makes the viewer wonder where did it go. Did someone eat it?

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Foreground

One of my favorite storytelling composition techniques.

The foreground is the part of the image that is closer to the camera as the main subject. While it is normal to use the space in front of the subject it is less usual to extend the foreground to the point where it looks like there’s an object very far away from the main subject.

This technique adds a sense of space and depth to an image.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Mixing shapes

If with repeating pattern technique is to mix objects of the same shapes, this is the total opposite. By using objects of different shapes you can create visual interest.

This is the most obvious in a top-down photo, but you can do the same with any other angle, like in the photo below. By using a square box instead of something round, I was able to create a line that leads the eye to the main subject – the fruits on the plate. But it also adds contrast to all the round shapes in the frame.

With these nine food photography composition techniques you'll be able to add an extra zing to your photos.

Give these food photography composition techniques a try

I hope you enjoyed my guide and if you try some creative food photography composition techniques, let me know in the comments below.

One more thing, I highly recommend (as I always do) using a tripod or something to stabilize your camera.

I know setting up the scene before setting up the camera is tempting, but in order to take full advantage of powerful composition, placing the camera in its position is the key. Then once the camera is set, start setting up the scene.

And here are some extra thoughts because I love planning 🙂

Planning and sketching

Whenever I can I draw a sketch of the shot. Here’s the reason why?

I could easily rely on creating a beautiful composition by looking at the screen of my camera. But I don’t want to be stuck with the same rule of thirds with all my photos. Most of the cameras these days offer a rule of thirds grid option, so you can see the lines through the screen while you style. And I find this very very useful. But I don’t always follow the rule of thirds. In this case, it’s hard to imagine, where all the props and dishes will go. That’s why I draw a grid or print it out.

How To Take The Perfect Action Shot In Food Photography

Are you just as in love with action shots in food photography as I am? Do you struggle with catching the right moment and have problems with perfect timing. You’re in the right place!

Are you just as in love with action shots in food photography as I am? Do you struggle with catching the right moment and have problems with perfect timing. You're in the right place!

I’m going to help you with some short tips and tricks that will help you create beautiful action shots.

Action shots are one of my favorite types of photos when it comes to food photography. They tell a story, they are… well, actionable, they have this human element in them and they have such a distinct dynamic.

Have you heard the saying ‘Practice makes perfect’. I couldn’t agree more. The more you’ll try to do action shot the easier it will become.

But first, let me guide you through some tips that will help you grow your repertoire in food photography by adding action shots!

Let’s start!

1. Get a tripod

Unless you have a helper on hand (if you do, great for you!), you’ll need a tripod to hold the camera.

I find a tripod very useful for one other reason too. When taking action photos things, usually get quite messy. Even though you clean, I usually find that I missed a spot and it ends looking awful in the photo. I usually take photo of the scene before I even take the action shot. That way you’ll have a ‘clean’ photo which you can use in Photoshop to fix the mess that you might have missed. You couldn’t do that without a tripod since your composition would move if you handheld the camera.

2. Shoot in manual mode and set shutter speed first

Shutter speed is everything in action shots. It’s the most important setting, so you need to adjust it first. If you want a crisp sharp pour or sprinkle, you need to increase your shutter speed. If you want a blurry pour or sprinkle you have to decrease it. I try to use shutter speeds at 1/160 or above for crisp pours.

Second, adjust the ISO. I try to stay under 800, but since a lot of my photography is very moody and dark, I need to go up a little more.

Then, adjust the aperture. Unless aperture is really important to the story, I tend to adjust that last.

Are you just as in love with action shots in food photography as I am? Do you struggle with catching the right moment and have problems with perfect timing. You're in the right place!

3. Focus manually

I never use auto-focus for action shots. It’s just too unpredictable and I would end up with too many unusable photos.

My tip for setting the focus point is to either focus on the spot where the moving food will hit the non-moving food or if it’s possible, place an object about as tall as the pour/sprinkle will be and focus on that object. Lock the focus and remove that object and take a photo.

4. Adjust your food to movement

Sometimes some foods are too small to see or too dense to flow smoothly. When I’m shooting a recipe, I don’t want to stray too far away from what real food will look like. Sometimes I need to adjust it, anyway. Like adding some water to a sauce, so it has a smoother spill, or using coarse sugar instead of icing sugar to make the grains more visible.

Are you just as in love with action shots in food photography as I am? Do you struggle with catching the right moment and have problems with perfect timing. You're in the right place!

5. Remote control vs. Timer

There are a few options here:

  1. Remote control: I don’t often use it for action shots. I suggest using it only when you don’t need to be as precise about the spot where the moving food hits the surface. Otherwise, there’s too much to think about and it gets very messy.
  2. Self-timer: This is the setting in the camera, where the camera will take one photo after a few seconds after you push the shutter button.
  3. Continuous mode: I use this one the most. This setting takes multiple photos in a burst but with a delay, so you have time to prep for the action shot.
  4. Interval timing: Not all cameras have this, but it’s quite useful to take photos of a process that takes a long time. Like, if you wanted to take multiple photos of kneading bread. You can set the interval timer to shoot one photo in intervals that you set. It can be a second, or it can be minutes or even hours.

6. The right angle

Think about which angle will show the action best. You want an angle that really reflects the beautiful action. Also, think about the background. Is the background contrasting enough so the action will be visible and if there are any distractions in the background?

Are you just as in love with action shots in food photography as I am? Do you struggle with catching the right moment and have problems with perfect timing. You're in the right place!

7. It doesn’t have to include movement

When thinking about action shots, we usually imagine something moving in the frame, but that doesn’t need to be the case. Have you heard of implied movement? That’s when nothing is really moving in the frame but there’s something that tells us, that it’s not a still image and there’s some action going on. Like in the photo below, where I’m cutting oranges. Nothing’s really moving but the knife and the orange wedges let us know that there’s movement in real life.

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The takeaway…

Action shots are fun. And messy. And the most beautiful pieces of art! They take practice and sometimes they take some ingenuity. But anyone can create beautiful action shots! If you happen to create some action shots I’d love to see them! Tag #useyournoodles and @useyournoodles!