3 tips for outdoor food photography
Choose your time of the day
The temperature always does a mix up, be it at different points of the same day or on different days according to the weather. Outdoor photography can be tricky when it comes to shooting food, as you can’t easily determine the weather of a particular day, the humidity, rain or whatever element that needs to be considered for the same. It is important to be prepared for what may come. If you’re looking for harsh lighting, afternoon would be the ideal time of the day and if you’re looking for softer lighting, golden hour or early mornings are considered to be best suited.
Make use of the shadows
In case of a sunny day, there are always shadows that you can make the best use of. Let’s say there is a van parked right under the sun. The shadow created by the truck can be used for the shoot. But always keep in mind the change in color temperature caused by the shadows and remember to adjust it in post processing. You can also make use of dappled light under trees. You can also use diffusers and reflectors for the lighting setup in case of shooting in shadow/ even regular light.
Choose your location
Once you’ve decided the theme and style scheme of your shoot, settle with the perfect location that fits the image in your head. In case you are using food that is not easily transportable, choose a location that is much nearby. Be efficient with different props and containers as your requirements might not be satisfied at all locations. Always keep a white sheet handy, in case your choice of location does not provide much shade.
Using wrong props
In food photography the main protagonist is the dish, so props help tell a story and countless times wrong props only help further the distraction from the dish to the viewer. The best way to maximize the effect of props is to tell a story with a dish which match the setting and aesthetic of the dish this way the props compliment the dish without causing further distraction. Avoid brightly coloured props and Red coloured props are very difficult to work with.
Over styling
Over styling sometimes can cause to much mess and cause an unnatural feel towards the viewers of the image. Some of the best food photos are natural and feel true to life. Of course, the pictures have been setup, but the viewers shouldn’t think it that way. Best way to make your food photos more natural is to make a bit of mess in the scenes, sprinkle some flour or sugar and have some spoons in the setting. Another method is using the odds, odds create triangles and triangles create beautiful compositions.