Having good photos of your food presentations can make the difference between getting a call and not. This is something every Chef needs to take seriously, get good at, and do on a regular basis.

Today, any phone in the last made in the last year have very good cameras that can take excellent photos of your food. And there are many free editing apps you can download to make a few simple adjustments to elevate your photos to showcase your talents on your CV.

Things to know and consider for food photos on your CV:

• Try to take in a fairly lit to a well lit area. Next window for natural light usually yields good results.

• Do not have distracting junk, prep, or mess in the photo. Too often we get food photos with dirty rags in the background, a dirty working surface, even got one with a crushed beer can behind the plate.

• All photos should be of completed plated dishes. Do not use “prep” shots of your food. Example: Food on cooking sheet pans, salad in mixing bowls, meat being butchered on cutting board. This will not get you an interview.

• Try to use a mix of dishes like appetizers, starters, salads, main course, desserts. Trays that are not too crowded can be okay to use, but preference is for plated dishes.

Photo Editing:

You should always make sure your photos are not too dark, and are sharp. Most phones have simple editing features to brighten photos, bring up the shadows, and add some sharpness if needed.

Using Portrait mode on phones to take photos can add a pro touch, by making the background blur a bit causing your food to stand out more.

Always try to take on from directly above, one at 45 degree angle, and one from the side.

There are some free photo editing apps that we have listed below that can really enhance your photos a lot.

Photo Editing Apps: Snapseed, Lightroom Mobile, VSCO, Photoshop Express

Below are some examples of food photos that are too dark, not sharp or blurry, do not have very good color, oversaturated or undersaturated color, plain looking, or do not represent very well.