If you didn’t Instagram your meal, did you even really eat it? 

We asked the experts from our social media team at Lettuce Entertain You what it takes to create a “like-worthy” photo on Instagram. Meet Michele Funk (@michelefunk), who has literally made a career out of ‘gramming the most crave-worthy dishes! Here’s a few tips on how to master the art of food photos right on your iPhone.

phone taking picture of food

 

Top tips for taking food photos for Instagram:

 

oysters from Shaw's

Tip #1: Shoot in Natural Light

If you can, sit by a window during the daytime for picture-perfect lighting. If you’re outside, sit under an umbrella on the patio – direct sunlight will just create shadows on your plate. 

Pro tip: To eliminate shadows on your dish, bounce light off of a white napkin or menu with the dish in between the napkin and the window. 

 

side by side images one of how to turn on your grid settings on your iphone and the other of the grid settings

Tip #2: Turn on the grid in your phone

1. Go to Settings
2. Select “Photo & Camera”
3. Slide grid to “on.”

This will help you balance the composition of your shot. When you’re taking overhead shots, utilize the level (the plus sign that appears when holding your phone above something) to make sure your photos are even.

 

goat cheese dip from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba

Tip #3: Take a LOT of photos

For every dish, we’ll usually snap at least 10-15 pictures.

Experiment with different angles until you get the right one. We love to mix it up with first person, overhead, close-ups and environmental shots.

“Favorite” the best ones by tapping the heart symbol and move on to the next step.

 

RPM Steak's Gin & Tonics

Tip #4: 50% of the magic happens in the editing process

We use Snapseed and VSCOCam to edit our photos, recommending Snapseed for granular edits (you can tweak the brightness, contrast, hide spots on plates, etc.) and finishing your photo with a VSCO filter.

We use the preset “A6” for most of our brands – but play around until you find one that fits your feed the best!

Remember to always overlay your photos with the same VSCO preset on Instagram so the aesthetic of the feed is kept intact.

 

Tip #5: Ask yourself, does your photo make you hungry?

The best photos are always ones that make you wish that Instagram was scratch ‘n sniff. We could really go for this handmade Lobster Ravioli from RPM Italian right about now.

Don’t forget to tag #LettuceEats – we’ll be featuring our favorites on @lettuceentertainyou.