Food photography has now become a crazy trend among Instagram foodies and recipe bloggers. No matter how many photo editing apps you find, the photo wouldn't be worth it if your angle isn't perfect. If you want drool-worthy pictures to lure the audience, here are my tried and tested tips for the best food photography camera angles.

Different camera angles and how to get them right! For a great picture, you need to analyze the food item and its surroundings along with the perfect camera angle. Check out my experienced tips and easy-to-go method for every camera angle.

1. Overhead

Shooting an overhead pic is a game of balancing the light and finding the right lens. The main goal is to capture the complete bids-eye view or, maybe, the whole platter on the table. For this, you need to have wide-angle lenses or 35mm, and move your camera away to widen the picture.

Essentially, the light should fall uniformly all over the dish or table. You can choose light stands all around or use one light and board to scatter it uniformly. Make sure to keep the ISO and aperture at low levels, suitable for better food photography, to get contrasted effect instead of a flat image.

Pro Tips:
• Try to use a C-stand or a tripod with an extension rod to take pictures without obstacles and camera shake.
• Use lefrectors or fill lights to even the lighting.
Best fit: Tarts, pizzas, noodles, soup bowls, Buddha meal bowls, or breakfast platters.

2. Three quarters angle

I usually prefer this angle when I need to capture the entire item or sitting at the lable like shots. The view 45 degrees above or below the table level is actually the way we look at the food. Macro lenses around 105 mm are the best to shoot from a distance. There are no fixed settings for ISO and aperture as you have to adjust them as per the food item you wish to click.

Choose top food photography angle if you want to focus on the drinks, toppings or something inside a bowl. Or pick the lower levels to take dripping sauces or the base. For amazing effects, try to use a single light source or place the food near the window.

Pro tips:
• Your angle can be anywhere between 75 to -45 degrees. Adjust the point according to the elements you need to focus on.
• Use lighting from the sideways to get incredible shadows or large softobx to get evenly lit picture and soft shadow.
Best fit: Cupcakes, muffins, pasta, whole fruits, veggies, drink shots, or food along with crockery.

3. Straight on

In this case, your camera's angle should be at 0-10 degrees with the object. Considering the table or the plate where the food is, you need to bring the camera to that level. This way, you can cover the entire item, from top to bottom, from its side view.

Though you keep the camera at the lower level, you should avoid the wide-angle lenses. You can choose “nifty fifty” 50 mm, 85 mm, or 105 mm Macro lenses to get a mouth-watering pic.

Pro tips:
• Try to use a tripod or stand for ultra sharp pictures.
• When hand-holding camera, ensure a fast enough shutter speed to click a still picture. General rule of thumb is x1.5 time your lens focal length. Most people can handhold no slower than 1/30th second. If the shutter speed is too slow, camera shake will make the picture blurry.
Best fit: Layered cakes, pancakes, sandwiches, burgers, tall smoothies, or chilled shakes.

4. Close up

I have always found my 105 mm Macro lenses the best for close-up or macro food photography. While considering a very focused photo, the objects should appear in their actual size but with superb quality.

Apart from your camera, tripod is a must. Try to keep the aperture values between f/6 to f/11 to blur the background. Shutter speed should be high and ISO very low to avoid pixels and grains.

Pro tips
• I always keep the macro lenses on 2nd camera (backup body) to get amazing details on clients food, avoiding switching lenses through the shoot and get creative shots from different angle.
• Super sharp detail and texture, allows you almost to touch the food
Best fit: Cereal bowls, desserts, salads, cut fruits, or pancakes.

4 Bonus Tips For Food Photography Camera Angles

Along with the perfect angle, you should also coordinate other food photography elements for a clear picture. Let's see what else you need to look for!

1. Light
Light is the single most essential part if you want a clear and bright photo.

2. Components of the food
Though I have mentioned the best food items for every angle, you should still look for the main components to get the perfect photo. In short, depending on the dish, you should focus on capturing as many details as possible.

More than the dish as a whole, it gets more appealing when you focus on the main ingredients. With the suitable food photography camera angles, you can think of capturing the froth on coffee, cheese pull of the pizza, or even the bread crumbs floating in the soup!

3. Never underestimate the crockery and cutlery
When your muffin is on a plate, cup, and storage jar, the camera angles vaguely differ for every instance. A spoon in the soup bowl rarely look good in an overhead photo, even though the soup looks good.

It all indicates that you should never neglect the surrounding things. Though they aren't your exact focus, their disorientation can distract the viewer and ruin the entire shot.

4. Composition

Final Words
Food items always have different dimensions and details that make the art of food photography a tough job. In this article, I have discussed four major food photography camera angles along with other essential factors that can influence the pictures. You can follow one or multiple aspects to capture the perfect shot!