高大上的吃貨 智能手機美食照片拍攝祕訣

Posting snapshots of what's for dinner is a favorite pastime of social-media users, but making dishes appear as delicious as they taste is an elusive skill.

把晚餐照片發到網上，是社交媒體用戶喜歡的一項消遣活動，但讓菜餚看上去和嚐起來一樣美味，卻是一項不太好把握的技能。

With a few professional tweaks, though, amateur food photographers can give their smartphone-captured meals a major upgrade. Austin, Texas-based food photographer Jody Horton believes nearly any dish can make for a pretty picture -- extensive food styling not required. Items ranging from pecan pralines to barbecue have taken center stage in Mr. Horton's work for publications such as Texas Monthly and Southern Living.

但是，經過幾條專業點撥，業餘美食攝影師也可以讓他們用智能手機拍攝的美食照躍升一個檔次。得克薩斯州奧斯汀美食攝影師喬迪·霍頓(Jody Horton)認爲，幾乎任何菜餚都可以拍出一張漂亮的照片，同時還不需要做很多的食物造型工作。在霍頓爲《得州月刊》(Texas Monthly)、《南方生活》(Southern Living)等刊物拍攝的作品當中，從山核桃果仁糖到燒烤，各種美食都曾佔據中心舞臺。

First of all, when taking food snapshots, he says, 'Don't overthink it.' The result should look natural.

首先他說，在拍美食照的時候“不要想太多”。拍出來的照片應當顯得自然。

While stressing out about perfect plating is unnecessary, Mr. Horton does pay attention to the plate itself. 'You want to be sure that the food will separate from the surface on which it's sitting,' he said, so a red apple on a red plate likely won't photograph well. Consider creating a contrast between the plate and the table, such as white china on a dark wood surface, as well.

雖然強調完美造型是沒必要的，霍頓還是很注意盤子。他說，“要確保食物與承託它的表面是分開的”，所以紅盤子上放一個紅蘋果拍出來的效果很可能就不是很好。也要考慮在碗碟和桌子之間形成反差，比如把白色瓷盤放在深色木質表面上。

But if that's not possible, a white plate on a white surface almost always works. In a pinch, placing a white plate on a white napkin or paper towel allows the food to 'become the star,' Mr. Horton says.

但如果辦不到，白色表面上放白色盤子幾乎總是可行的。霍頓說，萬不得已的情況下，將白色盤子放在白色餐巾或紙巾上面可以讓食物“成爲主演”。

Good lighting is key. Natural light that comes from behind the food is best, he says, so Mr. Horton turns off indoor lights and the camera's flash, and he places the plate in front of a window that provides indirect sunlight.

良好的用光是關鍵。霍頓說，從食物背後照過來的自然光是最好的，所以他會關掉室內燈光和相機的閃光燈，把盤子放在一扇有非直射日光照進來的窗戶前面。

If it's after dark or natural light is unavailable, he suggests making sure only one type of light is on -- not both a halogen lamp and a fluorescent overhead light, for instance -- and that the artificial light comes from behind the food, if possible.

如果是在天黑以後或者沒有自然光的條件下拍攝，他建議確保只有一種光源開啓（比如不能讓鹵素燈泡和熒光頂燈同時打開），而且在可行的情況下，這種人工光線也要從食物背後照過來。

Restaurants, unfortunately, are inherently difficult spots to shoot food. When taking professional pictures, Mr. Horton usually moves the entire table to the desired light, an option not available to the average diner. But candlelight placed just out of the shot can add nice texture, even if it might take a few tries to find the best candle placement.

可惜餐館天生不是方便拍攝美食的地方。在拍攝專業照片的時候，霍頓一般會把整張桌子搬到理想光照環境中，而普通餐館都不具備這個條件。但剛好在畫面範圍之外的燭光可以增添不錯的質感，即便可能要試幾次才能找到放置蠟燭的最佳位置。

The most fail-safe angle for taking a food picture is from directly above, with only the food in the frame, Mr. Horton says. That way, the picture taker doesn't have to worry about a distracting background.

霍頓說，拍攝美食照片最保險的角度還是直接從上往下拍，且畫面範圍內只有食品。這樣拍照的人就不必擔心背景喧賓奪主。

When shooting from overhead, it's helpful to hold a piece of paper out of the frame but opposite your light source to bounce light back toward the food.

在從頂頭拍攝的時候，可以在畫面範圍之外逆着光線照過來的方向舉一張紙，把光線反射到食物上面，這樣也是有幫助的。

Those who want a little ambiance in their photos should consider taking their smartphone camera even higher by standing on a chair. 'Something that I do a lot that people find really compelling is overhead table shots,' Mr. Horton says, adding that they bring in the layout of the table, while still allowing the lighting to be fairly simple. Plus, he says, 'you don't have to worry about people closing their eyes or having weird expressions.'

如果想在照片中加入一點氣氛，那麼就應該考慮站在椅子上，把手機舉得再高一些。霍頓說：“我經常拍、大家又非常佩服的一類，是從上方拍攝的桌子的照片。”他還說，這樣的照片會顯現出桌面的佈局，同時又使用光能夠比較簡單。另外他還說，“你不必擔心人們閉上眼睛或露出奇怪的表情”。

Certain types of food can be especially hard to photograph well. Foods in 'bland' colors can be problematic, as well as casseroles, because it can be hard to tell what they are. Drinks are challenging because glass is so reflective, and they have a shorter 'shelf life,' with melting ice and wilting garnishes. (One tip: Light them well.)

某些種類的食物有時候特別難拍。色彩“平淡的”食物以及焙盤都有可能不好處理，因爲有可能很難分辨出是什麼東西。飲料的拍攝是一種挑戰，因爲杯子太反光，且飲料的“保質期”更短，冰塊會融化，裝飾品會發蔫。（一條建議：把光線用好。）

Food photography can be about much more than the final product on the plate. 'Some of the most interesting moments happen during preparation,' says Mr. Horton.

美食攝影涉及的東西可能遠遠不止於盤子上的成品。霍頓說：“有些最有意思的時刻是在製作的過程中。”

Something like fried chicken waiting at the table in a brown paper bag, grease spots included, can provide the opportunity to tell a story in a single photo, he says. 'It suggests more before it, and you know more is coming after it.'

他說，有些攝影作品可以用單幅照片講出一個故事，比如桌子上靜靜地放着褐色紙袋包裝的炸雞，油脂形成的斑點都可以看到。“它說明之前發生過一些事，你也知道之後還會發生一些事。”