Pizza Photography 101
Did you know that pizza is one of the most photographed food on Instagram? We wanted to create that drool-worthy image, so we reached out to our friend and Instagram influencer, Betsy Kennedy, to give us her expert tips. Take it away Betsy!
We all take photos of our food, but doing it well is a skill that takes practice and know-how. Fortunately, taking photos of your food doesn鈥檛 have to be intimating and you don鈥檛 need to spend last week鈥檚 paycheck on photography gear. Nail down these five rules and you鈥檒l be a pro by dinnertime.
1. Find natural light. Lighting can be tricky. Balance the exposure of your photo by shooting outside or near a window. My favorite place to shoot is the deep windowsill in my living room around 6pm. The white paint on the window and walls reflect the light perfectly and the sun is just starting to set so I don鈥檛 end up with an overexposed photo. If your windows are getting too much direct sunlight, try hanging a white sheet over it to add some depth to your shot.
2. Stage your photo. Props like silverware, your girlfriend鈥檚 hand, or the crumbs that just fell on the table can bring a natural charm to your photo. When staging, keep it casual. A perfectly positioned napkin can translate as stuffy. Don鈥檛 panic when a bit of sauce dribbles off the plate. A 鈥渞eal life鈥� scene that isn鈥檛 perfectly perfect creates a natural movement and tells a story.
3. Take photos with your iPhone. Bon App茅tit just shot their latest issue with iPhones; if they can do it, so can you! No need to lug your big ol鈥� fancy camera around all day. The camera on your phone has a bunch of magical settings and edit options, plus it doesn鈥檛 weigh a gazillion pounds. If you鈥檙e planning on posting your pictures on Instagram, take the photos in the square frame setting in your camera. That way, there is no need for extra cropping during the editing process so the photo will look more natural.
4. Spray away! When you鈥檙e taking photos of fresh produce like berries or leafy greens, give them a little spritz of water. Any fine mist spray bottle will do. The added moisture can liven up your shot, bringing dull lifeless-looking produce to life, giving them a vibrant dewiness that says fresh.
5. Keep an eye on the clock. It鈥檚 easy to get lost in that one shot that you鈥檙e trying to capture just right. Remember that some plates are more time-sensitive than others. Ice cream is a ticking time bomb; you鈥檝e got to make moves. If you want to shoot a pepperoni pizza cheese pull, you鈥檝e got to do it while it鈥檚 hot. Other dishes like cookies or salad can wait.
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Thanks Betsy for sharing your photography knowledge with us! Amazing that all it can take is just 5 easy steps to shoot the image that makes all your followers drool. I know we鈥檙e hungry right now鈥re you? Find a pizzeria or frozen pizza near you!
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