Food photography is hard.
Unless I have a studio with controlled lighting, I find food photography quite challenging just because the lighting varies from kitchen to kitchen. Also, top-down shots are difficult to do if you cast a shadow on the food. My favorite angle for food photography is a low shot with a moderately wide aperture. If you shoot too wide, then the depth of field is way too thin to provide any real detail on the food. The first shot was taken a few months ago, in my home in NY. The other two pictures of steak were taken a few weeks ago in my friend’s apartment here in Boston.
The latter shots were also the first time I accidentally shot through other items: a glass cup and the top of a bowl. Foreground elements adds depth to the picture, and also helps frame the subject by taking up some of the empty space around it. I’ve read up on other ways to shoot food, and also seen plenty of different aesthetics on Instagram. Food photography is an area that I’d like to continue to improve on.
In the meantime, I need to go eat something.
Andy Chen Photography 