How To Shoot Food Like a Pro
You are getting hungry. Very, very, hungry
Thanks to smartphones, Instagram and yada-yada-yada, food photography — or “food porn” as some freaks like to call it — is having quite its moment.
You know what your cousin ate for dinner last night, and you know that Bob nailed that doughnut at lunch today. Food photography is what it is — raw info on raw food; straight shots of espresso shots; a continuous serving of tasty visual morsels. It’s pretty basic, right? Shooting food is easy, was always easy and has been mastered, right? Wrong. When everyone is doing it, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.
Vantage spoke with pro food photographer Anjali Pinto, based in Chicago, about her start in food photography, and how to make your dinner look amazing.
Vantage: How did you get started?
Anjali Pinto (AP): I fell into shooting food when I moved into Chicago. I was always interested in food and restaurants, as my older sister works in the industry. In college, I was studying photojournalism and was passionate about telling stories, but wasn’t cut out for hard news. I get far too attached to people, and invested in their lives. Being a reporter didn’t feel like a great fit for me. I would pop in, take photos, and hardly ever see or speak to that person again.
In comparison, with food photography, I’ve been able to develop relationships with chefs, servers, bartenders, PR people and photo editors. It’s felt like home since I started because I’m passionate about all things culinary, and I haven’t stopped learning.
AP: Rich Melman just received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation, and I have him to thank for my career in food photography. I photographed the Paris Club opening in 2011, and he saw my work. He was very interested in photography in that moment and saw talent in me, and an eagerness to shoot. I was 22 and working as a bartender at his first restaurant, RJ Grunts, and trying to find freelance work. He offered me a full-time position with Lettuce Entertain You, even though I had never shoot food professionally.
Maybe the position wouldn’t have stuck a decade ago, but now restaurants are responsible for their own marketing, photography and online branding. It’s a lot to maintain but having a staff photographer allows them unlimited visual resources.
Vantage: What is your favorite type of food to shoot?
AP: More than the type of food, I love shooting in natural light with in-season ingredients. The vibrancy that comes from that combination that makes me really excited.
Food is a magical thing — it nourishes and it brings people together. I love visiting farms and finding out where our ingredients come from, and meeting the people who are responsible for growing and cultivating.
AP: I’ve really enjoyed learning more about fine dining through my work. Chef Matt Kirkley achieved two Michelin stars at L2O, and I shot almost every new dish for two years. He was so particular about how the food looked in camera, and I would have to redo images because a something wasn’t placed at the right angle, or wasn’t symmetrical. It could have easily been a tense situation, but it became a very comfortable collaboration with no ego at all.
Matt always thanked me, and took the time to answer all the questions I had. He taught me about how he was experimenting with using the body fluids of a lobster to replicate egg whites in a recipe, because they coagulate in heat in a similar way. That sort of blew my mind — the kind of thing I would never have known as a home cook.
Vantage: What elements make “good” food photos?
AP: The most important factor is lighting, just like all other types of photography. Control of light and manipulation of light is key. When I use artificial light, I have one key source and a reflector. I want to mimic standing by a huge window whenever possible.
AP: The next element to focus on is texture. The key to great food photography is making your audience hungry. You do that by having the food look fresh, hot and flavorful. Little seeds on a sesame bun, the indents of handmade pasta, water droplets on a fresh tomato — these little details make the image look less like a product and more like real food that could be sitting in front of you. I shoot a lot with the canon 100 mm macro because it really highlights the amazing textures in food.
AP: Color plays a huge role in food photography. Accurate color, complimentary colors and making the dish pop off of the background are all important.
AP: Composition is a huge factor. Some dishes look best from above, while others only work from the diner’s perspective, or 45 degrees above the table. I experiment a lot when a dish is placed in front of me while I search for the vantage point that makes the food look best.
AP: What I can’t teach is a passion for food!
I believe my strongest skill in food photography being knowledgeable about what I’m documenting. What makes the dish special, inviting, appetizing? What’s the story behind the preparation, the chef, or the sauce?
Vantage: What advice do you have for people looking to break into food photography?
AP: If you love to cook, shoot what you make. But cook when the light is good, because no matter how beautiful, your 9pm dinner will not photograph well.
What you can cook at home has limitations so find a friend in the industry. Maybe there’s a neighborhood spot you love to visit? Offer to photograph their food for free as you practice. Make friends with a wannabe food stylist, or aspiring chef and collaborate together. Having someone else focus on the food allows you to focus on photography.
AP: Rent a macro lens or a 24–70 2.8 and experiment. It’s amazing what the right equipment can do for you.
Practice! I took a lot of ugly photos before getting the knack for this, and you will too. Great photos are made of a combination of interesting subjects, nice light and persistence.
All photos courtesy of Anjali Pinto and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.
Anjali Pinto is a Chicago based photographer. Her clients include Rolling Stone Magazine, Vogue, Food & Wine, Esquire, Zagat, Time Out Chicago and many more. Follow Anjali on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr.
