1. Use a large light source
Best place would be next to a window or even doorway (Non-direct sunlight would be ideal!
If don’t have natural light, you can use a lamp or flood light!
Direct light is very harsh and is what most people are used to.
So be sure to diffuse the light
You can either point the light at a large white surface or direct the light through a opaque sheet
The closer you are to the light, the more it wraps around and that helps to take away harsh shadows.
Soft and Light meal. This photo was shot using natural light, there was giant window next to my table. Notice the SOFT lighting that is hitting the food, it almost seems to wrap around the food. Giving you fantastic colors.
2. Add Depth
Add something in the background or foreground that will highlight your main focus
This will instantly give you depth and will make your subject stand out
Most photographers will use a shallow depth of field, i.e. background and foreground blur, to make their main subject in focus
People will automatically pay attention to whatever is in the most focused
Try adding something in front and off to the side to give it a little something extra.
Typically you want to try to add things that are related to your main subject to help tell the same story
Slice of Focus. The main focus is the piece of delicious steak being cut. The meat and the utensil in the foreground adds to the story of this being a photo at a servers station.
3. Provide Action
Photos are just images that freeze motion. Time your shots so you get the shot that shows more action
Imagine a cup of coffee. Now imagine a coffee being poured into a cup. The second is much better!
If you are doing product or food photos, you cannot be afraid to be emphasis the action. It sells the story much better
Shooting with dmodels is easy to add action, ask them to laugh or tell a funny story to give you a natural smile.
Whatever emotion you want to show in your photos have the model act out the feeling.
Frozen action. The act of creating the latte art adds much more to the story than the latte art sitting on a table.
4. Take away distractions
Previously I talked about adding things into the shot, now I want you to take away things.
If there is something distracting in your framing, remove it.
If there is something that is contradicting to your story, remove it.
Too many people in a photo will be distracting, so be patient and wait for the perfect moment.
If you can’t wait, then try to use your subject to block out the distracting elements.
Crouching Groom hidden dog walker. I placed myself to be centered with City Hall but was still able to use the patience and the grooms body to hide the dog walker.
5. Capture Emotion
All of these steps give you one main objective, capture the emotion
What did you feel when you thought to take this picture? Share that feeling with your viewers and followers.
Much easier with people as your main subject but add a small amount of effort and you can show it off in food or products.
Captures Tears. This photo is my favorite photo to show emotion. IF you had to guess what was happening here, you would probably be right!