The 3 L’s to Make Your Food Instantly Look Better
Apr 6 • 2023
If you’ve ever started to photograph/ video your food and thought “wait… how the heck do I get this to look better”… then you’re gonna wanna read this email. Today I’m breaking down 3 things you can do to ✨ instantly ✨ make your food look better (all of which happen to start with the letter L 😉).
1. Lighting 💡
The lighting you photograph or video in can make or break your photo. And while there is no “right” light for food, some types of light are definitely more appetizing than others. First, make sure all of the overhead lights in your room are off, as overhead lighting can make your food look unattractive. Second, try to photograph/video your food with your light to the side of your food– side lighting helps to create highlights on one side and shadows on the other, which in turn makes your food look more 3-D and like it’s popping off the screen.
2. Layers 📚
If your food ever feels flat, try adding some layers to your dish. Dust something with powdered sugar, top it with parsley, crush up some nuts, or drizzle it in olive oil. The more layers of texture you add to your food, the better it’s gonna look on camera.
3. Location 📍
How your food looks is obviously super important. But getting everything around your food to look good? Just as important! You could have the most stunning bowl of pasta ever, but if it’s photographed on a bright orange table with purple napkins and green plastic flatware? No thank you. So pay attention to the background and props you photograph and video with. You’re going to want all of the colors in your photo to work together and highlight your subject instead of overpowering it! This could mean filming on your kitchen’s natural surface, on your dining table, or it might mean getting a food photography backdrop so you have a surface to work on. When in doubt, a neutral backdrop is the way to go.
Use these 3 L’s the next time you go to photograph/record a dish and secure that W (I’m having way too much fun with this!). Don’t forget to tag @foodtographyschool on IG & TT so I can see your masterpieces!