We all have that one person on our Facebook friend's list or Twitter who snaps a photo of just about every meal they eat. That can be annoying. Taking gorgeous photos of beautifully cooked food on the other hand can be an entertaining hobby.
Even if you don't cook the food yourself, following a few tips can make a world of a difference when it comes to food photography. But why keep those photos to yourself? We've put together a list of places that are crying out for your sweet and savoury snaps.
But First: Tips!
Before letting you know where to share your foodie photos, we have some tips for getting great, professional looking photos, no matter what camera you're using.
- Think about the colours of your food, and the surface you're shooting on. If you have a wooden table, or a plain white surface, that is ideal.
- Shoot from above. Don't be afraid to stand on your chair if that's what you've got to do to get the perfect shot.
- Think about your lighting. Natural light is the best option for food photography.
- Add more than just food. If you're shooting your breakfast, think about what goes along with your breakfast like a book or newspaper, for example. Adding props to your photos can really liven them up.
- If you're taking photos with your phone, think about using some nifty photo editing apps to give your food an extra pop. We'd recommend Vsco Cam (reviewed here), Snapseed and ShakeItPhoto, and you can even add text to your images with these three apps.
- Using the tilt-shift effect is another great way to make your food photos pop. You can fake the effect with apps, or just access the feature within Instagram itself.
The most obvious place to share your foodie photos is on Instagram. You can take some pretty remarkable photos with your phone, provided you have access to decent lighting. Now we know there's a whole lot of people sharing photos of their breakfast (and just about every other meal they have) but if you want your food photos to stand out on Instagram, there are a few places you can do just that.
Using the #JJ_Food hashtag, affiliated to the account of the same name – JJ_Food – could have your work featured alongside other foodies who take their eats seriously on Instagram. There are even competitions taking place on Instagram specifically for food photography. Looking for some foodie inspiration on Instagram? Check out Sonyayu, Urban Koi and Alice Gao. Want the mobile experience but in an exclusively foodie environment? Check out iOS and Android app and social network, Burpple and Foodspotting.
Also be sure to check out DishPal, which we reviewed in-depth here.
Flickr
Many Flickr groups offer another great place to come together with other photographers who are interested in sharing their culinary creations. Flickr groups like Food Photography (with over 15,000 members), the Food Photography Club and Food Photo 101 are all crying out for more submissions.
Flickr's new look, with its large thumbnails offers a great way to showcase beautiful photos on your profile through large thumbnails, and with the ability to create a set that's dedicated entirely to your foodie photos, you can also keep your images neatly organized. Flickr integration is even finding its way into Apple's upcoming iOS 7 upgrade, which is great news for iPhone photographers and foodies alike.
Foodgawker
Foodgawker is one of several niche sites that is dedicated solely to food photography. The site sets itself apart by being entirely curated. You can submit photos to be featured on the site, and a team of editors reviews the submissions and chooses which ones to showcase.
If you're really serious about your Foodism, you'll definitely like the fact that the photos are connected to specific recipes. If you want to try different online recipes and take the photos after you've made them, you can submit your results to be featured on Foodgawker.
Taste Spotting
Taste Spotting is similar to Foodgawker in that it's a completely curated experience. You can submit photos to be featured on the site, but only photos accepted by the site's editors will show up. You'll find that a lot of the photos submitted are from other blogs, but you can build a name for yourself on the site by uploading your own photos and showing off your culinary and photography talents all at once.
Another similar site worth checking out, if you already pKitchen Artistry.
Foodily [Broken URL Removed]
While Foodily is geared towards sharing recipes, there's no reason you can't use it to share your food photos. You'll be among like minded people on Yummly, who are serious about food, and you don't have to worry about submitting your photos for review to an editorial team. What you want to share will be featured on your profile and on the site.
If you'd rather take the photos for yourself and it's not about sharing them with the public, Evernote Food (which we reviewed here) is a great option.
What do you think of sharing your food photography? Where do you like to post your photos? Let us know in the comments.
Image Credits: Seared scallops Via Shutterstock