Whether you’re a food blogger or a business owner, Instagram is a must-have platform to promote your content and attract new audiences. But you don’t want to rely on just images – small bite-sized videos are also crucial to getting more impressions and boosting your page’s unique viewership!
Recipe video content is all the rage on social media right now, and it’s easy to see why. Luckily, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to make your next cooking video viral-ready and to generate revenue from your videos.
Lighting
If you’re planning to make a food video for Instagram, it’s important that you get the lighting right. The wrong kind of lighting can ruin the aesthetic of your photos and can make your food appear unappetizing.
The best kind of lighting to use is natural daylight, especially if it’s sunny. This type of light has a soft, diffused glow that’s ideal for food photography. You can also use reflectors to bounce more light onto your subject or diffuse it if the light is too harsh.
Another factor to consider is the color of your background. If the background is too bright, your food can be overexposed or look washed out. Try shooting with a neutral wall or using textured surfaces for the background.
Aside from the color of your background, it’s also important to keep in mind the position of your subject within the frame. You can achieve this by incorporating the Rule of Thirds technique into your composition.
Having your subject at an equal distance from the camera (left-right or top-bottom) is a classic way to create a more inviting frame. It also helps to keep your subject in the center of the frame, and it avoids a lot of unnecessary clutter and distractions.
The next thing to consider is the direction of your lights. There are two main types of lighting that you can use: sidelight and backlight. The former works well for most setups, while the latter is more difficult and requires a bit of practice.
If you want to capture a more dramatic effect, use diagonal lighting. This style of lighting has both sides of your food illuminated by the same light, and it allows you to control the amount of contrast that’s created.
It’s also a good idea to use a white sheet or a simple piece of cardboard to reflect the light in a different way, which can help you balance the shadows and highlight different textures in your foods. This can be done either in the studio or at home, and it’s a good idea to try out a few different lighting setups before you decide on a specific one.
Camera Angles
Getting the right camera angles for your food photos can make all the difference to their effectiveness. There are three main angles to choose from, which are overhead, three-quarters, and straight-on. It’s important to pick one that best showcases the subject’s best features.
Choosing the right angle can make your food photos look more appetizing and professional, so take the time to experiment with them. You might be surprised at how different the same subject can look from different perspectives.
It’s also important to consider the type of food you’re shooting. If the dish has layers, like a sandwich, you should focus on capturing the front of the food instead of an overhead shot. This way, you can get all the details of the ingredients in the food without having to zoom in on the dishes themselves.
If the dish is flat, however, you can use a more bird’s-eye view to display its finest features. Using a camera at this angle can create a more three-dimensional effect, which can help your food stand out from the crowd on Instagram.
Another angle you can try is a low-angle shot. This perspective makes the subject appear much larger than it actually is, which can be helpful for shots of burgers or other items that need to be shown at a closer distance.
A good rule of thumb to follow when composing your food photographs is the Rule of Thirds. This grid helps to organize your frame and make it more visually interesting.
The rule doesn’t apply to all food photography, though. If you’re shooting something with a lot of texture, such as a melted chocolate chip cookie, for example, it might not be worth following the Rule of Thirds.
You can also add interest to your composition by using the 45@ camera angle, which is great at showing off the natural shape of food and props. It’s not a perfect angle, and it can be a bit hard to work with, but it can be very effective.
The 45@ angle is great for shooting a simple story with a foreground and a background. It also gives you the opportunity to add layers and framing, which is great for catching the attention of your viewers.
Music
Adding music to a food video for Instagram can add an extra element of fun and entertainment. Whether you want to create a video with just a voiceover or an entire soundtrack, it can really give your content a kickstart and help your audience engage more deeply with your brand.
You can choose from a variety of different genres to suit your taste, and you’ll find plenty of options when it comes to adding lyrics to your music. There are also several font types to choose from, and you can even adjust the size of the text and where it appears on your screen.
It’s a great way to add a bit of drama and intrigue to your videos, and you can even use it to highlight particular aspects of the menu. If you’re a food blogger, adding music to your posts can help you stand out from the competition and attract new followers who might be interested in trying the same recipe.
Instagram recently launched music in its Stories feature, which lets you add background music to your photos or videos. It works in a similar way to SoundCloud, and it will automatically crop the song and pick out the right part for your story.
Spotify is a popular platform to use for music in your Instagram stories, and it has an extensive library of over 90 million songs. You can choose any song you like, and the app will automatically create a link in the top left corner that says “Play on Spotify.” Your followers will need to click on this link in order to open Spotify and listen to the audio.
Apple Music is another popular option for music in your Instagram stories. You can search for a specific song or artist, and you’ll be able to select a segment of the song that lasts from 5 to 15 seconds.
When you’re finished, you can share your Story and watch it appear in the feed of your followers. You’ll also be able to click through music-related hashtags, which is another great way to discover new tracks.
Editing
Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for food businesses and blogs to share their work and engage with a new audience. But, it is also important to make sure that your food content is visually appealing. In order to achieve this, you need to make a food video that will grab people’s attention and encourage them to click through to your page.
Many popular influencers and businesses on the platform are creating videos that have a lot of eye-catching aesthetics. These types of videos tend to get more views and shares than those that do not have a high aesthetic quality.
Moreover, these videos are typically very short, and they usually showcase simple recipes or techniques. They also include a brief explanation of the technique or recipe, and they often encourage their viewers to try out the recipes.
When filming food, it is important to keep the subject in view throughout the entire video. This helps the viewer visualize what they are seeing, and it also adds to the overall appeal of the video.
To create a visually appealing food video, it is important to choose the right lighting. You should try to avoid harsh lighting and glares, which can make your food look washed out or shadowed. Instead, use natural light to make your dishes stand out.
Aside from that, it is also important to pay attention to color. Using different colors can help your ingredients stand out and create a more interesting aesthetic. It can also help you convey the taste and aroma of your food better.
Another way to create a visually appealing food video is to experiment with different shot sizes and angles. This can help you capture more details and provide more opportunities for editing.
Adding elements like props can also help you enhance your visuals and make your video more interesting. For example, you can use props to show off the ingredients that are being used or to show how to prepare them.
In addition, you can also add text and graphics to your video. Having a description of your video, the recipe, or the technique can help your viewers understand what they are seeing and increase their chances of clicking through to your site.
