Don’t you get annoyed when your photo is either too overexposed or too underexposed? While we thank our lucky stars for the auto function in digital cameras, it still doesn’t solve all of our problems. When taking photos in the day with sunlight, photos can either look beautifully raw (sunlight is the best lighting, always!) or be too overexposed; that means your photo may look too bright or harsh.

There are some things editing can’t solve and the key to avoiding bad photos is to make sure that the subject of your photo is always in focus. Zoom in to parts of your photo to check whether the photo is in focus to avoid disappointment during your editing process. Photos can look wonky if you force sharpen a blur photo or too grainy if your photo is too bright.

Here are some simple tips and tricks on how to take the best food photos.

#1 PLACEMENT & EXPOSURE

To your left, you can see that the first photo looks plain and boring with the edges of the sushi roll slightly overexposed. To pimp up your photo just a little bit more, add a subtle but complementary object to the back of the subject. As you can also tell, the background subject defines the edges of the sushi roll, so the exposure does not look as harsh anymore. In turn, the subject of your photo creates a crisper illusion to create a more defined photo.

#2 CAMERA AND SUBJECT POSITIONING

When the sunlight is coming in from one direction, follow the same direction that the sunlight is coming in from to avoid ugly shadows in your photo. As you can see in the left photo, the camera was positioned against the sunlight, hence, multiple shadows are created and seen in the resulting raw image. There are tools to remove the shadows, but the photos will still look a lot dimmer than a properly lighted photo, as seen on the right.

You might already have a few go-to apps to edit your food photos in your phone or simply edit with Instagram’s basic functions. We’ve put together a list of the Best Photo Editing Apps for Food. So get your creative juices flowing and have fun editing!

In the photo on the left, you can tell that the subject matter was placed carelessly on a side that does not showcase the good side of the bowl and the piece of salmon, the main star ingredient, looks miniscule. On the right, it is obvious that the salmon is the main subject matter and the size looks much bigger than the photo on the left. This results in a more pleasing overall photo.

#3 VARIED STYLES

Your Instagram feed might come off as boring or one-dimensional if you take all your photos in just one style. Vary different angles, try out which position suits the subject matter best or even use your friend’s hands to pick up the bowl or plate, as seen in the photo on the right. A vibrant, multi-dimensional feed is more interesting than a boring and dull feed.

#4 DEPTH OF FIELD

Depth of field can be your best friend or worst nightmare when you struggle to make sure the subject matter is in focus. However, when opportunity calls for a great depth of field, always take it. In the day, chances of bokeh in your background might be low, but as long as the background isn’t too jarring, go for it.

On the left side, you can see that the photo has no depth at all, making it extremely in-your-face and not that special. On the right side, you can see that the photo has different depth layers from the blurred out background and an in-focus foreground.

#5 CHOOSING BACKGROUND

If you know that your subject matter is already vibrant in colour, do not a choose a messy background that will take the focus away from it, as seen in the photo on the left. Instead, pick a neutral-coloured background without any messy additions. This will ensure that the viewer of your photos will focus directly on the subject matter without getting distracted by anything else.

#6 ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

If you’re dining alfresco in the night time or in a poorly-lit restaurant, you might have to improvise with your own artificial lighting. If you’re not the biggest fan of the harsh and bright camera flash, you can possibly use a candle (as seen in the photo on the left) to give a dreamy lighting to your romantic candlelight dinner food photo.

If a candle is no where in sight, use the flashlight on your mobile phone and shine it directly overhead for a more evenly lighted photo (as seen in the photo on the right).

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.

You might already have a few go-to apps to edit your food photos in your phone or simply edit with Instagram’s basic functions. However, there are hundreds and thousands of photo-editing apps out there, just waiting for you to explore.

Try a couple of different apps to find one that suits your style. Some have unique filter functions and some can create beautiful collages with just a few taps. After careful curating, we’ve put together a list of the Best Photo Editing Apps for Food. So get your creative juices flowing and have fun editing!

#1 AFTERLIGHT

As the only paid for app on our list, Afterlight is basically an all-in-one app with countless functions. Besides the basic editing tools such as contrast/brightness settings or resizing, Afterlight lets you overlay different stencils and you can also add a layer of ‘dust’ or light leaks on top of your photos.

Pimp up your latest food photo with a cute stencil and adjust the opacity and colour to your preference.

Afterlight is S$1.72 on the iTunes store and S$1.24 on the Google play store.

#2 CAMERA360

This was probably the first photo editing app I’ve ever used and the app has seen some massive changes since their inception. Camera 360 works almost the same way as Afterlight, but with even more unique features. There is a ‘painting’ tool where you can transform any part of your photo into a masterpiece.

Set yourself apart from the hoi polloi of Instagrammers with this unique painting effect and we suggest adding other cool features such as their ‘shade’ function which adds in subtle but beautiful light overlays.

Camera360 is a free application.

#3 FILTERGRID

Transform any simple photo to a complex piece of art with Filter Grid’s multiple filter functions where you can partition different filters within one photo.

Make your Instagram feed pop with multi-dimensional pictures that will catch anybody’s attention!

FilterGrid is a free application.

#4 FOTORUS

If you’re looking for a simple all-in-one editing app without the extra bling, FotoRus is all you need. Need to collage a photo? Add stickers? Adjust the photo’s brightness? FotoRus has it all.

FotoRus is a free application

#5 FUSED

As the application’s name suggests, Fused is an app that allows you to fuse a background image to a subject image in the foreground and lets you adjust the overlay amount to your preference.

If you’re having dinner and have a beautiful scenery photo handy, why not fuse these two images together to create a one-of-a-kind photo? The possibilities are endless.

Fused is a free application.

#6 LAYOUT

Layout is Instagram’s first secondary collage app that allows you to customise a collage to your preference. Choose between a whole list of collage types and post it straight to Instagram from the app.

Flip and adjust the images in the collage itself to ensure that every photo is positioned perfectly. Layout is the most user-friendly collage app available!

Layout is a free application.

#7 LENS DISTORTIONS

Ever taken a photo and just think it needs a little something extra? Lens Distortions allows you to add on light hits, fog, shimmer or legacy to your photo.

Not enough bokeh on your photo? Fret not, add a subtle hint of ‘legacy’ to make your photos pop with just one simple step.

Lens Distortions is a free app.

#8 MOLDIV

If collaging photos just isn’t enough for you, Moldiv allows you to create magazine-style collages with simple and editable text on the side.

Feel like a professional graphic designer with just a simple few taps and voila! There are over a hundred choices available to choose from for which only about half are free.

Moldiv is a free application.

#9 PIXLR

Enjoy all the basic tools of photo editing with Pixlr. Other than being extremely user-friendly, what we liked about this application is the array of different types of effects and overlays that enhances your photo.

Some features in Pixlr can only be unlocked if you pay so do double check before you click and buy an effect!

Pixlr is a free application.

#10 POSTERLABS

If you want to do up a collage of all the food that you had that day, why not throw it all into a funky poster with the app, PosterLabs?

Three styles are available, Classic, Stylish and Minimal. The Minimal option collages your photo in a classic minimalist style, perfect for simple and clean looking photos. Use an Instagram photo-squarer such as Squaready and your food poster is good to post.

PosterLabs is a free application.

#11 SNAPSEED

Powered by Google, Snapseed is the most powerful (and free) photo-editing application on the market. What came in handy is the ‘Selective’ function where you can select a certain area or spot of a photo to brighten or saturate.

This allows you to get the perfectly lighted photo, free of any over or underexposed patches. Snapseed also has great filters from Vintage styles to Retrolux.

Snapseed is a free application.

#12 VSCOCAM

As one of the top free apps on the app store, VSCOCam’s preset filters are hard to dislike because they make any photo better. Choose from a wide range of free filters or splurge a little and buy some of their paid filters.

You can also use basic editing tools in VSCOCam and copy your own customized preset and paste it to other photos so you can save time on individually editing each and everyone of them.

VSCOCam is a free application.

About the writer:
Cheryl is a staff writer for ladyironchef. She loves a good steak and an even better cuppa. She eats just about anything and everything. In her free time, she regularly starts on sci-fi or fantasy movie marathons.

I’ve often been asked to share my secrets of food photography, but to be completely honest, there is really no secret to taking good photos. You just need to practice more and find your own style.

Today, let me share with you 10 of my favourite food shots. Do leave a comment and let me know which is your favourite photo.

For those of you who are on pinterest, you can also check out some of the popular pins on ladyironchef posted by other readers.

The cover photo for this post is taken during a shoot for a client. I love it because I composed it from scratch, and I managed to get a very nice shot of it.

I do not mind eating salad everyday if they are as pretty as Salt Grill’s Salad – seasonal baby vegetables, slow poached egg, buffalo mozzarella, walnuts.

I know this is not a food shot, but it is one of my all time favourite photos. Brasserie Les Saveurs at The Regis is easily one of the most romantic restaurants in Singapore. If you ever go there for champagne brunch, I think you will fall in love with it too.

A good custard bun (also known as Liu Sha Bao) has soft pillowy dough which is filled with egg custard and salted egg yolk. Taste Paradise’s version has it all – definitely one of the best custard buns in Singapore.

Who needs love when you can have macarons from Pierre Herme?

“EAT ME!” That was the first thing on my mind when I saw the lobster at Don Quijote Spanish Restaurant.

The flower pot salad from Mandarin Grill in Hong Kong is one of the most stunning things that I’ve ever eaten.

A really good chocolate lava cake from Max Brenner. The picture tells you everything.

There is only one word to describe the éclairs from Chihuly Lounge (The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore) – wow! I posted this photo on instagram and it received more than 500 likes within the first hour. The best part is, they taste as good as they look.

I am not a fan of ravioli, but the one that I had at JAAN Restaurant – with organic hen egg, artichoke, melanosporum truffle – was phenomenal. And of course, it was a bonus that the dish was beautifully plated.

Be it a simple thank you note, or getting recommendations of new places to eat in Singapore, it makes my day when I receive emails from everyone.

Here are the 5 frequently asked questions that I get on my food blog:

“You are always making me hungry!”

1. Where can I find a cheap and good buffet in Singapore?

I’m afraid there isn’t any cheap and good buffet. The good ones are usually quite expensive, read my list of Buffet Restaurants in Singapore.

2. What camera are you using, and how can I improve my photography?

I’ve written a post on my food photography equipment. The only way to improve your photography is to practise more. Do read my post on basic food photography tips.

3. Can you recommend me a suitable restaurant for throwing birthday parties?

Take a look at my list of Birthday Party Venues in Singapore. For a romantic yet simple dinner, read: Best Cafes in Singapore, and Romantic Restaurants with a view.

4. What are the things you must-do in Singapore?

For a start, read my post on 10 Things to do in Singapore. You must also eat all the hawker food from places like Chomp Chomp and Old Airport Road Market. Do not leave Singapore without trying chilli crabs, chicken rice, and kaya toast.

5. Where can I find your review of ___ restaurant?

To find a particular restaurant review on my food blog. Google “ladyironchef __ restaurant” (where __ refers to name of restaurant).

There’s another method. Click on the INDEX page which is located at the top right hand corner. It is a list of all the restaurants categorised from A to Z.

The easiest way to reach me is via twitter. I’ll be happy to give you some suggestions on where to go for dinner, just drop me a tweet (make sure your account is not locked).

Food Photography has a big role to play because we feast with our eyes first. If you are venturing into food photography, here are some basic food photography tips to get you started.

#1 Understand your camera.

Be it a Dslr, digital compact camera or your phone camera, the most important thing is to understand the different functions and how to use it. This may sound like a no-brainer, but it is not surprising to know that many people always take photos in the ‘auto’ mode. Take the effort to learn the different functions, and you will be rewarded with good photos.

#2 Visualise the picture in your mind.

Before taking the photograph, visualise how you want the photo to turn out. This will not only help to reduce the time in taking photographs, but also make you a better photographer.

#3 Know your subject well.

There are some food that look good on their own and do not require much effort to take the shots. On the other hand, certain food like soup, cheesecake and ice cream can be challenging to shoot as they are simply not photogenic. For soup, add some garnishing and scoop the ingredients with a spoon. For a plain cheesecake, you might want to add some fruits on top to make it look prettier.

In short, know the subject well. There are many different ways to play around with food.

#4 Keep things simple.

People tend to try too hard and include many objects in a shot. The important thing is to know the main focus of the shot. If the plate has many different items, focus on the main dish.

Cliche as it may sound, simplicity is beauty.

#5 Shoot in natural lighting.

The main challenge for any photographer will always be lighting. Forget about studio lighting, or Dslr external flash, natural lighting is your best bet for a good photo.

#6 Get feedback from others.

Never be afraid to exchange ideas and ask for their opinion on the shots that you took. You can learn a lot through comments and constructive criticisms from others.

#7 Always have fun.

Photography is all about having fun. Don’t be too stressed up in trying to get the perfect shot. There is no such thing as a perfect photo.

#8 Practise, practise and practise.

While going for a photography workshop/class can indeed teach you the basic photography techniques, ultimately you have to practise and take more photographs in order to improve.

#9 Hold the camera steady.

And lastly, learn to control your shaky hands. This may sound simple, but there are people who always end up taking blur shots.