Improve Your Food Photography With These Tools


Do you do any food photography? If so, then you probably understand the importance of having the correct equipment. If you're just starting out in this genre, then you might not have or understand everything it takes.

Improve Your Food Photography

We offer some excellent food lightroom presets collection you can use during post-production editing, but here are some tips of what you will need before you can get to that point. A lot of these are versatile crossovers from other kinds of photography  - and most are relatively inexpensive pieces.

We start with the presumption that you already own a DSLR camera so that we won't make any recommendations regarding those. We will, however, say that you can use either a full frame or cropped sensor camera. If you're just starting out, and have a limited budget, an inexpensive camera will do. You can upgrade later as your budget allows.



Investing in a great lens will be money well spent. The one that came with your camera won't do, so you will have to put out some money right off. If you opt for a cropped sensor body, you can put the money you save into the actual lens instead.

A quick note: Compact fixed lens won't zoom in or out. You will have to move back and forth as you need. However, the inconvenience might be worth it to you as these lenses are cheaper, faster, and smaller than a zoom. 

About Lenses:

24-70mm f2.8: A very versatile, zoom lens for when you don't want a fixed lens.
45-degree: Is good for any angle shots.  
60mm f/2.8 macro lens or the 100mm macro 2.8. The latter (100mm) is the more expensive of the two. When you need a macro shot to capture details, either of these two will work. 
35mm 1.8 or the 50mm 1.4: Of these two, the 1.8 is far cheaper for about the same quality. If you're shooting from overhead, either of these will work.



A remote along with a tripod can help you create the sharpest images possible, especially in lower lighting.  Both are worth purchasing, particularly if you find it challenging to hold the camera perfectly still - as many photographers do. A remote will allow you to trigger the camera from wherever your standing without worrying about a slight move in the camera when you press the button.



A tripod can become one of your most versatile and essential tools. It allows you to shoot crisp shots from any angle, including overhead shots. While you'll need to reposition the tripod for each angle - and in food, photography capturing food from different angles is par for the course - we believe the results are worth it.

You can get far sharper pictures using a tripod than freehand. And, if you're shooting from overhead, the tripod is particularly handy, especially in lower light conditions. We suggest purchasing a better quality one to ensure tight joints which are easily reposition-able but won't move once you've set the position.



Natural light is always best regardless of what your photographing.  You can manipulate strong natural light with a skim or diffuser. Diffusers help avoid blown out highlights and uneven shadows. What you're looking to do is diffuse direct natural light using whatever tool you can by placing it between your natural light source and your subject. 

Investing in a few will pay off, and are relatively inexpensive as far as photography equipment goes.

You can also DIY a diffuser pretty easily by using a semi-transparent paper or a wax paper to cover your natural light source (for example, cover the window) or use a white semi-sheer curtain.  If you're outdoors, look to shoot on a cloudy day or early in the morning or late in the day as the sun goes down. 



A reflector (or bounce board) is another good to have when it comes to manipulating light. If you're at all serious about your photography, then it's a must-have. A reflector allows you to bounce the light from its source back to your scene. That removes dark shadows and allows you to direct the light to a large extent. If instead, you want deeper shadows, try using a black reflector or foam board.

Here too you can practice your DIY skills by making your own! Large white foam board can do the job relatively inexpensively.   Keep in mind that using a bounce board requires a second set of hands to handle it while you shoot. 



As we stated at the onset of this post, we offer presets you can use with your Lightroom editing software. Most photographers consider software like another tool in their repertoire of must-have photography equipment. Lightroom is one of the most popular because it's one of the best. What you can't capture in a photo session, you can achieve while editing your images later.  

Presets are an added enhancement which takes the images to a whole new level without the photographer having to spend hours in editing. Whether you need to enhance the color or remove something, you can do it with Lightroom software relatively easily. It's a way to correct your work to obtain the best results possible. Most photographers today consider editing software a must-have.