Elle Cuisine’s, Lauren Mozer shares her tips and tricks for getting that awesome Intstagram-worthy food post.

1. The Art of Plating

   a. It all starts with the appearance of the food itself.
   •   Include colour (balance, contrast, movement)
   •   Create height (the base, the build, the garnish)
   •   Choose the right (go big-> empty space, white is king, don’t distract)

2. The Importance of Lighting & Angles

   a. The key to good food photography is the lighting.
   •   Highlighting and shadowing

   b. Play with angles and focus.
   •   The dish will look different depending on the angle you take the photo from. Play around with this and find it’s “best side”.
   •   Play with focus -> focus on one part of the dish, blur the background.

3. Staging Your Scene

   a. Plan the background and create a mood.
   •   Set your table, add floral and candles
   •   Create a solid background (white, wood, etc.)
   •   Don’t distract (be careful not to do too much, focus on the food and tell a story.

   b. Add movement/action
   •   Pouring sauce, or drizzling honey

4. The Edit

   a. Highlight, increase brightness/exposure
   b. Minimize shadows, increase contrast
   c. Increase saturation (but keep it real)
   d. NO FILTERS – they distort the truth in the food