How to Create Photos and Videos That Sell Products
The online world is overflowing with food photography. From food and beverage manufacturers to restaurants to thousands of professional influencers and creators and millions more amateurs, it seems like channels like Instagram are one big food festival. How can you make sure that your food and beverage visuals grab people’s attention and set their mouths watering? Just as important, how do you make your product stand out? Here are some tips from our KittyKat stylists.
Make your food or beverage look fresh and delicious
Does your plant-based meal have just the right shine? Is steam swirling above? Does your latte have fresh foam bubbled at the top edge? Whatever food or drink you are selling, there are visual cues that it’s fresh, hot or cold, and tastes just right. Traditional photographer tricks like using shaving cream for whipped cream can also get you into trouble. Today, shoppers put a premium on authenticity and demand that the photograph represent the real product.
Use lighting and color to whet the appetite: Side lighting can make a muffin look heroic and ready for a big bite whereas harsh, front lighting can flatten even the yummiest dish. Be thoughtful about where you place the key lights (the main source and direction for lighting). Your blueberry smoothie wants to be just the right shade of violet and in strong contrast to the scene around it.
Detail the food or drink: “Detailing” means adjusting the small things to make it look great. Brushing a sheen of oil on the edge of a grilled cheese sandwich is detailing. Condensation on the cool drink is detailing. Think about what your product needs to look alive and great on camera or in an AI render, and then preview the results and adjust.
A dragonfruit smoothie can look great with the right colors and lighting (Image by KittyKat)
Plate like a champion
If your product is served on a plate or in a glass, tap into your inner chef or bartender and prepare the plate like a work of art. If shoppers were served this dish at a restaurant or at a dinner party would they stop everything and post it on Instagram? If the answer is “yes,’ you're plating like a champion.
Crowded or spare: Decide if the meal should feel like an abundance of food and flavors or a minimalist canvas. There is no wrong answer. If you are selling filling salads, you may want a smaller dish that makes the veggies appear to overflow. If you are portraying a fine dining experience then a clean arrangement with lots of white space may be best.
Wipe it clean: Take a step back from your beautiful dish and make sure the edges of the plate and the in between places are all clean of any smears or loose bits. Everyone loves a clean plate.
Showing off a variety of ice cream flavors in a way you'd love to eat them - straight from the tub! (Image by KittyKat)
Lighting that loves food
“Good lighting is key to emphasizing the textures and color balance of your food photograph.” (Shopify)
We have all seen bland looking shots where light is just blasted into the gray burger. Not too tasty. Think about what you want to emphasize about your food and choose the lighting that will bring out the best.
Side light vs. front light: Lighting from the front on any scene can look harsh and drain the color highlights from the food. In general, a nice directional side light or a three-quarter front light will add dimension to the food and show textures like the layers of a sandwich or the shape and divots of a pineapple.
Natural vs. studio light: Consider if you can get by with natural light from a kitchen window to create warmth or if you need the control and the resources of a KittyKat Studio for a lighting set up. Sometimes, when we shoot in the studio, and depending on the time of day, we try to use the beautiful sunlight streaming in our windows and supplement with color-corrected studio lights.
Showing off the texture of a scrumptious chocolate cake with just the right lighting (Image by KittyKat)
Go easy on the post-production
While it’s possible to change anything using photo edit tools, a general rule of thumb especially when it comes to food photography is less is more. Consumers demand that products look like the products they preview online when they arrive at their door. If you go too far with image adjustments you may create a disconnect.
Sharpen the image: Most post production tools give you control over increasing the sharpness of the image. Plates of food often benefit from a little tweak to the sharpness to separate the brussel sprouts from the filet mignon. Like most post-production, a little goes a long way.
Color correct: The key word here is “correct.” You need the food and especially your product to look true to life. Using white balance controls you can adjust the warmth or coolness of the picture. Color saturation will help emphasize the true and tasty colors of your product. Beware - it is possible to push a blueberry to be too blue!
Get Creative
While there are certain techniques and rules to make food look its best, you also need your visuals to stand out from the crowd. Playful stop-motion animation, artful arrangements and even some counter-intuitive shots can earn people’s attention and get them to stop on your photo in their social feed.
Play with angles, backgrounds and color: What color contrasts well with your product? What secondary color on your packaging could become the background color to tie it all together? Plenty of food shots use a slight down angle or a complete overhead angle. Both work but what about a dramatic low angle on that heroic smoothie in the chilled glass? Find a unique visual approach to differentiate your shots from all the rest.
Make it move: Video can bring a dinner party table to life for great lifestyle shots. Stop motion animation can make your yummy chocolates samba across the table. You can go classy or playful and grab people’s attention.
A top-down angle works great to highlight a well-thought-out plating composition (Image by KittyKat)
Compelling visuals play a crucial role in the success of food and beverage products. They entice customers, convey quality, and evoke emotions, ultimately driving sales and enhancing brand perception. Investing in great visuals is essential for capturing attention and standing out in a competitive market.
For additional inspiration, feel free to explore the blogs available on our website!
