There are plenty of things to consider in getting your food to look its best, but one of the most important decisions before you even begin to style the scene is the angle you use to photograph your food. Read on to find out more about each of the three camera angles and to discover why they’re such an important part of a shoot.

The 3 core camera angles in food photography

There are 3 core camera angles that I use as a food photographer to capture your food in all its glory, and they are: the flatlay, the straight on, and the 45 degree angle.

Generally speaking, the flatlay is a great option for capturing compositions with multiple different elements, for flatter foods like pizzas and salads, or for foods that have an interesting surface to them. You can read more about how and when to use a flatlay here.

The straight on shot is used when shooting from directly in front of the subject and is a great way to highlight the details or layers in your food from the side. It’s the perfect angle for anything stackable like pancakes or sandwiches. You can read more about how and when to use the straight on angle here.

And lastly we have the 45 degree angle, which essentially covers anything in between. This is the angle I use when I want to capture the detail on both the top and the side of the subject and is a great tool for getting your viewer to imagine themselves eating the food. You can read more about how and when to use the 45 degree angle here.

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Camera angles to avoid in food photography

This might go without saying, but anything shot on a diagonal is not a great idea for food photography! You want to keep those lines straight and experiment with different focal lengths to avoid distortion.

Unnecessary macro shots are also not a great way to capture your food in its best light. There are plenty of subjects that look really beautiful when shot from close up, particularly if there are specular highlights to be found, but that doesn’t mean everything looks good that close. You also run the risk of confusing your viewer if it’s unclear what the subject actually is.

Why are camera angles important?

The camera angle you choose for each subject is really important, as it determines which elements of the food your viewer will see. Some foods will look great when shot from above, particularly with careful layering of the props and backgrounds, but others will look flat and uninteresting. Likewise, some foods will have beautiful textures on the sides of the dish that you’ll want to capture, while others won’t have much at all.

This is a conversation that must be had between client and photographer before you go ahead with a shoot. Certain foods and recipes are going to look better with one specific angle over another, so it’s important you’re on the same page about which angle you’ll be using for each shot.

Capturing images with different camera angles is not just as a simple as moving the camera to a different spot and shooting the same subject. The approach to styling and composition for each camera angle will be completely different and is an incredibly time consuming process. Knowing which angle suits the subject best and styling in accordance with that will save you valuable time and will likely allow for more images to be captured overall.

One of my clients learnt this the hard way recently. The moodboard had been finalised with reference images for each of the recipes, the props and backgrounds had been sourced and delivered to the studio, and on the morning of the shoot a colleague mentioned one of their latest analytics insights showed that 45 degree angle shots worked better in digital advertising for their brand, so they asked if I could prioritise those. GULP. The majority of the shots we had prepped for and discussed were flatlays, and a lot of the recipes had been chosen specifically with the flatlay angle in mind, meaning they just wouldn’t look as good if shot from straight on or at 45 degrees, so it meant a complete rethink of the brief there and then. Thankfully 4 years in this job has taught me how to be quick on my feet, so I reevaluated the shot list to capture as many as I could and we got some great shots in the end.

But it’s lessons like these that inspire me to share content like this. Had my client understood earlier on that a different camera angle means different light set ups and composition every time, they would have known to discuss it in the moodboard stage and as a photographer, it’s on me to ensure those resources are available.

The right camera angle really can make or break a recipe, so it’s always worth looking at reference images with your photographer and understanding what’s going to appeal to your customers the most. After all, the hungrier you can make the viewer feel, the more you’re going to sell.

How do I know which is best for my food or brand?

Digging into the analytics of images you’ve shared in the past can be a really helpful way of understanding what resonates with your audience. In the case of my client above, knowing what works best for you means you can focus on creating more of those kinds of images.

Another way to approach it is to understand where the images are going to be used. Editorial and advertorial shots often need plenty of negative space surrounding the subject in order to allow for text overlay, so you’ll need to consider shooting with a camera angle that best supports that. Alternatively if the shots are going to be used as ecommerce assets you’ll need to make sure the camera angle chosen best highlights the key features you’re looking to communicate to potential customers.

They key thing to remember is that you want the food to look as good as possible, so really the food should be your guide. The drizzle of peanut butter down the side of a stack of pancakes is going to look much more enticing that the one visible pancake on the top of the stack, so the straight on or 45 degree angle is going to be your best bet here. Equally, a beautiful macro texture shot, or a process shot featuring lots of different elements are going to tell a much more interesting story when styled as a flatlay. Use your intuition and your photographer’s expertise to make that decision and then focus on making the food look mouthwateringly delicious!