Ever snapped an image of your food from your phone and chose not to share because it ‘just doesn’t look good enough’?
If your answer is yes, then you’ve come to the right place. In partnership with Yasmine Idriss, Deliveroo has pulled together the top tips for all those foodie photographers out there, exclusively for BBC Good Food Middle East readers!
As a culinary explorer, Yasmine’s striking food photography has amassed her a loyal Instagram following. She’s a testament that professional equipment isn’t always required to make food look exquisite.
Below are the go to tips that are a must to consider when taking an image of your favorite meal. Get snapping, folks!
Find the best light
Request for a seat by the window for natural light. If you are completely indoors, find a light source and use a white napkin to bounce light and control shadows.
Use a neutral background
Dark food goes with dark background, and light colored food looks good on a light background. You must however look for a background that is in contrast with the texture of your food.
Say no to zoom and flash
Digital zoom will pixelate your image. Either step closer physically or crop your frame later. Flash creates unnecessary shadows and places too much exposure on certain spots making the food look greasy.
Expose for highlights
Tap on your screen to focus and slide your finger up or down to adjust highlights for your shot.
Know your angles
‘Head on zen’ works best for when you want to focus on ingredient layers.
‘Bird’s eye view’ works when you have to cover more items and draw attention to composition.
A ‘45 degree tilt’ on the right allows the food item to tilt counterclockwise and invite the eye in.
Try ‘vice versa’ on the left to have the dish pull from the lens and intrigue the eye to follow in.
‘Above with perspective’ allows you to cover composition as well as depth from a higher view.
Use gridlines
Gridlines divide the shot into nine sections and use the“rule of thirds” to place the subjects of interest on these lines.
Use negative space
Including some empty space when you have a dark background emphasizes the darkness within the scene, whereas a light background helps to make the image look brighter.
Create a story
Add a human element in the image. Insert a subtle personal belonging or use hands to make the image as personal as possible. Insert the venue’s personality by using its setting as a backdrop.
Go-to food editing apps
Try out a range of editing apps and find what suits your style the most.
We’d love to see some of your snaps, so be sure to tag us @bbcgoodfoodmiddleeast on Instagram when you upload your next Insta-worthy foodie shot!
