Foodies and photographers alike will find nirvana in food festivals. It can be a tantalising challenge to capture the essence of these gastronomic delicacies with their diverse assortment of colours, textures, and flavours on show. This comprehensive guide on food photography at food festivals can help you take incredibly delicious photos, whether you’re an aspiring food photographer or just a festival goer trying to improve your Instagram game. This is your go-to guide for using your phone to record the ideal food festival moments.
Control the Camera’s Settings:
- Focus: To manually focus on the topic, tap the screen of your phone. This makes the main course more angular and focused.
- Exposure: Use your finger to slide up or down the screen to change the exposure. By doing so, you can avoid having overexposed or underexposed images by balancing the brightness.
Light is Essential:
- Natural Light: Make use of natural light wherever you can. Good lighting is often available during outdoor food fairs. Take pictures in the “golden hours” (early morning or late afternoon) to avoid the harsh midday sun.
- Diffuse Harsh Light: To lessen the amount of light falling on your food if the sun is too intense, select a covered spot or use a diffuser (even a serviette or your palm will do).
Structure and Presentation:
- Angles: Play around with various angles. Consider taking pictures at eye level, from above, or at a 45-degree angle. A distinct story can be told from each angle.
- Rule of Thirds: Make compositions that are visually appealing by using the rule of thirds. Put important components at the intersections and along the lines of a tic-tac-toe grid that you can visualise on your screen.
- Negative Space: To highlight the primary topic, leave some white space in your frame. It can help the meal stand out and simplify the composition.
Depth of Field:
- To produce a shallow depth of field that blurs the background and highlights the dish, use the Portrait mode or adjust the aperture, if one is available.
Edit in Apps:
- After shooting your pictures, adjust their colours, contrast, and sharpness with editing programmes like Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed, or VSCO. But don’t go overboard—go for a natural appearance.
Experimenting:
- Try New Things and Have Fun: There are no rules when it comes to photography; it’s an art form. Try out various methods and environments. Enjoy yourself and feel free to be creative!
Looking to host your own event or simply want to know more about the services Urban Food Fest can provide? Please send an e-mail to events@urbanfoodfest.com or ring 020 7563 3021 to speak to a member of our team!”
