Camera College
Photographer and writer Marcus is a former editor of Digital Camera.
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Get started with food photography
The world is not short of food pictures – but there is always room for better ones. Tuck in to some suggestions for taking your photos to the next level
Food photography is one of the most enjoyable types of ‘home studio’ shoots you can do, as you get to eat the subject afterwards. It doesn’t require a great deal in the way of equipment, either: there’s a lot you can do with a standard kit lens and natural light, and you can really take your time to arrange your savoury or sweet still-life into the ‘perfect’ composition.
That’s not to say that food photography is a piece of cake. After all, there’s a reason why there are professional photographers and stylists who specialise in this area. Getting the best results takes time and know-how, but we all have to start somewhere.
In some respects, food photography is similar to the garden macro photography we looked at last issue: sourcing the best specimen, finding a complementary background, and using depth of field creatively to make the best feature stand out. If you’re bitten by the close-up bug, a macro lens is going to be a worthy investment: it’ll allow you to focus close enough to capture frame-filling shots of delicious details as well as finished plates of food and table arrangements. A tripod is a useful accessory to have as well, as you may end up working in relatively low light levels if you’re shooting indoors. Supporting the camera gives you more freedom when it comes to choosing exposure settings, as you
