How to Instagram Food Like a Pro

Amongst the numerous posts by the growing number of Kardashians and beautiful scenic views of places you’d rather be, aesthetically pleasing food seems to take over Instagram’s stage. And although we laugh at the people at the table beside us who spend twenty minutes taking photos rather than eating their meal, we all can admit that we like to sneak a pic before our first bite. Here are some suggestions on how to reach ultimate food porn potential and rack up those likes.

Lighting and filters can be your best friend on Tuesday but your worst enemy by Friday. As your frenemies, to get the upper hand, take the high road and go easy on both of them. For the best lighting quality, consider shooting in natural light to obtain an organic and pure photo. Photo flash can be glaring and make the food seem artificial. This might mean being that annoying guest who requests a seat by the window, but at least you don’t have to worry about holding your meal up to a lamp. Similarly, filters should be used sparingly. Over-edited photos make your food look alien. Try enhancing the contrast instead and maybe lightening the photos, but other than that the food should do all the heavy lifting for you.

Colour is your best friend, and this happens to be true in photos ranging from portraits to landscapes. In food pictures in particular, colour will cause cravings in your followers. A dash of colour to food that is more neutral can liven up the dish and make it Instagram worthy. Don’t be afraid of some serious contrasting colour, the more rainbow like the better.

People tend to get a little too fancy with their angles when taking food pictures. The best rule of thumb to follow is straight on, birds eye view. This angle puts your followers in your shoes by allowing them to see what you are seeing. For food that tends to be more dimensional, for example taller or maybe spherical, side angles are the better way to go as they show off structure that you want to capture better than an angle from above.

When trying to fit more than one plate in your photo, do not worry about including the entire spread. Often, you can make the snapshot more dynamic by cropping some of the plates out of the photo. This way you do not have to get on a ladder to get your perfect picture.

Although most of us are not food bloggers or professional photographers, obtaining an artistic photo can be all something that we appreciate. With the few suggestions above, hopefully your next meal can be social media bound.

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