The Changing Styles of Food Photography in Melbourne

For most of us, the realm of food photography begins and ends with a couple of Instagram filters and wishful glances at the television where Australia’s next MasterChef creates their next top dish. But you cannot deny that feeling of instant longing that you get when you see a seductively taken shot of an ensnaring plate of food – it makes you hungry. THAT is the work of a genius food photographer who has painstakingly arranged the lighting, the subject, the frame of shot and depth of field in perfect harmony to get that mouth-watering shot for you. Food photography is a subtle yet tough art, one that is constantly evolving now (Thanks to the social media!). If you wish to understand the changing styles and trends of food photography in Melbourne, this article is where you will find it all.

Beyond the plateModern food photography is so much more than artistically capturing a plate of food in a picture. The idea is to generate enough intrigue that the viewer will want to look beyond the plate and find out the ‘behind-the-scenes’ story. This trend is all about creating a certain atmosphere in the picture that leaves people asking for more. THAT is how potential leads are generated.

More on the storyAnother new trend in the food photography scene is story telling through pictures. The atmosphere of the restaurant that the dish is available in, the chef who lovingly cooked it, the field where the ingredients were grown – the picture is now being used to sell the story and the lifestyle behind the plate of food being shot. Customers are more educated and aware today and would love to know where a particular dish comes from – the story behind the creation that can be powerfully depicted through photography.

Lighting experimentsFor any professional photographer, lighting tends to be one of the most interesting tools they can experiment with to generate vividly different pictures of the same subject. Soft, diffused light has always been a go-to in the world of food photography, simply because it brings out every tiny detail of the subject to the fore. Just to break the usual photography lighting trends, Melbourne food photographers are now choosing deep shadows and bright lights to bring out the natural look of food. The contrast of shadows and highlights might cause them to loose some of the detail in the shot, but the technique definitely adds more depth and dimension to the composition.

Negative spaceIn the world of photography, negative space remains one of the most elusive tools available to bring a sense of surreal to the shot. It adds more mystery and intrigue to the shot, making the subject even more enticing and tantalizing. It all depends on the plating technique and colour tone used. Deeper, darker, sombre tones coupled with the trend of using large-sized platters and off-centre plating of food will create an excitingly seductive mystery around the subject that will make the picture a masterpiece.

Food photography – for many it is just an obsession that millennials and Instagrammers inculcate. But in reality, this is a whole other dimension of art and creativity that can blow your mind and make you feel hungry – all at the same time!

Pozr Photography is a Melbourne based photography company. They capture the best newborn & baby photography, product photography, family portrait photography, headshot photography etc. in Melbourne.