Food styling: 5 tips to make the perfect food photo for Instagram

Instagram has become a showcase to display food, dishes and recipes. And today almost every chef and restaurant has an Instagram account to show and promote their dishes and menus. But not every picture is equally effective and attractive; knowing how to make a good composition, frame and edit it correctly are key factors to become a foodie on Instagram.

It is called ‘food styling’, that is, the art of capturing images of dishes and food through photographs in the most attractive way possible. But which is the secret to make a good food pic for Instagram?

We tell you five tips taken from the session given by Melanie Ascanio, publicist and photographer, to the students of the Master in Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management of EUHT StPOL. Because besides being a good chef, you have to know how to show the product.

5 tips to become a food styling expert

1. Decide what concept you want to convey with your photos and on your Instagram account: a standardized style will be much more visually appealing. You can highlight elements of a certain colour in all photos or bet on ‘dark photography ’or other trends.
2. Think about the composition or scene you want to photograph and prepare all the necessary elements: a coloured or textured background, a particular dish or tableware and other decorative elements that will make your picture more attractive.
3. Natural light is your best ally. Help yourself with white screens so that the light bounces and illuminates the scene and avoid using the phone’s flash.
4. Keep in mind the odd norm: to use three identical elements in the scene is always better than two.
5. Do not forget the edition. Find the proper app to edit photos, the one that best suits your needs and spend time editing your photos so that they become as close as possible to the aesthetics you wish.