You’re doing it wrong!
Home food photography mistakes and how to rectify it
Dial the light factor down!
Using harsh artificial light can break your photos. Direct flash and overhead lights can cause too much glare to the photos and can ruin the details of the food. There is so much that can be done with lighting in food photography. Make sure you use reflector to ounce the light, so that it is not harsh on the food. You can also try experimenting with multiple light setups according to what you are planning to show off in the picture. If you want the contrast and details to look prominent, using side light would be a go-to. Front light is safe and gives a rather formal look.
Not making the best out of the cooking process
If you’re going to wait for the food to be entirely done to click pictures of it, you’re missing out on a lot during the cooking process. There are multiple opportunities to click pictures right from the beginning when the ingredients are being prepped, when the ingredients are mixed or even while they’re being cooked. In many cases, half-cooked ingredients tend to be more appealing that the full cooked dish. Pro tip make sure to always use fresh ingredients.
Manipulate the colors, but don’t overdo it!
There are very few colors that complement each dish. In case of plating and props, always keep in mind that overdoing it might make it look overwhelming. Make sure the food stands out and not the props. Using neutral colors for props and backgrounds can make it look more mellow. Another common mistake is over-editing the pictures, which eventually doesn’t really show the food’s natural color or texture and destroys the image as well. Try to avoid HDR filters. Keep the editing lowkey and don’t jump to an extremely high saturation.