5 handy tips for the best smartphone photos of cocktails
Is there anything more begging to be photographed than a cocktail? Probably not many things. It is a popular topic on Instagram and that doesn’t surprise us: they often look special, nice and colorful and they also taste very good. Plus, when you’re spending that much money on a drink, it’s okay to get a good shot. With these five tips, that should be all right.
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1. Avoid crowds
Whether it’s a busy table full of half-gnawed chicken bones, or the bosom of the person sitting across from you: you want as little fuss as possible on your cocktail photo. Although many a cocktail stands out, all that distraction is usually a bit annoying. To give your drink the attention it deserves, make sure you have a background that is fairly calm, for example in a color that contrasts well with the color of the cocktail.
The cocktails themselves know how to steal the show here, but those arms on the left, everything on the table and the lady in the pink top in the background make it a very busy affair.
2. Use depth of field
Are you in a busy place and want to share something about it to help you remember where you drank that great cocktail? You can use depth of field. You can use the portrait or bokeh function of your smartphone camera app for this, or tap the cocktail before taking the photo to ensure that the focus is on it.
This is certainly not the prettiest cocktail, but this photo of it gives you the atmosphere of London Carnival.
Unfortunately a crooked cocktail, but the setting is clear.
3. Focus on the best
One cocktail is not the other: where a tequila sunrise is all about pouring into a glass where you can see those sunset-like color transitions, with a zombie you often have a funny Tiki cup to drink from. Other cocktail makers put themselves on the map by doing funny garnish. Before you take the picture, think carefully about which cocktail you are dealing with and what exactly stands out: this is how you capture the most attractive part of the cocktail.
You don’t even have to photograph the whole glass: this photo tells it all.
4. Place a candle diagonally behind the cocktail
Light is sometimes a huge challenge in the world of cocktail photography, because an original ‘speakeasy’ as we know it from the Prohibition of the 1920s is simply a bit dim. Although people feel completely at home there, that is less true for telephone cameras. The twilight can often not properly photograph the beautiful colors of the cocktail, or even the garnish at all. The tip? If you are in a dim place, place a candle or other light source diagonally behind the cocktail, you will get a kind of shimmer, so to speak, to put your cocktail in the spotlight.
The candle itself didn’t necessarily have to be so intense in the photo, but you can see exactly what I mean with the light from the side on the right cocktail.
Light from below can also be very cool.
Or just in front..
5. Stage!
Where you shouldn’t actually make a whole still life with most photos because you want the image to be spontaneous, it’s actually the opposite with cocktails. They should be nicely styled. Consider, for example, placing the menu next to your cocktail for some context, or moving a sprig of mint to the foot of the glass. You are not a poser because you rearrange something on the table for a good photo: you are just making art. Art of which you can also enjoy the subject afterwards. Win win!
Do you immediately know where you drank those delicious cocktails?
This photo has the same colors in terms of background and surface, so that the blue drink comes out extra well. If the table had been full of junk, it would have been a lot more difficult.
Too bad about that watery print on the left, because otherwise it is quite nicely staged.
Although there is some crowding in the photo, it has clearly been decided to remove some rubbish from the table and that makes it a more attractive picture, also look at the mint leaf below: that does something.
More photography tips
Do you want to read more about photography? Especially with the upcoming holiday you will want to take a nice picture from the plane, from the beach, pictures of food or flowers. Do you prefer a selfie or a photo of movement? That is also possible. Have fun with your smartphone camera this summer!
And, nice to listen to in your hammock: our podcast:
