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Food Photography – Learn From Yourselves

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I had this thought when I was in the shower. Or maybe it was when I was watering my lone curry leaf plant. Anyway, that’s not important. What’s important is, how can we all take better food pictures, right?

I am constantly looking at others’ pictures and wondering how I can emulate the nice stuff in my clicks. How do I get that dark background that Sunita has achieved in the first ‘wrap’ picture in this post? Or how can I dream up lovely set ups like Meeta does? How do I make every day food look so gorgeous like Sala does? Or how do I take step by step pictures for every recipe of mine, like DK so patiently manages?
While its great that we always look and learn from others, probably the best place to start is from our own pictures. Sounds silly? Think again!

Here’s one of the very first food pictures I took.
Looking at this now, I am thinking.. I really like that picture. Its true that the lighting could be better and I can find a better place now to click it without that part of the stove showing up on the right side and maybe, I should choose a fresher looking green chilly but really, I am too lazy now to actually do a set-up for any of my pictures.

But I like that I made the effort to cut up a lemon wedge, find a curly long green chilly, add a blob of butter (just behind the blog of kothamalli chutney). The colours are nice, they balance well and I would want to bite into that sandwich if I was hungry. Right?

Now, my pictures look like this. 

Or this. 

I am getting tired of the white background already! While the picture quality has definitely improved, its like I have lost my creativity in the process.

Each of us has a ‘style’.  A technique that makes us stand out from the gazillion other food bloggers out there. Looking back, I feel like I have only worked on the quality of the pictures and never really nurtured the creative side. Its true, I may never do elaborate set ups or buy those studio lights any time soon but I can still take my pictures to the next level by going back, taking a look at what I was capable of and then building on it from there.

So dig into your archives, its similar to going back to looking at your college pics, getting amazed at how thin you were and then going on a crash diet. Only, for this exercise with your food pictures, you can still eat whatever you want 🙂

This is the post I had started typing on Monday and posted accidentally. Forgive the glitch!

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  1. be true to your style nags! i like this post because it motivates us all to try harder but stay true our style. while i like setting my sets simply and to create a story others do not – they prefer a simple food shot without any knick-knacks. and we are here to help each other so if you ever have a question for me – ask away! thanks for this post!

    Reply

  4. Great post. I have thought the same thing many times and when I look back on my photography – what a huge difference even a few months makes. There still is so much to it though & I have been started taking classes as well I have started a company that conducts photography workshops with professionals in their fields. Excited as our first food one will be with Sara Remington & Romney Steele – can't get any better than that.

    I also agree with the white backgrounds. I have started shooting the actual table setting or using black as a background – much more interesting. As well …. everyone is using white, why be like everyone!

    Keep up the great job!

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  5. Luks like someone is doing some real thinking! but then as we talked about it earlier – the photography starts with a motive! What is your motive behind taking a food picture. Pin point on it – there cud be multiple ones – but try to arrange them on a scale of 1-10. 1 gets the prominence and the rest follows. As far as enjoying the food goes – your photos are excellent and always a pleasure not only on the eyes but also on the taste buds….With that successful, the rest will slowly follow – I am sure your creativity will overflow soon and not get contained sweets..Dont u worry 🙂

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  6. the photos looks amazing. i try to capture the taste and aroma in the photos i take but its not easy…nice post good ideas

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  7. My old photos in my blog are ridiculous! 😀

    Great post as always. Have fun with blogging. Great to be back too although allergy is killing me!

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  8. Absolutely Deesha 🙂 I feel food photography is a lot of art and technique. Its like putting together a canvas of edible things that need to invoke more than one emotion in the viewer.

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  9. As you said, each one has a style, that would be difficult to emulate. As long as the quality of pics are good, that should do the trick. The only way to break the monotony is probably to invest in props. in my opinion, food photography isn't the most difficult thing to do, provided you have the right cutlery N settings to match the food … Don't ya think so

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  10. Nags, frankly I like your pictures a lot – and I like them the way they are. You have a knack of drawing attention to the food and making the food look very scrumptious!

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  11. Love it Nags. Food photography is a great creative outlet and I think props tend to perk up pictures a lot. I still love the white background though, classic and simple, with a prop or two added! Great post…

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  12. So true Nags. I am tired of the white background too and when taken during evening/night time they give out a greyish background.
    Love all the bloggers and the pictures you have mentioned in the first para. Btw, I love your pictures too and the last 2 have come out very well.

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  13. Lol..guess what, in response to many requests/suggestions put up by some generous blogger friends and sweet visitors of the blog, I was thinking about a making a post of the cutlery I use(but there is hardly any), the "food photography tips" (Well I still have no clue of that)to share with readers.But I seriously have nothing to say…I use same white background, same white cutlery, and no props or no X-factors are used by me(I lack patience..damn me).Though I seriously admire the amazingly organized pics with different angles, different cutlery and amazing props, I find it too cumbersome to arrange that.And in few attempts that I made, I ended up wasting lots of time and food stuff I used for highlight effect..and besides I do believe that people should be able to feel the texture of the food in pictures.So as far as that target is achieved I don't mind going back to same old angles and same backgrounds and same cutlery…gosh such a loooong comment..now stop giving me that look now …I am leaving…lol

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  14. I was wondering about the abrupt ending of your previous post. I was looking for a link to read beyond and assumed I was missing something…

    I am always trying to improve my skills and try to read all the tips on food photography and read you tips too. I know I have come a long way but that is not enough. We are all on the learning curve and would love reading your post on photography and admire your photos along the way.

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  16. I have always admired the pictures on your blog for the no frills attached thing. The focus is always on the food intended. Anyways opinions differ I guess!

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  17. That's very sweet of you Sra. Many people said they liked the paneer burji picture but honestly, I think its too 'plain'

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  18. Nowadays my backgrounds are my exercise mat or my clothesline stand which is near the window with the most natural light. Most of my good pix are flukes and I don't try v hard with props and stuff. Sometimes I think I should change the camera! I'd love for my pix to look like yours, esp the second one.

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  19. Nice post 🙂 sometimes in reader,at first glance in picture itself we can assume the post author,everyone have their trade mark ways to present… And definitely one has to change that way to make the pictures in the monotonous way …I recently started thinking of changing and do it in different way !

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  20. Sharmilee, you take nice pictures, so you have every right to suggest tips or give me feedback. And that's exactly what i am talking about, i no longer use those coloured papers. I have just "moved on" and looking back, I realise i need to rethink and go back 🙂

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  21. I always feel the same way u do…when I see others pics. These days I plan abt the supporting props well before so that I dont forget them when I arrange…but sometimes yes the instant idea clicks well too!!
    It always adds a strength to our pics if additional props are used instead of just clicking the dish alone…I got this idea only from my fellow blogging friends.

    Believe me, I've grown seeing ur pics that only after reading ur props photography post I seriously started concentrating on props…and went shopping for them right from the coasters
    to the bowls 🙂 Yeah I agree white suits best and makes our pics professional but still adding colors makes them more appealing.
    I always liked ur background parchment color paper pics which are missing in the recent days…?! U can insert such posts in between few white bg posts – Just my thought & observations…hope u dont mind!

    Oh let me stop here not that xperienced to give advice to u 🙂

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  23. Srimathi, that website looks awesome. I think most of the food is fake though 😀

    Me, you are right about the locales too. I always end up going back to the same white table and now am so bored of it! The lunch box idea is great!! 🙂

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  24. Nags.
    Just a thought – but what about different locales?
    I know it might be tough to carry the food elsewhere but you could put it in a lunch box.
    🙂

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  25. Is this post complete? I couldn't see any pics in it. The post ends with an incomplete statement "While its great that".

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  26. Hi Nags,

    I like your clicks they are nice. Its your style that I can figure out when there are bunch of photos. Its nice you are trying to improve. When I make a dish I am always thinking how to present my food. Sometimes it is a challenge and somehow when I have done taking pictures I suddenly get ideas and I go with that. Its how I look at the food through the camera that matters to me. Please do let me know if you have ideas. Also in some web sites there are food stagers links, its amazing as to how well they look into the whole effect apart from the food itself. http://www.foodstylist.in/#mi=2&pt=1&pi=10000&s=8&p=0&a=0&at=0. She is a food stylist from India look at her clicks.

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