How To Take Better Food Photos With Iphone

The INSIDER Summary:

INSIDER took a lesson with professional food photographer and food stylistBella Karragiannidis.
She taught us that natural lighting (or a portable light in the very least) is a must.
Never use flash.
Play with props and negative space to create a more natural setting.

We've all seen (and maybe even posted) some really bad photos of food. From the camera flash unflatteringly bouncing off your plate in a dark restaurant, to bad photos made worse with oversaturated filters,goodsmartphone photography is becoming more and more of an art.

Luckily, UBEReats connected us with food photographer and stylistBella Karragiannidis, who showed us that a few simple adjustments can make all the difference.

We broke down her top tips and tricks that will transform your food photos from amateur shots to compelling compositions.

Use your phone's grid setting

There's a tool on almost all smartphone devices that allows you to overlay a grid onto every photo you're taking. That way you can make sure that your lines are straight, or you can easily divide your frame into thirds. On an iPhone, you can find the "grid" toggle in your photo and camera settings. For the Android/Galaxy, you should check the settings in your camera app. If you can't find the grid toggle, you can always download a third party app like Camera 360 to turn it on.

Use the exposure slider

We bet you never knew that you could control the exposure on your phone much like on a DSLR camera. When you open the camera app, focus on your subject manually with the touch of your finger. You should see a little image of a sun appear. If you slide your finger up and down the small bar that appears, you can control the amount of light in your photo even before you take the picture.

Know your angles

Karragiannidis mentioned two angles that are best for taking dynamic photos: shooting at eye-level or slightly underneath your subject, and shooting from a bird's eye view. If you're going to do the latter, get up on a chair to make sure the entire subject is in the frame, and that the lines are completely straight. Taking a photo from above is an easy way to get an entire tablescape in one photo. However, a close-up shot can reveal details like moisture, texture, and color.

To improve my first photo, I used the grid to straighten the lines and took a direct shot from above the table.

Take advantage of natural lighting

"Obviously natural lighting is ideal,"Karragiannidis said. "If you're in front of a window, use it. But if you have windows all around, your image will be too washed out. You want to aim for having shadows because they create contrast and texture to the subject that you're photographing."

If you find yourself in a restaurant with low lighting, be sure to either bring a portable clip-on light with you or have a friend use the light on their phone to help you out. No matter what you do, avoid the flash! It washes out your image and makes even the tastiest dishes look unappealing. The best light sources come from the side instead of above or behind your subject.

Play with negative space

Don't feel like your subject has to take up the entire frame.Karragiannidis recommends playing with "negative space." Detail shots are great, but don't be afraid to let your food only take up a third of the frame. If there's a simple backdrop you can place your food in front of, that works well.Karragiannidis is a big fan of dark or black backgrounds that can create a stark contrast with your image.

Play with props

The best way to think like a food stylist is to bring other objects into the frame. Don't be afraid to use napkins (clean ones!), condiments, and table decorations to make your composition more interesting. Even something as simple as angling your plates or playing with garnishes can bring a photo to life.

"You don't just want to take a picture of food, you want to bring the moment or atmosphere to life,"Karragiannidis said. Make it feel warm and alive. Props can help tell a story."

In the first photo, the cut-off background props are distracting. The second overhead shot creates color contrast and symmetry.

Don't be afraid of bringing people into your frame

Another way to bring your photo to life? Use people. Something as simple as a person's hand grasping a glass, or even just people interacting with and enjoying food can sometimes (but not always) make a food photo more lively. The number one tipKarragiannidis has when including people in your food photos? Make sure they are wearing dark, muted colors, particularly black or grey. Bright clothing will draw the eye away from the delicious food you're photographing.

Never zoom manually

If you want to take a detail shot, you should physically step closer to your subject instead of using the digital zoom. This goes for any phone photos. Digital zoom will just make your image pixelated. You're better off cropping the photo afterwards.

Take lots of photos

Move props around, get different angles, etc. You're better off taking 25 photos and getting one spectacular shot than quickly snapping one or two that come out poorly.

Edit photos afterwards

Karragiannidis recommends not only using the photo editing app that comes with your phone, but also downloading a third-party app that can more easily fine-tune color, brightness, and contrast, like Snapseed or VSCO.

"Editing is where you create your own personal style and take the image to the next level," she said. "You can also easily correct some mistakes or even awful lighting."