6 Tips on how to take the perfect food selfie
the perfect food selfie
Elected as The Oxford Dictionary’s ‘Word of the Year’ in 2013 the #selfie is a phenomenon that most are aware of. Showing off what’s happening in your life is a worldwide craze that extends to what you have on your plate too. Where would websites like Instagram and Pinterest be without the surge of selfies and food marketing? Let us share our expert tips at Stephen Conroy Food Photography so that you can take the perfect food selfie.
Natural lighting
There is nothing better to make food look delectable than natural lighting. Try and position yourself by a window and turn off any artificial lighting if you can. Keep lighting at the back or to the side of you and your dish to reduce the amount of shadows. If you are in a restaurant or cafe you may encounter lighting issues so try and best position yourself around the light.
Think about the crockery
Don’t use the chipped or stained plate you can’t be bothered to replace. Think wisely about what your food is displayed on or in. A lovely crockery set will make your snap look that bit more delicious. Professional food photographers would advise sticking to white crockery but selfies are less uniform. Play around with vintage or patterned crockery but choosing something that is too colourful or fussy can detract from your snap.
Play with your food
We didn’t think we’d ever be saying this but a big part of food photography involves playing with the food to get it just right. If you are taking a photo of your own culinary creation think about presentation and how to best make your dish look delicious. Inject your personality into your snap. Have fun. Its not going to end up in a gallery but hopefully you will get a few 'likes'. if you plan to show your teeth check there is nothing already stuck in them first!
Try out different angles
Catching the best angle of the food is just as important as catching the right side of your face. You may already know what works best for your selfies so take a bit longer to experiment with how the food looks on camera. Avoid unflattering angles that make you and your food bulge unappealingly. And..... no one wants to see up your nose! Taking a photograph off of centre or diagonally can mix things up a bit.
But...be quick!
Depending on what you are snapping, some foods won’t stay looking pretty for long. Whether it’s been cooked, chilled, or steamed, it may change colour, wilt or melt quickly. Have your camera at the ready and click away. Take multiple shots so that you can choose the perfect one after rather than scrutinising each one at the time.
Apply filters
One of Instagram’s key selling points is its variety of filters. Adjust the lighting and contrast of your photograph before selecting a filter that brings out the appeal of your food. Go easy on the filters though and check that they do not swamp the selfie. Carefully experiment with the colours cast in each filter. The last thing you want is to destroy the image of you with your yummy food by applying a filter that is too dark or light.
But remember having a phone full of instagram filters doesn't make you a professional photographer !
