All the photos are taken from a Facebook page called “Esthétique,” which currently has 34K likes and 171K followers, even though it was created quite recently -- back in November of 2023. The entire page is focused on posting various aesthetic pictures of objects or places, food included. In fact, food is one of the most common things that get posted on the page.
Well, people throughout history loved a good image of food. And it’s no surprise -- it’s a thing that literally no one would be able to live without. It's something every single human has in common. So, before cameras and smartphones came around, there were paintings and sculptures of food. This Google Arts & Culture slideshow perfectly encapsulates humanity’s obsession with food in art.
Food photography is no exception to this. With the invention of cameras and even smartphones, photos of food rose to a popularity never seen before. With a camera in one's pocket, everyone can be a food photographer, even if not a professional one. Some people take pictures of their satisfying-looking food just to have it as a memory that you once ate such a nice meal, while others post these pictures to social media.
To talk a bit more about food photography, Bored Panda reached out to the food photographers, Kamilė Kaveckaitė and Francesco Tonelli.
Kamilė expressed that, in her opinion, “the key elements for beautiful food photography are good light, food styling, and composition.” Francesco expressed very similar sentiment.
Also, both food photographers shared some styling tips that can make food photos look more appealing:
- Striving for simple settings - avoiding too many patterns or colors, as it can steal the attention from the food;
- Using natural light and turning off artificial ones so they won't reflect on the plate and turn the photo yellow or use warm, soft and directional lighting;
- Using garnishes to decorate the meal;
- Using fresh food, as it looks less messy, thus it can be called the peak moment of food;
- Spraying fresh vegetables and fruits with water, while food such as meat, fried vegetables, or dough should be sprayed with oil, as it will make them look fresher;
- Understanding that food is volatile, so being prepared to capture that moment effectively.
Additionally, Kamilė also shared how she makes ice cream look the best it can in the photographs: “I let it thaw for a while, then form it into nice-shaped balls and put it back in the freezer to harden in a certain shape and take it to the already prepared set only at the last minute to capture the picture.”
In fact, the food volatility and capturing the moment food isn’t at its peak appeal is one the biggest challenges Francesco encounters in his job. “To overcome these challenges it is important to have a good understanding of the food and to be able to anticipate them, and be ready to capture that volatile moment by preparing and rehearsing your set, have optimal photographic techniques at your disposal, being creative, efficient and resourceful, and just as importantly, have the ability and flexibility to collaborate and communicate well with your clients.”
Kamilė's struggle at work is quite similar: “Food loses its beauty rather quickly: ice cream melts, coffee foam dissolves, salad wilts, meat changes its color, and so on. The photography set should be fully prepped to minimize the time the food [will] stand in front of the camera, so bring your main beautiful plate of food to the set only when you’re ready to capture it. You can use an empty plate, or similar food [on] the plate, while preparing for the picture.”
The Facebook page "Esthétique'' is one page that gathers these delicious photos and puts them in one place so people hungry for mouth-watering images can find them in one place. Sadly, our current technology doesn’t let us taste what’s in the picture, but hey, we don’t know what awaits us in the future.
Not only are food photos eye-pleasing, but they have some other positive effects too. For instance, it can work as a common ground for people who like to take, share, or just simply look at these pictures, which helps them build interpersonal relationships. It also helps food-related businesses, as the photos of their product being shared online can increase sales.
So, let’s enjoy these aesthetic food pictures -- they're simply too satisfying to scroll past. Don’t forget to upvote the ones you think are the most delicious!
