A lot of iPhone food photography challenges can be solved by using different equipment to help you. This post shares equipment for iPhone food photography that will help make your photo shoots more successful and efficient.
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iPhone Food Photography Equipment
Tripod with Center Column & Ball Head
Stabilizing your iPhone during your food photo shoots is a game-changer.
It frees your hands up to make adjustments to your camera settings and allows you to play with different compositions within the frame of the image. It also helps to prevent blurry and/or grainy images.
There are a variety of “iPhone tripods” on the market, but I highly recommend using a tripod with a center column with a ball head. Actual camera tripods are much more secure and offer a wide range of height options. The center column is important because it allows you to position your iPhone for those ever-so-popular overhead shots (along with the straight on and 3/4 angle shots). And, the ball head allows for easy rotation in any direction. Some tripods come with a ball head, but just in case the tripod you want doesn’t come with one, you can also buy the ball head separately.
READ MORE ABOUT: THE BEST TRIPOD SETUP FOR IPHONE FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Metal iPhone Tripod Mount
A metal iPhone tripod mount is what you need to secure your iPhone to your tripod. It simply attaches to the tripod plate that comes with your tripod. And, since it’s made of metal, it’s incredibly secure. You can also adjust the orientation to be vertical or horizontal very easily.
Super Clamp
A super clamp is another option to securely attach your iPhone to your tripod. I have used both the super clamp and the metal iPhone tripod mount when attaching my iPhone to a tripod. If I had to make a recommendation, I would recommend the metal iPhone tripod mount only because it allows you to switch from vertical to horizontal really easily. The super clamp just requires a little more maneuvering and you have to be careful so it doesn’t interfere with the iPhone screen too much.
Remote Shutter Release (Bluetooth)
A remote shutter release helps you take pictures without having to touch your iPhone. Sometimes even the slightest press of the button can cause camera shake, resulting in blurry images. The remote shutter is battery powered and connects via bluetooth.
Foldable Table
A foldable table is nice to have on hand so you can have a designated space to set up for your photo shoots. This may or may not be something you need, but it definitely comes in handy if you want to set up in different areas of your space. When you have a designated space to set up, you can get your tripod and other photography equipment set up so you’re all ready to shoot before your food comes out. And, since it folds up flat, it’s easy to take down and put away.
Surfaces & Backdrops
Having a variety of surfaces and backdrops for your food shoots helps to add variety to your food images. Surfaces sit beneath your food and help set the foundation for your image. Backdrops sit behind the food and can help create a less distracting background. A pro tip is to find surfaces that are not only beautiful, but also durable (food shoots are messy!) and lightweight (easy to carry with you and switch out on set).
READ MORE ABOUT: THE BEST BACKDROPS FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
Light Stands & Clamps
Light stands and clamps are really helpful tools to have on a photo shoot. They help hold up backdrops and diffusors and come in a variety of sizes depending on your needs.
Large Diffuser
A large diffuser comes in handy for all levels of food photography. The diffusor sits between your light source and your subject and helps to create soft and balanced light. Diffusers come in a variety of sizes depending on your needs.
White & Black Foam Boards
White foam boards are super effective for bouncing light back to your subject when one side appears too dark. For example, if your food is next to a window, the side closest to the window will be lit well. However, the opposite side may appear too dark. When you place white foam board on the opposite the window, it will bounce that light back to the side of the food that appears to be too dark.
Black foam boards help eliminate unwanted light and create stronger contrast and shadows. These come in handy for dark & moody food images.
Moment Lenses
The newer versions of the iPhone offer three different lens options. But, if you’re not using the latest and greatest iPhone model, there are separate lenses that you can get for your smartphone. Moment lenses are separate lenses that are very high quality and they simply attach right to your smartphone. You will need to buy a special Moment iPhone case in order to attach the lenses to your smartphone. The lenses simply twist on and off and are incredibly secure. They won’t block your lens the way the “clip on” lenses do.
Continuous Lights
One of the best ways to improve your iPhone food images is take full control of your lighting. This means learning to shoot with artificial lights. My recommendation for an artificial light for the iPhone would be a continuous light. Continuous lights don’t flash. You simply turn them on, adjust the power and move them around to light your subject just right. It takes a little practice, but it offers a lot more flexibility with how you light your food in comparison to natural light.
The light I would recommend specifically is the Amaran 100d with the Glow Octa Large Softbox to modify the light. And, if you want to start smaller, check out the Amaran MC.
External Hard Drive
I highly recommend storing your images on an external hard drive to avoid the common iPhone storage issues. We all take a lot of images with our iPhones, so it’s important to back them up to the cloud and store them on an external hard drive so you can remove them from your camera roll to save storage space.
Lens Cleaning Cloths
You’d be surprised how dirty your smartphone lenses can get. Since they’re constantly exposed it’s easy for them to pick up dust, fingerprints and other smudges. These lens cleaning cloths come in handy for keeping your lenses crystal clear and clean.
I will continue to add equipment for iPhone food photography as I discover new things that are helpful. If you have any equipment ideas that you’d like to share, please comment below! And, if you run into questions, feel free to reach out to me anytime.
Happy Shooting!
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This post contains affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase through my site, I might make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that I actually use and support.
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All images ©Regan Baroni 2023.
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