
Food Photography: How to Make Food Look Irresistible in Photos
We all love looking at pictures of delicious food. In fact, one of the best compliments I’ve received on my food photos is that they make people hungry! It’s impossible to capture the taste and aroma of a dish with photography; however, we can make the images look amazing in two dimensions to stimulate the viewer’s imagination.
The main goal of food photography is to make the image look as delicious as the food it depicts. If you’re just starting out with food photography—or if you want to review some tips—take a look at my top five food photography tips.
Food Photography Tip #1: Use freshly cooked food.
This time frame can vary depending on the ingredients and the type of preparation, but it’s important to remember that it won’t stay in its best state for long, even if it still tastes great. You need to make sure to work quickly and capture the image before the food “dies.”

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One way to ensure you’re ready with the dish is to create a substitute. This is one of my go-to food photography tips for every food photo I take. A substitute is an object that is similar in color and size to your food and is placed in the same plate that you’ll use for the actual food photo.Sometimes, it can be as simple as a crumpled piece of paper, or it can be a food sample that you’ll use in the main image. A stand-in allows you to fully set up your tabletop scene without wasting time on freshly cooked dishes. After preparing the food, you may still make changes to your setup, but using a stand-in will help you complete about 90% of the work.

Food photography tips also apply to uncooked food. If you’re photographing something that doesn’t need to be cooked, like a bowl of fruit, you still need to make sure it hasn’t been sitting for too long. Uncooked food will last longer on set, but over time, it will begin to look sad and wilted.
One trick I use to ensure fresh fruits and vegetables look fresh is to lightly mist them with a fine spray to add tiny droplets of water. This helps them appear fresh and clean in the camera.

Tip #2: Make it colorful.


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A pulled pork sandwich, on its own, is brown and looks rather plain. However, if you’ve ever had one (or enjoyed a delicious, rich barbecue sauce), you know it’s far from bland.
That said, the colors in this image still needed some improvement. So, I added freshly made coleslaw on top of the pulled pork inside the sandwich as a garnish, giving the image a bright and colorful appeal.


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On its own, shrimp can look colorful and delicious. However, when photographing it, if there’s nothing to balance it, it becomes a sea of pale pink. For this food setup, I decided to add green elements by incorporating green onions between each shrimp and in the sauce to ensure the pink tones in the image wouldn’t be too overwhelming.
Food Photography Tip #3: Add movement.
Food photos are often considered still-life images, but I love bringing my photos to life by incorporating movement into the scene. This can be achieved with utensils, hands, or even the cooking process. I’ll bet you didn’t expect to find action shots in a food photography tips list.

However, in this photo, I used a piece of photography equipment called a magic arm and positioned it perfectly to complement the setup. To add motion, I lifted a small jar of honey to coat the honey spoon, then took several shots to capture the different stages of the honey dripping.


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Another way to add movement to a photo is by using elements involved in the cooking process. This stack of asparagus is cooking on the grill, and the wood adds smoke to the surrounding area. I took advantage of the atmosphere around the food, shooting from the front to capture the smoke filling the scene.
Tip #4: Use small plates.
One trick I use when photographing almost any plate or bowl of food is to use a plate that’s slightly smaller than what I would typically use in real life. Unless it’s a design choice (like a chef’s meal with a large white plate), you want to make sure there isn’t too much extra plate or bowl space in the scene. This helps fill the scene and makes the food look bigger and more appealing.

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In the image above, the items I photographed are quite small. I only wanted to place a few things on the plate, but I didn’t want too much excess plate space around each item. Instead, I opted for a smaller plate so I could easily magnify the food without it being overwhelmed by the plate.

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Sometimes, you may want to showcase a standard-sized dish, but you’d like to make it look big and appetizing. For this setup of traditional Thai noodles, I used a very small bowl. This made the vegetables and other garnishes appear larger and more appealing.
Setting the Scene
If you’re going to sit down for a meal, it’s best to set up your scene. I like to add meaningful elements in the background, such as drinks, utensils, and napkins. Sometimes, I’ll include a whole plate of food in the background to simulate a table setting for multiple guests.
You should avoid adding uncooked foods, like uncut bell peppers or garlic heads. Adding dishes in the background enhances the authenticity of the food setup and makes the photo feel more inviting.

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For the image above, I used a light blue tablecloth to help bring out the blue in the blueberries. I also added a glass of orange juice and a small bowl of blueberries in the background. The result is a realistic complement to the food setup. To complete it, I added a fork to the scene, suggesting that you could sit down and take a bite.

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This image of the grapefruit salad is vibrant and colorful, but I didn’t want to forget the fork! I also added a second bowl of fruit salad in the background. It’s out of focus, but it adds depth to the scene.
Food Photography Tip #5: Bring your food photos to life in post-processing.

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