With a staggering 2.62 billion people currently using social media (Statista.com) – engaging with potential and current customers has never been easier. 

But with 95 million photos shared every day on Instagram alone (Sproutsocial.com), it is important that your photography stands out and doesn’t just get swiped past. Food photographer Jak Spedding has these five tips to turn your social media all the way from a gentle sauté to seriously well done. 

1 Keep it light If you have a large window available to you then, beyond spending thousands of pounds on professional lighting equipment, you aren’t going to get any better light. Try to choose a nice diffused light which doesn’t produce hard shadows on your subject. A good way to avoid this is to hold a piece of white cloth over the window and using a piece of white card to bounce back some of the light into the shadows is also a good trick to help balance your shot out. 

2 Flat lay isn’t always the right way The current craze is for flat lay images, where the plate is shot from above. There is a good reason for this, as people are naturally attracted to circles. But with so much of it out there it’s beginning to become a little samey. So to make your images stand out, try moving yourself as well as the food to get the best photograph. 

3 Tell a story It’s important your customer can relate to your image. A great way to do this is to include a human element to your images. Whether that’s the chef’s hands as they make the dish or somebody in the background of your image, it all comes together to create a more detailed picture of the love that goes into creating your food. 

4 Include your surroundings If you’re a restaurant, a great way to tell a story is to include your premises in the shots; this not only provides your customers with a view of your restaurant but is also great for brand awareness. If your logo can be seen in the background of an image which gets shared to thousands of people that’s a lot of free advertising! 

5 Edit Most social media platforms have a limited editing suite built in. Instagram’s is particularly good, but if you want a little more control over your images then standalone apps such as VSCO or Adobe’s Lightroom may come at a small cost but can bring big value to your final images. 

For more tips and tricks ike this visit: www.jakspedding.co.uk.

>>Click here to read the rest of the July 2018 issue of Stir it up magazine <<