How to take professional food photos with your iPhone or Android?

It seems like taking pictures of food should be quite easy, but creating “professional” shots is a big challenge – especially when you only have a smartphone and available light. But a few simple tricks can help you create really delicious pictures. Tech Radar asked two professional photographers to reveal what these secret ingredients are.

Using a smartphone to photograph food is nothing new and at the same time makes a lot of sense since we have our phones with us all the time. So we're always ready if something particularly photogenic comes out of the kitchen.

There are other reasons why smartphones are good for food photography. Because they are small and thin, you can get closer to your food for the best creative angles, which may not always be possible with conventional cameras. Most smartphones these days have modes like 'Portrait' which you can use to create shallow depth of field effects, while multiple lenses can also be used for different compositions.

With all of this in mind, Tech Radar asked some professional photographers to share their secrets for creating fantastic food shots. All of these experts use Android and iOS, so all of the advice here should apply to whatever phone model you have.

1. Hold the phone upright

Professional photographer Tim Clinch has been taking pictures for a long time. About 18 months ago, he did his first professional photo shoot using his iPhone entirely to create images for his client Cardenal Mendoza Brandy's new website. He says he showed the customer comparable DSLR photos, but the customer preferred iPhone products.

One of his top tips is also one of his simplest. "By far the biggest problem I see when I watch people with smartphones - especially the larger models - is what I call the 'new phone flop',” he says. "Basically – keep your phone up! It happens very quickly that the top of the phone tilts forward, causing you to lose all your verticality,” he adds.

"Sometimes I make sure the phone is really upright by having someone stand by and tell me when my phone is level - it's a very different approach to shooting with a standard camera,” he says.

2. Look for as many colors as possible

Although black and white food photos have a special charm, a bold use of color will make your food images stand out from the crowd.

Look for vibrant colors when choosing your possible themes, keeping in mind that not all colors will look as good on your phone as they do in real life. Browns and beiges can be a little less attractive, while bright greens, yellows and reds usually look great.

It also pays to shoot in the best possible light, avoiding artificial and low light. Thus, the sensor of your phone will have all the conditions to reproduce all the details. If you're taking food photos at home, try to get close to a window to take advantage of the natural light.

3. Use portrait mode (but be careful)

Most smartphones offer portrait mode among their photo modes. Sometimes it may be called something else, for example “Aperture” or “Live Focus”. What they all have in common is that they create shallow depth-of-field effects, which will add a professional touch to your shots.

Portrait mode works especially well when the subject's outline is clear or well-defined, so be aware of times when the mode in question might not be as effective.

"Portrait mode is a very useful tool, but be careful when taking pictures of objects like glasses," he says. "It often can't handle the edge of the glass and ends up with a strange 'ghost' around the edges and often the glass can just disappear."

4. Use grid lines

Kratia Garwal, a Dutch professional photographer and content creator, often uses her phone to photograph food. In addition to photography, she also runs food photography workshops to help others improve their style. You can also see her work on her Instagram profile.

A quick and easy tip he often recommends is to turn on grid lines in your phone's native camera apps. Most smartphones will offer this somewhere in the settings menu. "I always have this feature on as it helps me align the horizontal and vertical planes within my frame and also make the composition correct using the rule of thirds,” he says.

If you're not sure what the rule of thirds means, check out Kratia's screenshot in this article. Placing your subject where the grid lines intersect will usually give you a pleasing composition, but it's worth experimenting to see what works.

5. Use “pro” mode or one of the “third-party” applications

If you have a smartphone with Pro/Advanced mode, you can use it to great effect in food photography. That said, some models—particularly the iPhone—don't give you as much control over settings as a standard camera would. While this might be good for quick snapshots, third-party apps will let you do more.

To gain some of that control, Kratia Garwal recommends Adobe's “all-in-one” approach. "The Adobe Lightroom mobile app has a fantastic feature that allows you to take photos directly from the app,” he says. "Both Auto and Pro modes are available, but it's so convenient to be able to control shutter speed, ISO or white balance before pressing the shutter button. This is something I often recommend to my workshop participants,” he says.

6. Take it a step further with a phone holder

If you follow “foodie” profiles on Instagram, you are probably already very familiar with the “flat lay” concept, where you get a view of the subject from above. They work particularly well with food and are easy to create with your phone as they are so easy to set up and move around the venue.

However, for best results it's a good idea to keep the phone still and in one position. It will also make it easier for you to change the flat position setting without having to re-set the scene every time you take a shot.

Kratia Garwal uses a phone holder (like the simple Lamicall Gooseneck model) for top-down shots. He explains: “This way I can set the timer and not press the shutter myself. This mode frees up your hands and helps prevent possible camera shake.”