TAKE FOOD PHOTOS THAT LOOK GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

Want professional-looking food shots? Follow Jason Parnell-Brookes’ tried-and-tested recipe for shooting perfect images of festive fare.

- Jason Parnell-Brookes

1 HOUR

Succulent strawberries, melt-in-the-mouth chocolate or a slap-up Sunday roast – food is an evocative subject to photograph. But in order to capture images that make food look as good as it tastes, you need to follow a few simple tips and tricks.

In this tutorial we’ll show you how to use natural window light to backlight your food arrangements and create soft shadows, and then bounce light back in with a makeshift reflector (if you don’t have one) to bring out detail. We’ll also share some basic food styling techniques, and show you how you can emphasise your edibles by opening up your aperture. So let’s get cooking…

1 USE WINDOW LIGHT

Natural light is essential for this simple shoot, so the first step is to get set up near a north-facing window. The indirect light produces beautiful, flattering, soft shadows that wrap around the food and help to makes it look more appetising; it’s essential to avoid harsh shadows.

2 CHOOSE THE RIGHT BASE