Food photography - not getting "crisp" enough pictures.

[kannywalsh]

Hi Canon community 😊

I have a Canon EOS Rebel T3i and two lenses: EFS 18-55 mm and EOS 55-250mm.

I am an amature when it comes to potography, but have been taking some pictures professionally for my own company. We make and sell food, so food photography is just something I need to get better at. 

My main problem is that, whatever I do, my photos are just not sharp enough. Which is REALLY frustrating. I have tried multiple variations of settings, I use a tripod sometimes, but whatever I do, it just doesnt solve the issue of the sharpness. This photo for example was taken using the EFS 18-55 mm lens.

Any suggestions as to what I might be doing wrong?

[kannywalsh]

Wow! What an detaild answer. Thank you! I can already see that I am doing a few things wrong, and need to play with the settings of my camera a bit more to get the desired results. I will definately try to use some of your suggestions next time I shoot and see if the results are not better 🙂 Thank you!

[kannywalsh]

Thank you Trevor for your suggestions! I will try them next time I shoot 🙂

[Tronhard]

Good luck with this.  At this stage you are on a learning curve and will have to find the right balance of light for the environment within which you are shooting.  There are some videos on You Tube on photographing food, it might be worth checking them out.

[Waddizzle]

Better lightiing would definitely help. Switch to Av mode.  Set ISO at 100. Enable the shutter delay time.  

I also recommend never using AI Focus because it does not always work as well as one would hope.  Switch the lens to manual focus, and focus using Live View.  Once focused you can close Live View and take the shot.

If your camera includes Mirror Lockup, then enable that feature, too.

[JackGraves]

Make sure your camera is set to autofocus and focus on the specific subject you want to highlight. Experiment with different focus points to see what works best. Also, ensure your lens is clean and free of any smudges that could impact image quality. Another tip is to use a smaller aperture (higher f-number) to increase the depth of field and bring more of the food into focus. Finally, proper lighting is crucial, so try using diffused natural light or investing in a softbox or reflector to minimize harsh shadows. You could also look through the photos from this irish bar near me for inspiration and examples. I hope that helps!

[Tintype_18]

I don't take photos of food. It doesn't last that long. But the info here is relevant to taking this type of photos, no matter what the subject. Especially noted the DOF comments.