At Cookpad we love to see photos of the real home cooked food that you have created in your kitchens all around the world. Cookpad recipes with a good quality food photo get more traffic and more reactions than recipes without a photo. In this blog post, learn some simple food photography tips for home cooks.
Sonia from our Cookpad community team says “taking a good food photo is daunting for many home cooks. I know that I myself have been on a steep learning curve when it comes to taking photos of my food - it is not something I have ever had any training with and so I am always trying to improve them. I don’t strive for perfection in my recipes photos, but I do at least want to make my home cooking look tasty and inviting - so that I can minimise my use of the phrases ‘the photo doesn’t do it justice’ and ‘it tastes better than it looks!”
In this blog post, Sonia has shared her top tips for home cooks who want to learn to improve their basic food photography skills. We hope you find them helpful.
Sonia says “I don’t go in much for styling photos or using props. A lot of my recipe photos feature a single bowl or plate of food, on a natural surface (my reclaimed wooden dining table features very prominently!). If I do use props, they are almost always ingredients that have gone into my dish (for example parsnips in a parsnip soup).”
TOP TIP 1 - My first tip is to look at the natural colour of your food and take your photo against a contrasting colour. So if my dish is brown (as lots of home cooking is), I take the photo against my light coloured kitchen worktop. But if my dish is lighter in colour, I take the photo against a darker surface (drafting in my trusty wooden table again).
TOP TIP 2 - I often layer bases, so I use chopping boards or place mats under bowls and dishes to add height and different dimensions without the use of more obvious props. As you can see below, I make great use of these cheap wooden boards I picked up from IKEA.
TOP TIP 3 - Garnishes are key! Garnishes aren’t reserved for chefs in fancy restaurants, in my opinion simple garnishes with bright colours really make dishes pop in colour and look attractive. So much of my cooking ends up being brown or dull in colour! But add a sprinkle of fresh herbs (pick herbs with flavours that complement your dish), pine nuts or seeds and suddenly your dish looks vibrant, fresh and delicious.
TOP TIP 4 - Taking photos of your food before you dish it up makes for a nice change of scenery. Cookies on a baking tray or cooling rack, an omelette or stir fry still in the pan, chicken it a baking tray or a crumble in its serving dish.
TOP TIP 5 - Adding some form of movement to your photo can make it more dynamic and interesting. Holding up cookies, scooping out that first bite, spreading or dipping into a guacamole.
For more help on how to take a good photo of your dish, please see our video workshops below which were recorded by Yui from the Cookpad community team.
Food Photography for Complete Beginners: Use of Props
Food Photography Workshop: Tips and Tricks for Home Cooks
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