Nitin Tandon’s 5W and H to keep in mind for great food photos

 Who are you?

Work out who you are and what you want to tell the world about yourself. What do you stand for as a brand and as a chef? Find your voice and stand out from the social media clutter.

What are you communicating?

Are you conveying a recipe, a technique or a cultural style through your photograph? It’s all about the story you tell through your picture. Every picture will have a different story.

Why consistency is key

Being consistent with your design elements helps your readers connect with you. Keep reviewing your own work and evolve from there onwards to make it better.

What kind of images?

Keep it natural, candid and focus on the minimal. Food can be shot in three places – in the kitchen, while handing it over, or on the table. Sizing, proportion, colour and form matter – use the techniques you learnt in your school’s art classes. Learn mobile photography: as your techniques improve, so will your equipment and your love for the subject.

Why you need a team

Don’t (over)do everything yourself. Get friends to help you with cooking, styling and props. Make beautiful art together. Ensure you control the creative style and the signature you set out for your brand.

Harness social media

Chefs have restaurants as platforms, and home chefs have social media. Visual recipes – videos or step-by-step photos – work well. Work with YouTube, it will be as big as television. Love the competition; love criticism – creation is all about criticism. ts! You’ll never know what wonderful ingredient you could discover today.