If you’ve got an Instagram account, you probably see a lot of food. Sharing what you’re eating and drinking is fun, and quality photos of food create sensory experiences. This is good news for marketers in those fields. If your product is food and drink, you’ve got to have high-quality photos and videos as part of your website and social media. However, food photography is far from a simple discipline. It’s pretty easy to take an unappetizing picture of food (as anyone who’s tried to take a photo of their sandwich in a dimly lit cafe can attest). You need the right lighting and timing to have any hope of recreating the actual experience of enjoying the dish. Within this discipline is the sub-discipline of beverage photography, and it’s even trickier than food photography. Here’s why:

Beverages Lack the Dimension and Dynamism of Food

Part of what makes food so appealing to the eyes (and to the palette, actually) is its texture. A pasta dish features winding noodles overlapping and interlacing with one another. The color of a garnish can pop on camera, and the many surfaces of a dish offer more places for light to bounce around and add color as well. Beverages, because they’re liquid, have to be served in a glass. This creates a flat presentation that lacks life. Lighting is exceptionally tricky for beverages, and you’d better be sure you don’t have murky ice in your camera-ready drinks.

Good Beverage Photography Requires a Creative Approach

To have any hope of creating a quality beverage photo, you’ve got to have a plan. Drinks will only look freshly made for a matter of minutes, seconds even. You need a team that’s working from the same page on an efficient timeline to be able to capture the vibrancy of a beverage. A creative design to your photo can also help bring the image to life. Working with a professional for beverage photography offers the highest chance at success. A professional can offer the technical knowledge, project management skills, and creative touch that will allow your beverage photography to jump off the screen.

Work with a Professional Photographer on Your Next Beverage Shoot

Doug Davis is a Dallas-area photographer with the skills and experience to help your next project succeed. Doug has over 20 years of experience shooting, and he’s especially good with food and drink. Doug can offer creative solutions to help even the most difficult of items look great on camera. To book Doug, contact D-Squared Studios in Dallas, TX at 214-746-6336.