3 Things That Changed My Food Photography Forever
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So you wanna take great pictures of food that will make your viewer’s jaw drop and leave a bit of drool on their keyboard huh? Well, I am definitely not an expert in photography of any kind, but after a year of food blogging and working my buns off (pardon my French), I’ve learned a few things. I’ve debated for months whether or not to write a post like this. What if no one reads it? What if someone hates it?? What if everyone boycotts my blog because they think I have no right to be speaking in any authority on the subject of food photography??? A little farfetched? Maybe. But I worry about these things you guys. But you’re my friends, and friends share. So, I’m sharing a few tips with you today. Take it or leave it, totally up to you! And if you hate everything I have to say, that’s okay. We can still be foodie-lovin’ pals.
Alrighty then. Since you’re still here… Let’s get down to business. This food photography stuff, it can be tricky. But there are three things that really made “the big difference” for me. . .
ONE: LEARNING THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY – (aka: Where on earth do I start?!)
The first thing you have to do is learn the basics. There are scads of decent sources out there for learning how to take pictures of food. I’ve read hundreds of blog posts (um, sorta like this one, except written by people who actually know what they’re talking about), watched dozens of videos and tutorials, talked to professionals, and spent ridiculous amounts of time researching food photography – but the very first thing I would recommend to anyone and everyone who wants to take a picture of a cupcake, or pickles, or whatever food your little heart desires to photograph, is a book. Boring? No. This book will knock your socks off, promise. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum wrote this super awesome eBook called Tasty Food Photography.
(Already convinced?? Click on this link to learn more and purchase the book! – – – > 
)
This book breaks down food photography into small, easily digestible bite-size pieces that anyone can swallow. (wow, that’s a lot of punnage in one sentence) Like I said before, there are a lot of sources out there, but I believe that Tasty Food Photography is one of the absolute best resources for learning the fundamentals of food photography. Everything from how to work your new camera (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and more) to how to pick props and plate your food. This book you guys. Get it. You will not regret it.
Fun fact: the picture on the left was the very first photograph I shot and published on Creme de la Crumb.
TWO: HOW TO GET UP-CLOSE, SUPER SHARP PHOTOS
Photography is an expensive hobby. If I had unlimited funds (which I don’t) I would have quite a different setup than I have now. I’d get the top of the line in everything imaginable, because I love photography and I want to have the best quality in my photographs as possible. But I don’t have unlimited funds. And when I began Creme de la Crumb a year ago, I had even more-limited funds than I do now. But I really really wanted my pictures to look like those up-close, super sharp photos you see in magazines. A lot of food photographers will suggest purchasing a macro lens, and that was my first plan. Until I realized they are 2 thousand dollars! (deflated sigh). However, I found the key – the SECRET to really close-up awesome photos. I bought the cheapest (but totally fantastic) fixed lens I could find for my camera – click HERE to check it out –
and then I found these Macro Lens Filters.
(Because each camera and lens are different, this link will take you to a page where you can search through the different options and find the lens filters that will fit YOUR specific camera lens – if you need help finding the right ones for your lens – leave a comment, I’m happy to help!)
***The picture above is a help for finding your thread size – the number you will need when ordering the correct lens filter for your lens. Find the symbol and number on your own lens like the one you see circled in red in the image above. This is the number you need to match when purchasing your filters.***
***For those with the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
–this is the exact set of filters I use with that lens***
This little trick has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my photography. For what, less than 20 dollars? you can take your photos from – “oh that looks yummy” to “WOAH! It looks like I could grab it right out of the screen! Those little macro lens filters allow you to get up close and personal with your food without losing clarity and focus. I LOVE them. How do they work? Piece of cake. You just screw them onto the front of your lens and they magnify your subject without distorting it at all, so you can get exactly the image you’re imagining! Best. Trick. EVER.
THREE: TAKING YOUR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF AWESOME aka: the WOW factor
So once you’ve got the basics down, and you have some tools to help you get up close and personal with your food, you want the “wow factor”. How do you get it? You keep learning. A while back I found myself in a photography “rut” so to speak. I felt like every photograph looked the same and my photography was becoming dull and boring. I found this book called Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling.
I’d heard this book mentioned a million times by other food photographers but thought, meh – I’ve read a couple of photography books, I don’t need another one. WRONG-O. This book is awesome! I only wished I’d read it sooner. It takes you back through a lot of the things that Lindsay talks about in her book Tasty Food Photography, but more in depth, and dives a little deeper into the feeling and stories behind photographs, and how to really deliver your message to your audience. The author, Helen Dujardin, does a stellar job at explaining how to get past the “Oh, yeah that looks good” and really get into the “Oh my gosh I NEED that taco!” with your food photographs.
Thanks so much for sticking it out to the end – you’re my best buds! I hope you found this post useful! If I get some positive feedback on this post and it seems like you guys want more, I’ve got scads of fun tips, tricks, and useful tidbits to share with you! If you have any questions, leave a comment – I’m an open book and I love to share!!
There are affiliate links included in this post. If you follow the links and do end up purchasing the items I’ve suggested, I will get a percent of the sale (yayyy) but I only suggest these items because I purchased them myself and use them regularly – they have improved my food photography dramatically and I believe they can do the same for you.
I am so glad that you wrote this post! Just orderd the book! I have that same 50mm lens for my food photography and I put it on my Canon 70D. I am stumped though as to which macro lens filter to buy. Any suggestions for what will fit?
Hi Crystal! That book was life changing for me – I absolutely love it! That lens is great, I have the same one and actually there is a link above to the exact lens filters that work for that lens!
I cannot thank you enough for sharing those tips with your readers! Right after I read this post, I purchased the books, and the lens + lens filters, and you were right! The tips in the books helped so much, and the macro filters with the fixed lens gave my food photography that “Wow!” factor! (I used the +1 size on my Canon 7D). I’ve been a lurker on your site since January, and I’ve always thought your food photography was so amazing! Keep up the great work! And thanks again!
Jazmine! Congrats on upping your photography skills, I’m so glad that my post was helpful to you! 🙂
What kind of camera do you use? I’m looking to get a dslr but there are soo many choices… it’s pretty intimidating!
Wow! Your photos looks so beautiful – I’m so excited for you! Thanks for the shout out! 🙂
I purchased the filters you recommended. Thanks! Do you find yourself using one filter over another? Thanks for all your tips and help!
Hi Lesley! These filters are wonderful – I use the +1 filter with almost every single shot for my blog, unless I am doing a really wide shot of a whole table setting or something. Sometimes I up it to the +2 filter. The +1 and +2 are the ones I use most often!
Thanks so much for your response! Your work and blog are beautiful!
Tiffany I can remember when you first started, because we both started around the same time, and I thought wow her photography is so awesome!
I just stumbled across this post yesterday night when I was on pinterest and clicked to see how you were doing! LOVE this girl! You did an awesome job writing about this and with such clarity. You photos have improved a ton.
I have been going back and forth about buying the plate to pixel book lately. But after reading this post I just went on and bought it, I have been feeling in a slump lately too. Thanks for the inspiration girl!
Isn’t it crazy how fast it goes by?? I feel like this year has flown by, and I’ve grown a ton but I have soooo much more to learn! Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments – I definitely get down on myself and my photography and it’s your kind of encouragement that keeps me plugging along!!! Thanks girl!!! Oh and plate to pixel – you will LOVE it! Worth every penny. 🙂
Hi!
I’m writing from Italy, and I want to thank you for this post!
I’m learning food photography for my first recipes book and your “3 things” give me a great help!
xxx
Eleonora
Great Post! I did read it all the way to the end. LOL
I am learning so much on photography for my blog as well. Just wanted to share I have a MAC and I bought the aperture app. I know that a great photo begins with a great idea and a great image. But I have played with aperture app for just a short time and it has made a huge difference in my photos! I am still learning.. but wanted to pass on this info.
Carrie
Tiffany,
I just wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE your photos. I pin them immediately and they always inspire to me to cook because they look so gosh darn good! I’ve been meaning to tell you this, but every recipe I’ve made from your blog is a hit. My boyfriend says ” can we put this in the rotation?” whenever I make a good meal to make sure it’s routinely made – and he says that a lot about your recipes!
I am not at all a photographer and will often attempt to snap photos of the food that I make from my phone…I know, not that professional. And I never really know what I’m doing, I will literally turn my phone at an angle in hopes that it will look more interesting. And then I feel like my food is not getting the justice it deserves. Do you think these books would be helpful for just basic tips? Eventually I will get a fancy camera, but not anytime soon. Thanks!
Woah, woah, woah, thank you SOOOO much for this post!! Although I’m taking a break from blogging at the moment (finals at college) I am in awe of so many bloggers and their photography, yours included, I honestly had no idea that I could get a macro lens filter which would mean I don’t have to save hundreds for a macro lens! Thank you! 🙂
Confession: I’ve been secretly admiring and lusting after your photos on Pinterest for a couple of months now… Those macro close-up shots make me weak at the knees every time! I couldn’t pull the trigger on a new lens either — think of all of the chocolate chip cookies I could bake with that money instead! — but I’m definitely looking into those fixed lenses ASAP. Thank you SO much for sharing your tips and tricks; they’re really, really helpful!
P.S. I just ordered the same lens and filters that you used and recommended! I clicked on your links to get to Amazon, so hopefully you earn a little extra commission. 🙂 Thanks again for posting this and sharing your tips — I’m so excited to try them out!