I have a Point & Shoot camera, but for some reason, it just doesn't want to photograph food. Although I've had some success using its Macro setting, I've found that the pictures I take with my iPhone always turn out better, so I use that almost exclusively on my blog.
Even though I'm planning on getting a DSLR soon(ish), I've tried to make the most of my current situation.
While I'm not a professional photographer by any means, I think I've learned enough through trial-and-error that I thought some of my experiences (and mistakes) would be helpful to others. So, in no particular order, here's what I've learned about food photography with an iPhone. (And note that many of these tips work for Point & Shoot cameras and other mobile phones too!)
Control your environment.
The reason photographers use DSLR cameras is because of the high degree of control they allow. With an iPhone, you have very little control of your camera, so instead, you need to learn to control your environment. Good staging (something that I will admit I'm not the best at) makes a big difference, as do angles and lighting.
Natural light is super important!
If at all possible, use natural light. This goes for any type of photography, but when you're using an iPhone that affords you little control, it's even more important.
I use my dining room table, which is right next to a large window, for all of my photographs. East and North facing windows are preferable to South and West. The best time to take photos is 2 hours before sunset--the sun is much softer at that time than it is in the middle of the day.
When you do take photographs in the middle of the day, be sure to use a sheet on the window or a diffuser to soften the light a little bit. You can see in the last photo, the natural light is diffused so the shadow is a little less harsh and the glare on the macarons is gone.
Don't use the flash.
That one is pretty self-explanatory, isn't it? Pictures of food using the flash don't turn out very well.
Buy some equipment.
Maybe this seems a little bit silly on the surface--after all, if you're buying equipment, shouldn't you just buy a DSLR camera? Well, no, because a lot of photography equipment is really inexpensive.
I love my Portable 5-in-1 Light Reflector
I also use a piece of white foam board to reflect light opposite the window, which lessens shadows and dark spots. Sometimes I use a second piece of foam board in front of me (but not blocking my phone, obviously!) to reflect light in two different directions.
Although the differences are subtle, in the image above, you can see the picture on the upper left has a lot of darkness in the bowl of edamame. I didn't use a foam board in that photo at all.
The second photo, on the right, uses one foam board placed to the left of subject. You can see that the harsh shadows are lessened. On the bottom, I used two foam boards, one to the left of the bowl and one in front of it.
The light coming from the window on the right is bounced around with the two boards and the result is a well-lit image. For moody shots with darker lighting, you can use the same set up with black foam boards instead of white.
Try some photography apps.
My favorite app is Big Lens, which adds bokeh to a picture. I haven't used it on my blog yet because I'm still working on perfecting it (as you can see from the photo--like I said, I don't claim to be an expert!), but bokeh means that the picture is focused on one object and the rest is blurry. Here's an example:
Take TONS of pictures.
Sometimes I'll think I got a good shot, but when I look at it on my computer, it's blurry. Take dozens of pictures at several different angles for every dish you're photographing. And be prepared for the fact that sometimes, you just won't be able to get it right no matter what you do.
Learn how to use Photoshop Elements or other Editing Programs.
A digital photo isn't complete until you've edited it. Just like photos on film need to be developed, digital photographs need to be developed too--just in a different way. If you don't want to invest in Photoshop, try Gimp (which is free) or Photoshop Elements (an affordable consumer version of Photoshop).
If you prefer to do your photo editing online, you can use PicMonkey, and there are also numerous photo editing apps available for the iPhone. (Personally, I like seeing my photos on the computer and editing them that way, so I can't make any recommendations for apps.) At a minimum, I always crop and sharpen my images.
Don't be discouraged!
This is the most important tip--don't get bummed that you don't have a fancy camera. For a while, I found myself sinking into a deep depression whenever I read about someone else's super awesome photography equipment. Why them?! WHY NOT ME?!
But you know what? A lot of the worst pictures I've seen are ones taken with $800 cameras. (My favorites are the ones where half the dish is eclipsed by a shadow of the person taking the photograph.)
A camera will do you no good unless you know how to use it--by learning how to take awesome food pictures with your phone, you're learning basic photography skills that will help you when you do finally get your sweet, sweet DSLR.
ETA: It's now several years later and I've since gotten my DSLR and developed my photography skills quite a bit more. So no, in case you were wondering, the latest photos on my site are not taken with my phone! But I stand by the fact that great photos can be had with just an iphone in hand.
I've updated this tutorial with some tricks I've learned since I originally wrote this and some new graphics. And it's true, a lot of the tips in this post are things that I use with my DSLR camera too!
Grant says
That makes me hungry. Great techniques though!
The Type A Housewife says
Thanks! When I first started, I had that phone camera mentality of snapping quick pictures of things, but if you take time setting up the environment, the results are much better.
Smedette says
I think these photos look awesome. I'm really impressed with the quality of photos from the iPhone.
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! It really does have a nice camera--I'm sure the new one is even better.
blueviolet says
These are really good tips, and I have SO much to learn! One day I'm going to get a fancy DSLR too!
The Type A Housewife says
Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only blogger that doesn't have a DSLR! I think your pictures are really fabulous--I never would have thought you weren't using a big expensive camera.
Rachel R. says
Great tips! It was interesting to see how you stage your photos. I had not idea that I could get some of this equipment for under $10!
The Type A Housewife says
The reflector is totally worth it for $9, especially for the diffuser. You can buy a stand for it for $12 too, but I just make my husband hold it. 🙂
Penelope says
Wow, those are so sharp! I REALLY want to get one!
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! I actually have the old iPhone--I've heard the camera on the new one is even better.
Tiff @ Babes and Kid says
Are you using the 4s? I just barely got one and have been having so much fun playing with it. Totally going to download that app you recommended, your pictures are beautiful!!
The Type A Housewife says
No, I have the 4G, so your camera is better than mine. 😀 If you want to edit your pictures on your phone, there's a Photoshop app (PS Express) that's free & another app I like is ProCamera. I think I have others too--I am such an app junkie.
Nicole B says
Great tips! And wow, had no idea that you can get one of those diffusers so cheap. I'm heading to Amazon!! 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
They are definitely worth it! I wish I had bought mine sooner. 🙂
Donna says
Thanks for these tips. I plan on taking pics of a new recipe tomorrow with my iPhone... I've bookmarked this to come back to! 🙂
The Type A Housewife says
Thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one taking blog pictures with my phone. 🙂
Lisa says
I stopped at your post because of the picture - my girls love edamame because I can't really get mad when they shoot it at each other 'accidentally'. I think that your pictures look great. I just use a digital camera that I picked up at sears a couple of years ago, and I often don't like the results. Maybe I'll take your advice here. Thank you.
The Type A Housewife says
Edamame is so fun, you forget that it's good for you. 🙂 It's one of my favorite snacks!
My digital camera does not do well with close-ups (even in the macro setting), which is why I started using my phone instead. Depending on what it is you dislike about your pictures, you might want to either adjust some of the settings on your camera or try the tricks with lighting and editing. You should see what my pictures looked like when I first started this blog--it's definitely a learning process!
Candace says
Those are good tips! You need an iphone 4 or above though, I had a 3 and no way no matter what can you get anything that nice. My phone isn't an iphone now but the camera isnt that good. I haven't tried natural photography with it yet though.
The Type A Housewife says
Yeah, I guess I should have added that. 🙂 My husband had an iPhone 3G until a few weeks ago (when he dropped it in a hotel toilet--ha!) and the pictures on that one weren't nearly as good as with the 4.
Candace says
Ummm are you completely sure he didn't drop that phone in there on purpose? LOL!! I have a droid bionic but I bought my husband an iphone 4 used recently so I may have to steal it and play with it one of these days.
Jamie (Thrifty Veggie Mama) says
Great post. I just got an Iphone 3 (cuz it was free!0 and have been playing with that. I have really been working on taking better pictures. I will look into the diffuser.
The Type A Housewife says
I have been working on it too--when I started blogging, I just took snapshots and didn't put much thought into presentation or lighting. I guess it just didn't occur to me to do anything different!
Dawn C says
I am getting ready to install Photoshop Elements so I will have to keep checking back for tips.
Thanks!
BusyWorkingMama says
I've purchased photoshop elements months ago and it is still sitting on my desk. I think I did install it...shame on me.
TerriAnn says
Great tips and I LOVE the visual comparisons!
vanessa says
Great post! Lighting is such an issue -- especially since I do most of my cooking/shooting way past sunset. I recently received a pair of lowel ego lights as a gift. They're awesome and make a huge difference. They are kind of pricy, too, but I think they're worth it due to my work hours.
The Type A Housewife says
Yeah, my husband and I both work from home, but he's not too fond of dinners at 3, so I end up having to photograph after sunset a lot too. I totally covet the ego lights, but the umbrella light works well for now!
Kitchen Ninja says
I, too, was just using a point-and-shoot for my photos until last fall when my hub bought me a DSLR for my birthday (YAY for Mr. Ninj!). Your iphone photos are GREAT! But right now I'm headed over to Amazon to buy that reflector kit -- thanks!
The Type A Housewife says
I finally got a DSLR in December, so my era of iPhone photos is over. 🙂 And sometimes it's kind of sad, because I did get pretty good at using it! You will love the reflector--I use the diffuser the most and it's great for making sunlight less harsh!
Kitchen Ninja says
Awesome! I felt the same way -- pretty proud that I had taken some damned good photos with that little camera. BTW, I linked to this post on my Facebook page today and tried to tag you but it didn't make the link -- sorry. I've really been enjoying your blog and love that we seem to have many things in common (I was a UXD in NC and then found I liked food blogging better).
The Type A Housewife says
I have the same problem with tagging on Facebook! Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I always fear that people think I'm inept and don't know how to tag properly--I do! It's Facebook, not me!
Are you food blogging full-time? So funny that you were in UXD! I still do taxonomy consulting work and I have a part-time job with a search engine evaluation company--I'm hoping that this year I can quit all that and take my blog/recipe development/writing from a PT thing to FT. Before starting my blog, I was on track to either go to Georgia Tech for a second master's degree in usability or get a PhD in info science. Now I really want to get into recipe development and freelance writing. I finally feel like I've found something I really enjoy doing, rather than something I simply have a knack for, but no passion.
Anyway, I'm glad we found each other! Wow, how corny. 😉
Rachel @ following in my shoes says
Are you telling me all of your pics are with an IPHONE??? Now I feel even more incompetent.
Kiersten says
No! They used to be. 🙂 The whole first year that I blogged, I used my iPhone. And all of the photos in this post are taken with my phone too. But now I have a real camera!
Cat Davis - Food Family Finds says
Wow, I'm sitting here in absolute awe that you took these photos with your iPhone. Occasionally I use mine when I'm in a rush but they never turn out that beautiful.
Kiersten says
Thank you! After a whole year of photographing everything with my phone, I learned just about every trick in the book. 😉 You should have seen what my photos looked like when I first started!
Janice - Fitness Cheerleader says
Thank you thank you thank you! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your tips - I have a DSLR and while I use it to take a lot of food pics, I still occasionally take pics with my iphone. Thanks for the great tips!
Kiersten says
You're welcome--I'm glad I could help! 🙂
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
Fantastic tips! I too for awhile was a bit "ashamed" I took my pics with an iPhone but between technique, apps and good editing software, now I often have people say "I can't believe you shot that with a phone camera!" Thanks SO much for all the great tips.
Kiersten says
It's really amazing how good those iPhone photos can be! I get a lot of people telling me that they can't take good photos for their blogs because they don't have a DSLR camera, but things like lighting and editing really make all the difference.
JP says
This is so helpful, thank you!
I'm guilty of using my flash and ruining a great food-photo opp!
Kiersten says
Yeah, it just never seems to work well for food. I don't think I've ever taken a decent photo using the flash! I do know some photographers will bounce the flash to soften the light a little though...
Forest Park says
May I ask what the name of the font is you inserted in the pictures?
Kiersten says
It's Ostrich Sans.
marquis @realrawkitchen says
This is incredibly helpful. You are a genius, and if you aren't the one to think of this then you are incredibly kind to share these tips in such a simple and easy-to-understand way! thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Kiersten says
I'm glad you found it helpful! 😀
Lindsay says
Thank you so much for sharing these tips! I am a new blogger and postponed the launch of my blog for weeks, even months, because I felt discouraged with my lack of a fancy camera and photography experience. This post helped me realize that even as an amateur, I can still share some beauty with the world 🙂 So, thank you for opening my eyes! (P.S. I love your blog, too!)
Kiersten says
Your photos look awesome! But I definitely know how you feel because I put off starting a blog for a long time too because I was insecure about a lot of things--my writing, my food, my photos. And you know, I think it's better to blog for a while before you buy all that equipment--you don't want to buy it and then realize that blogging isn't for you!