I’ve been baking. A couple weeks ago, it was quiche. Last week, devil’s food cupcakes. I used to take pictures of food faithfully a few years ago. I loved exploring shopping for interesting foods to shoot and baked goods always made for great subjects. The baking has renewed my interest and love of food photography.

Shoot with Natural Light.

Foods always look better when you use natural light. I shoot next to a window or outside. Having an awareness of how the light looks at certain times of the day makes a difference with your food pictures. Experiment and play around. It is worth it.

Keep it Real and Fresh.

I remember when I found out years ago all the crap photographers used to put in foods to make them look better or last longer during a photo shoot. I don’t do that. I will not put glue in a bowl of cereal. I will not shoot my fruit with glycerin. I don’t have money to waste on foods for a shoot, so I keep it real, authentic and natural.

Collect plates, bowls and fabric.

The more you get into shooting foods, the more you are going to want to style your images. Thrift stores are perfect for finding interesting bowls and plates to place your food on. Also, check out your local fabric store and start collecting a yard or two of fabric for backgrounds.

Experiment with Color.

You know that thing called the Color Wheel you learned about in grade school? This is a good time to resurrect your knowledge of primary, secondary and complementary colors. Primary colors are red, yellow and blue. Secondary colors are a combination of two primary colors (orange, green and purple). Complementary colors are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (such as red and green, blue and orange, yellow and purple). Why is this important? Choosing colors that complement each other can make a difference in the interest of your image. For example, green and purple grapes. They are secondary colors and tend to look great when photographed together. Play around with color combinations and see how it adds interests to your pictures.

I hope they inspire you to give it a try and if you do, please share. I would love to see your photos.