Food photography is not only a way to showcase your culinary skills or make your audience hungry. It can also be a powerful tool to enhance a layout, whether it is a magazine spread, a menu, a flyer, or a website. In this article, you will learn how to use food photography to create visual interest, balance, contrast, and harmony in your layout design.
The first step to use food photography effectively is to choose the right photos for your layout. You want to select images that are high-quality, clear, and relevant to your message and audience. For example, if you are designing a layout for a vegan cookbook, you would not use photos of meat or dairy products. You also want to consider the mood, color, and style of your photos, and how they match or complement your typography, graphics, and other elements.
In my opinion, it is vital that the photos are sharp and clear. They should be culturally relevant to the audience being served as well as seasonally appropriate. I, personally, would find out what the “ dislikes” are and avoid them. If I am serving individuals, I would show individual sized portions to give them an idea of what to expect, size wise. If catering an event, I would give examples of my presentation to large groups by showing how the foods would be presented on platters and in large quantities
The next step is to arrange the photos strategically in your layout. You want to create a visual hierarchy, where the most important or eye-catching photos are placed in prominent positions, such as the top left corner, the center, or the focal point of the layout. You also want to use the principles of alignment, proximity, and white space to create order and clarity in your layout. For example, you can align your photos with the edges, margins, or columns of your layout, group them according to their content or theme, and leave enough white space around them to avoid clutter and confusion.
In my experience, I have found it effective to present the photos according to how the food will be served/delivered. In the case of serving an individual, I would show them the plating and examples of the delivered products; the plating of the main course; if a meat is being served, I always have it plated at the “six o’clock” position and the accompanying vegetables surrounding it with space to see the plate. A salad bowl would be at “ten o’clock” in relation to the plate and soups at “two o’clock”. Dessert would be shown individually. For catered meals each item would be shown in clearly, bulk portions, either the way it will be delivered or if I am serving them by using either the client’s dishes or something agreed upon.
The third step is to crop and edit the photos to fit your layout and enhance their impact. You can use cropping to focus on the most interesting or relevant parts of the photos, such as a close-up of a dish, a slice of a cake, or a detail of an ingredient. You can also use editing tools to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness of the photos, as well as apply filters, effects, or frames to create a consistent or unique look. For example, you can use black and white, sepia, or vintage filters to create a nostalgic or retro vibe in your layout.
I feel it is important to give the client the choice of what exactly they have. I would like to have an individual photo of each and every item that they will be getting or an example of each item that I have served in the past; an individual entree, breads and butter, salads, soups and desserts all in individual portions.
The fourth step is to balance the photos with text and graphics in your layout. You want to avoid overpowering or distracting from the other elements of your layout with too many or too large photos. You also want to create a contrast and harmony between the photos and the text and graphics, using different sizes, shapes, colors, and fonts. For example, you can use a large photo as a background or a header for your layout, and overlay it with a bold or contrasting text or graphic. Or you can use small photos as icons or accents for your text or graphic elements.
I agree that “text” is important, but I would prefer to keep my text simple so as to be clear about exactly what is being shown. My personal preference is through conversation prior to presentation so that I am not misleading.
The fifth step is to use the photos as inspiration for your layout design. You can draw ideas from the photos for your color scheme, typography, graphics, and overall style of your layout. For example, you can use the colors of the food or the dishes as a palette for your layout, or use fonts that match the cuisine or the culture of the food. You can also use graphics that relate to the food or the theme of your layout, such as shapes, symbols, patterns, or illustrations.
Personally, I truly believe that we “eat with our eyes first”!! So, clarity, color combinations and size of items is vital, both for individuals as well as bulk items being catered. Also, the dishes used is always an enhancement
The power of visuals over text can transport the viewer to a place in time where they can actually almost smell and taste the dish/ recipe The use of story telling, composition and colour grading can be a powerful tool to take you viewer directly into your scene
The final step is to experiment and have fun with your food photography and layout design. You can try different combinations, layouts, and effects to see what works best for your project and your audience. You can also look for inspiration from other food photography and layout examples, and learn from their techniques and tips. Remember, food photography is not only a way to show off your food, but also a way to express your creativity and personality in your layout design.