Food pictures look better when they are shiny. We are going to find out some tricks that advertisers and professional food photographers use to make food shiny.
Similar Articles you may like to read –
How Do Photographers Make Food Look Good And Pretty For Photography?
How Should A Food Photographer Brief?
How Do You Prepare A Food For Photoshoot?
Use a proper light setup
Set your light source next to your food plate to make it brighter. At that step, the food will look bright and enlightened but not yet shiny. To make it shiny, you have to change the light source’s position and the reflector. It makes a huge difference. Arrange the light setup to bring out the shiniest side of any food.
A light box and a manageable light source can ease your process to make the food shiny. It allows you to have more control over the light temperature and its reflection.
You can use flashes, godox, or even a bright window that gives you enough light to highlight your food.
Choose the right angle to shoot
Shooting as close as possible to the food is the main key to making the food shine.
On top of that, placing the light source in the most strategic place enhances the reflection on the food.
When shooting the food, photographers used to take the picture from the top of the plate/table. It doesn’t always give a good result. Yes, it gives a good perspective and view of the overall composition, but food won’t look shiny. To capture the shiniest side of food, you should focus on its details. It comes from the oily parts of the food to the reflection of your light in the food itself. You have to find a way to use them as a common thread to make the food shine.
Use a tripod
A tripod keeps your camera from shaking. It helps you to have the right control over your camera and your subject. The pictures are sharp and the shiny details stand out in your compositions. With a blur, people won’t notice the shiny part of the food. Sharp pictures are privileged.
Use unexpected smart hack tools
Not every photographer uses glycerin, but food ones do. Glycerin is the best-known hack to make food look shiny. The food may not shine like gold, but when you use this common hack that food photographers use, it looks much better. If you didn’t know, glycerin and water can be mixed very well. The mix looks like water or water drops, but with the capacity to last longer than just water.
Use a spray to spread the mix into the raw food, set your light, and get ready to shoot it with all of its wet looks. Remember that raw food looks better with a wet look. A red and wet strawberry always looks better than a dry and brown one, right?
Never forget to gently wipe fruits, vegetables, plates, and cutlery. Photographers used to neglect that task but, if your main subject is a fruit like an apple, or peach, or a vegetable like zucchini, you have to polish it to make it shine.
More articles you may like to read –
What Is The Best Filter For Food Photos?
What Angle Is Best For Food Photography?
Do Food Photographers Need A Macro Lens?
Adapt your shooting technique depending on the food texture
You cannot use the same photography technique as you’re about to shoot a fruit that shines easily like an apple or a watermelon and as you shoot cookies or waffles. The light reacts differently on the food’s surface.
Here, we have to experiment with non-glossy food like pies, bread, and sandwiches. We choose them because they are the hardest to make shine. These tips are used by professional photographers and advertisers as well. It means that it was tested and approved.
Continuous light and strobes are suitable. They are malleable and can adapt to any food. You just have to adjust its angle and your angle of shooting.
Speedlight are “must-have” light setups and can enhance the food and make it shine like never.