How to Make Your Lunch Look Great on Instagram

Taking photographs of our food has become second nature for a lot of people these days, with many of us trying to immortalise our perfectly runny poached eggs or smashed avocado on toast in the form of a glossy Instagram shot.

More often than not, however, these images fall short and look far from appetising, even after minutes of rearranging our plates and stopping our friends from starting their meal. 

We asked the renowned food photographer Hugh Johnson to share his top tips on taking the best food photographs for Instagram. Here's what he had to say:

1. Make sure you keep things simple: the biggest mistake professionals and amateurs make is over-complicating a shot with too much cutlery or too many accessories.

2. Speed is key. Make sure you take a picture of the food quickly to capture its freshness and natural glossy highlights.

3. Keep your elbows tucked into your body when taking a photo to keep the camera steady and to minimise distortion.

4. Don't be afraid to change the placement and the look of the food – for example, meat may look better cut in half to show its pink interior and interesting textures.

Via