We are all guilty of spending hours on our phones, scrolling past tons of images, double tapping and liking occasionally, and just consuming content without really thinking too much. In today’s extremely busy digital landscape, everyone is competing for attention and it’s getting harder to actually be seen in the continuous stream of images, articles, and videos out there.
Cereaal Studio, a photography studio specializing in food and product photography, held a one-day crash course for foodies who are interested in making the most out of their digital footprints.
Sample shot during the live demo for prop styling
Aptly called “Not Just Flatlays”, the whole day workshop tackled the basics of food photography, prop styling, and caption creation. It showed the importance of paying attention to each element to create effective content.
Our venue for the day
Held at Shuffle Makerspace and Flossom Café + Restaurant in San Juan, the workshop was intimate and indulging, comprising of in-depth discussions, live demos, and hands-on experience for the students. The workshop was facilitated by Cereaal Studio’s Senior Photographer, Matt Lee, and their Social Media Manager, Jason Chamberlain.
Cereaal Studio’s Senior Photographer, Matt Lee
Cereaal Studio’s Social Media Manager, Jason Chamberlain
Being there made us realize all the hard work that creators put in their brands and how much thought process is needed to come up with a compelling image and caption that will elevate their content from the rest.
Since the workshop had both instructional and hands-on parts, we were given a glimpse on how to properly work on a shoot with real food and all the supplementary props needed to take a good photo. Since the workshop’s objective was to teach participants how to create content regardless of their current knowledge on photography and social media, the team only focused on topics that were applicable for everyone, and tips and tricks that could even be done on a mobile phone.
While there is no way for us to share all of the knowledge that we acquired during the workshop, here are some of our main takeaways that might help give you a better understanding of content creation for social media:
3 Easy Tips to Get Your Started on Creating a Stand-Out Foodie Instagram Account
During the live demo
3. Lighting is life.
Lighting can really bring life to your photos. Finding the correct lighting for your subject can make or break the message that you want to make. Since food is a complicated subject (yes, it is not as easy as you think), playing around with depth, shadows, and angles can help you better tell whatever story you want to share.
Quick tip: Try taking images with light coming in from the side. This will give the image a different mood as the shadows will add more drama to your subject.
Photo by WIM Photographer Joshua Trinidad during the photo challenge
2. Intentionally use props.
We all see fancy food photos with fun and colorful props around, but be mindful of what you put around your frame when staging an image. Consider whether the props will actually make sense for your image. For example, if you’re tasked to take a photo of some vegetable soup, it would not make any sense if you include a succulent in the frame. Only include items that will help you tell the right story. Not all colorful things deserve to be included, sorry.
1. Keep your captions short.
While paragraph-long captions on Instagram may work for certain people (particularly bloggers and inspirational storytellers), creating short and concise captions are still the way to go. Keeping your copy substantial is a great way to grab your audience’s attention and make your posts more memorable. Always aim for a great photo paired with killer copy.
Workshop output by Joshua Trinidad
Social media is an ever-growing channel for advertisers, artists, brands, and creators alike and you can always put yourself out there if you’re armed with the right skills and knowledge. Cereaal Studio’s Not Just Flatlays’ workshop hit that spot on – an insightful workshop that tackled topics applicable to everyone.
Interested in experiencing the workshop yourself? Follow Cereaal Studio on social media for future announcements as they plan on putting out more workshops very soon. They also conduct private classes for brands and groups that are interested in getting a better understanding of food and product photography, and social media.
CEREAAL STUDIO
Website: https://cereaal.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cereaalstudio
Instagram: @cereaalstudio
