5 Tricks To Turn Dull Food Photos Into An Instagram #PicOfTheDay

If you’ve found yourself in an Instagram rut and your following has come to a standstill - it may be time to take your feed to the next level.

We let our in-house social media guru and founder at Small Palms, Chloe Palmer, loose with Nutrition student and foodie, Tiffany Chng. Two foodie photographers in the same room could only end in one way... a few tips exchanged and a whole lot of #foodporn. Here are their top 5 tricks to assist you on your path to Insta-excellence…

1. LIGHTING

You’ve heard it before but good lighting really does make all the difference. Natural lighting is the most preferred as other light sources can give your photos that dull yellow tone. If you have no choice, but to be inside (and if you don't have mega fancy equipment), use the flash on a friend’s phone to help illuminate what your photographing. One thing is for certain though, do not commit the cardinal sin of using the flash on your phone!

2. FOCUS

Focus, and use that focus tool. Tap the part of the image you want to emphasise and hold it down to lock it. This ensures the image is always in focus even when you’re playing around with different angles - bye bye blurriness!

3. COLOUR AND TEXTURE

Food photography is all about the colour and texture of the different components of the food and the background. That swirl of bright berry compote on top of creamy white yogurt, on a grainy and grey background. Individually, these components may not look great, but when together, the contrasts in colours can make some pretty mouth-watering dishes. If your background is looking a bit dull, spruce it up by adding a couple of props such as plants (cactuses are a must on the prop list), mismatched plates, cutlery and definitely a little extra drizzle of whatever on the side - organised chaos is super sexy!
Pinterest and food blogs are a great way to get inspiration too. Check out greenkitchenstories and mynewroots they take some great pictures and the recipes are totally scrumptious.

4. ANGLES

Food porn is as much about knowing the angles as it is about getting the lighting right. Whilst a dish of smashed avo on toast is no Gigi Hadid or Kendall Jenner, they're no smashed avo - yeah both are great off camera but on camera is where they shine, and practice makes perfect.
Here are a few tips to get you started: 

Birdseye: great for capturing flat food photos - especially if there are a few components to a dish or multiple dishes - ie. brunching with friends. Smoothie bowls are also great to get from above as there are so many different ingredients and colours.
45-degrees angle: the most common angle for food photography as it showcases the top and side view of the food. This is your easier shot and best for fuller, heartier dishes.

Straight on view: gives a side view that is perfect for dishes such as vegan burgers, layered cakes and cold-pressed PRESS London juices - getting that logo aligned straight with equal amounts of space on each side is crucially important (ok).

5. EDIT

Here's where the magic happens. Picture this (excuse the pun), you now have perfect lighting, your image is in focus, there’s great colour and texture going on and you’ve finally mastered the angles. You’re just one step away from getting an Instagram worthy food photo but first...(let me take a selfie?) - no first, there are a few great editing tools to help give your image that serious WOW factor.

Facetune: useful for whitening up any parts of the image. They also have a detail feature that allows you to accentuate any details you might want to sharpen.

VSCO/Afterlight: good for general editing such as cropping, changing your brightness and increasing your exposure. 

Aviary: great for blurring lines and removing any unwanted crumbs or drops. Blemish and blur are your best friend on this app.

#NoFilter: what? Most people put filters on every picture they post when actually, filters totally take away from the beauty and realness of an original image. It's absolutely fine to brighten, darken and sharpen on Instagram but that's about it - filters get a big thumbs down from us!