Your delicious food is cooked, styled, and ready to be photographed. You set the scene. Your props took their sits, fastened the belt, and now waiting until the plane takes off. Ops, sorry - until you will shoot them! Great! But taking a fantastic food photo is not as simple as it may sound even if you have everything in place. There are different elements to consider: light, shadows, and the position of your food and surrounding props. Some composition techniques you should be aware of will allow revealing your creativity at full strength and make your life much easier.
Challenging as it may sound, there are a few rules (golden rules!) to follow that will help you create gorgeous compositions every time. Perhaps, it is time to dive into the world of composition techniques!
The Triangle
The essential piece of that method is you create a few triangles within your shot and set the focal point within those triangles. In a way, you create a frame within your photo to highlight your subject. The lines of the grid (particularly where they meet and cross) are the strongest points of the composition technique. But that doesn’t mean you must lay everything out exactly on the lines. In some cases, it could look unnatural or even forced! Remember, there are just guidelines, not rules one must follow. If the result does not fit the idea- feel free to change the position of the object and props as you like. In the end, you're the boss! Breaking the rules is something that distinguishes a professional from a mediocre one!
Just a suggestion: experiment with bokeh to blur the out-of-focus parts!
The Fibonacci Spiral
The Fibonacci Spiral is a powerful approach that creates an effect of a balanced scene by bringing a bit of flow and order to a busy photo. The Fibonacci spiral (or a golden spiral) is an exceptional technique for introducing a sense of movement. Like a snake, it creates a visual path through the frame, leading the eyes to focus on the essential elements of the picture.
Arrange the food on a surface to gather the elements that are the central point of focus towards the spiral. The other end of the line will gravitate towards the less cramped space of the image, providing a natural balance to the frame.
Try'em all!
Once you understand the main principles of the composition techniques, try to apply different masks on different scenes to train yourself in finding the best compositions ever!
Awesome Photo
Awesome Photo is a free Android application that simplifies your journey in the world of different composition techniques. Take your phone, select the mask you need, and compose the scene! The application consists of 12 different composition schemas. Try them all!
Note: This is an MVP (Minimum-Valuable-Product) version. Feel free to request any features you believe are useful in the comments.
