How to take professional food photos with your iPhone or Android?

It seems like taking food photos should be quite easy, but creating “professional” shots is a big challenge – Especially if you only have a smartphone and available light. But a few simple tricks can help you create some seriously delicious pictures. Tech Radar asked two professional photographers to reveal what these secret ingredients are.

Using a smartphone to take pictures of food is nothing. new and at the same time it makes a lot of sense, since we have our phones with us all the time. So we are always ready if something particularly photogenic comes out of the kitchen.

There are other reasons why smartphones are good for food photography. Because they are small and thin, you can get closer to the food for the best creative angles, which may not always be possible with regular cameras. Most smartphones today have modes such as Portrait, which you can use to create shallow depth-of-field effects, while it's also possible to use most of them for different compositions. only.

With all of this in mind, Tech Radar asked some professional photographers to share their secrets for creating fantastic food shots. All of these experts use Android and iOS, so all of the advice here should apply to whatever phone model you have.

1. Hold the phone upright

Professional photographer Tim Clinch has been taking pictures for a long time. About 18 months ago, he did his first professional photo shoot using an iPhone entirely to create images for his client Cardenal Mendoza Brandy's new website. He says he showed the customer comparable DSLR photos, but the customer preferred iPhone products.

One of his main tips is also one of his simplest. "Daleč the biggest problem I see when I watch people with smartphones – Especially the larger models – is what I call a 'new phone flop',“ he says. "Basically – keep your phone up! It happens very quickly that the top of the phone tilts forward, because of which you lose all your vertical,” he adds.

"Sometimes I make sure my phone is really upright by having someone stand by and tell me when my phone is upright – it is a very different approach than taking photos with a standard camera,” he says.

2. Look for as many books as possible. colors

While black and white food photos have a special charm, a bold use of color will make your food images stand out from the crowd.

When choosing possible motifs, look for bright colors, but remember that not all colors will be as beautiful on the phone as they look in real life. Browns and beiges can be a bit less attractive, while bright greens, yellows and reds usually look great.

It is also worth taking photos in the best possible light, while avoiding artificial and weak light. Thus, the sensor of your phone will have all the conditions to reproduce all the details. If you are photographing food at home, try to get closer to a window to take advantage of natural light.

3. Use portrait mode (but be careful)

Most smartphones offer a portrait mode among their photo modes. Včasih may be called otherče, for example “Aperture” or “Live Focus”. What they all have in common is that they create shallow depth-of-field effects, which will add a professional touch to your shots.

Portrait mode works especially well if the outline of the subject is clear or well-defined, so be aware of the moments when you touch the mode and it may not be as effective.

“Portrait mode is a very useful tool, but be careful when taking pictures of objects like glasses,” he says. "It often can't handle the edge of the glass and ends up with a strange 'ghost' around the edges and often the glass can just disappear."

4. Use network lines

Kratia Garwal, a Dutch professional photographer and content creator, often uses her phone to photograph food. In addition to photography, she also runs food photography workshops to help others improve their style. You can also see her work on her Instagram profile.

A quick and easy tip that is often recommended is to turn on network cards in your phone's native camera apps. Most smartphones will offer this somewhere in the settings menu. "I always have this feature on as it helps me align the horizontal and vertical planes within my frame and also make the composition correct using the rule of thirds.” he says.

If you're not sure what the rule of thirds means, check out Kratia's screenshot in this article. Placing your subject where the grid lines intersect will usually give you a nice composition, but it's worth experimenting to see what works.

5. Use the “pro” mode or one of the “third-party” applications

If you have a smartphone with Pro/Advanced mode, you can use it to great effect in food photography. However, some models – especially the iPhone – they don't allow as much control over settings as a standard camera would. While this might be good for quick snapshots, third-party apps will let you do more.

If you want to gain some of that control, Kratia Garwal recommends Adobe's “all-in-one” approach. "The Adobe Lightroom mobile app has a fantastic feature that allows you to take photos directly from the app,” he says. "There are both auto and professional mode options, but it's so convenient to be able to control shutter speed, ISO or white balance before pressing the shutter button. This is something I often recommend to my workshop participants,” he says.

6. Step forward with the phone holder

If you follow "foodie" profiles on Instagram, you are probably already very familiar with the "flat lay" concept, where you get a view of the subject from above. They work particularly well with food and are easy to create with your phone as they are so easy to set up and move around the scene.

However, for best results, it's a good idea to keep the phone still and in one position. It will also make it easier for you to change the flat position setting without having to re-set the scene every time you take a shot.

Kratia Garwal uses a phone holder (like the simple Lamicall Gooseneck model) for top-down shots. He explains: “This way I can set the timer and not press the trigger myself. This mode frees up your hands and helps prevent possible camera shake.”