Posing
The plate is the subject, so 'posing' means composition and styling decisions made in seconds while the food is still at its best.
In short: The plate is the subject, so 'posing' means composition and styling decisions made in seconds while the food is still at its best.
Room for the eye to move, and space for text if it is a menu or an advert.
Whatever is green and fresh should be on the lit side.
The thing being sold sits nearest the lens and sharpest.
Parallel lines look catalogue; a slight angle looks like a table.
Depth and context without competing.
The most effective single addition to any food frame.
Start with plate slightly off-centre — the first two minutes are warm-up and the first pose should be the one that asks least of anyone. Move to garnish facing the light and the hero item forward once the shoulders have dropped, and keep a hand about to take something for the end, when self-consciousness has gone. Shoot each one in bursts through the movement rather than holding it: the usable frames sit between the instructions, not on them.
Two metres back with the lens zoomed rather than close and wide — distance is what keeps facial proportions natural. Camera at or slightly above eye level for portraits, at chest height for full length. Below eye level enlarges whatever is nearest the lens, which is rarely what you want in frame.
Direct flash, which turns sauces into mirrors. And photographing after the food has sat for ten minutes — food has a working life of about two minutes for hot dishes and it is visible in the photograph.
Shooting under restaurant ceiling lights, which are warm, dim and overhead. Using a flash. Photographing every dish from the same angle. And letting the food arrive before the light and the background are set.