What is it about a good food photograph that really makes you drool?  Have you ever wanted to learn why some photos fall flat, while others have that unnameable quality that makes you feel like you can reach right into the picture and dig in?  The Jew & The Carrot has created a list of Top 5 Food Photography Tips, which will demystify the growing world of food porn, and aid aspiring food photographers in capturing their tasty subjects in the most delicious way.

Below the jump – 5 basic tips and suggestions to amp up your food photography skills.  Plus – a collage of some of my personal favorite food photography shots.

Top 5 Food Photography Tips
Warning – we are *not* professional food photographers by any means.  The ideas below are just some helpful tricks that we’ve picked up over the last couple of years of trying to get you to salivate.  Enjoy!

1. Get a great digital camera.

As silly/obvious as this sounds, some cameras are simply better for taking food photos than others – in fact, some cameras even have a “food photo setting” that help maximize the light in a room to take flattering food photos. I am by no means a camera expert, but I would definitely recommend my camera –  Lumix/Panasonic DMC-FS3.  It’s an affordable camera that takes lovely food pictures without too much coaxing.  (There are definitely way better – and more expensive – cameras out there, but this is a great first buy.)

2. Experiment with plating.

While it is easiest just to plunk a casserole dish or pan down on the counter and take a picture, you’ll get better shots if you take a few minutes to cut out a small portion of the food, and put it on a beautiful plate or serving dish. (If you don’t have very many options to choose from, Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, your local thrift store, etc. sell serving dishes and attractive plates at a reasonable cost.)Try experimenting with color contrast, using the plate, napkin etc. to pick up/highlight certain colors in the food you’ve made. Truly, the right plate can make a world of difference!

3. Photograph during the day.

This might be the most important tip for good food photography. Daylight is a thousand times more flattering to food shots than light bulb light, and the best shots take advantage of the daylight. If you tend to cook at night, save some of the food for the next day and take photos then.  Experiment with the daylight – early morning and mid-late afternoon sun has worked best for me, and moving the food around to change up the direct exposure to the sun has helped me figure out what works best for different kinds of food (e.g. “wet foods” like soups, cut oranges, etc. vs “dry food”like bread.)

4. Take LOTS of shots.

This also seems obvious, but the more shots you take from the more various angles, distances etc., the more likely it is that you’ll end up with a few that you*really* love.

5. Practice & checkout other food photographers!

The more you practice, the more intuitive all of this advice will become. You’ll find which angles work and don’t work for you, and it will start to feel like second nature.

It also really helps to keep looking at what other great food photographers have done. A wonderful site to check out the ‘masters’ of food photography (if you don’t drool over it already) is Tastespotting – but beware, this site is addictive!!

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The Jew & The Carrot Food Photography Gallery
These are some of my personal favorites from The Jew & The Carrot.  Enjoy, and click on the picture to see the related post and recipe!

Read more tips for brilliant food photography over at 101 Cookbooks.

(x-posted at Kosher in the Kitch.)