17 Mouthwatering Burger Photo Ideas of 2024

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In case you need to capture a mouth-watering photo of a burger and use it on social media, a cooking blog, or a restaurant menu, make sure to learn how to implement yummy burger photography ideas. To take a great photo of a burger, you should have top-level photography skills and be able to stylize products and dishes.

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1. Capture How Burgers Are Cooked

creative burger photography ideas

After washing vegetables and fruit, snap pictures of them when there are still drops of water visible. You can also capture photos of them being prepared for cooking. Such photos will demonstrate how a burger is made.

2. Experiment With the Deconstruction Technique

yummy burger photography ideas

While some photographers prefer to cut a burger up to show what it is made of, others show its main ingredients. It is also a good idea to take photos of a tasty burger surrounded by the ingredients. Many fast food cafes use such photos in their ads as they allow them to demonstrate that they use only fresh ingredients of the highest quality.

Pro Tip: To take a photo that will look like the example above, you need to use professional photo editing software that supports layer editing, such as Photoshop.

3. Use Vegetables as Props to Make Your Pics Look Delicious

yummy burger picture ideas

Before burger shooting, you can have a lot of fun when selecting the ingredients that you want to use for making a burger. The best burger photos include multiple objects besides the main one. You can add pickles, tomatoes, or lettuce to your burger to make it more unique. Some chefs also add onion rings or cheese to their burgers.

Note: When taking burger photos, you can select the type of bun and patty but also arrange the ingredients in any order you want. You can decide how your burger should look. It will allow you to take photos that will look natural and appetizing at the same time.

4. Take Photos From Different Angles

burger photography ideas different angles

By using standard angles, you may fail to capture the layers of your burger. To take great pictures, make sure to select the best food photography angle. It will enable you to take photos that show your burger from the best side. Avoid pointing your camera at the object. It’s better to tilt it up a bit instead.

5. Snap Close-Up Burger Pics

burger photography ideas closeup

If you want to take close-up photos, you can’t do without a macro lens or extension tube. Unlike some other lenses for food photography, they allow you to capture every detail. A regular lens allows you to focus on an object that is 1 foot away or more. When using a 35mm lens, you might notice that your image requires further cropping. Close-up photos are perfect for those who need to show every detail and capture the texture of a burger.

6. Capture Melting Cheese

burger photography ideas with melting cheese

When making hamburgers, chefs often put cheese on the patty to make it melt. By implementing such hamburger photo ideas, you can make burgers look tastier and more appealing. When taking photos at the restaurant, you can quickly capture a pic of a burger before it gets serviced to visitors.

Note: Keep in mind that you need to take photos quickly before your burger gets cold as its look may change as the result. To melt the cheese, you can also use a pastry torch. It will come in handy for other situations when you need to take food pictures as well.

7. Take a Flatlay Photo

burger photography ideas flatlay

In case you want to bring to life unusual burger photography ideas, try using a flat-lay method. To use this technique, you just need to put various items on the table and take photos from above. It is popular among photographers interested in tabletop photography. You need to create a well-balanced composition and make sure that your main object is clearly visible. To change the shooting angle, you need to use a chair or a ladder. It will allow you to fit all the objects in the frame.

8. Invite a Model to a Photoshoot

burger photography ideas with model

When taking pictures of hamburgers, I don’t worry if my camera incidentally captures my hands. There is no need to remove them during post-processing either. It makes my photos look more natural. You can also take photos of a model eating a burger. Such pictures drive clients to place an order more quickly.

9. Select Suitable Props to Create a Balanced Composition

burger image ideas with props

To take visually-appealing photos of burgers, professional food photographers carefully select the most suitable props and backgrounds to engage their viewers. When implementing creative burger photography ideas, you can experiment with different combinations to take photos in different styles. Try using old tools, wooden trays and cutting boards, as well as napkins or a tablecloth made of natural materials.

10. Select a Suitable Background

burger photography ideas with correct background

To make your burger stand out, it’s better to choose a basic background that won’t take the attention away from the main object in the frame. Try using the white or grey background as it will allow you to achieve the best result. If the background is distracting, your photo won’t inspire people to buy a hamburger.

11. Make the Composition Look a Bit Messy

best burger pictures ideas bit messy

Instead of taking photos with beautifully-arranged objects, it’s better to create some mess on the table to attract the attention of a viewer and make it look as if your hamburger has been just cooked. Such images also allow people to see what ingredients were used. Instead of putting them on the plates, it’s better to put them on the tray or on the table.

12. Use Cutlery

best burger pictures ideas with cutlery

By adding props, you can make the composition in the frame look more attention-grabbing and take a great cheeseburger shot worth of the central place in a restaurant menu. In case you have beautiful cutlery pieces, you can place them around the main object. For instance, you may place a burger on a plate and put a fork and a knife nearby. It will help you give your photos a realistic feel.

13. Capture Juicy Meat

best burger pictures ideas juicy meat

When buying meat, look for a piece that is not too thin. Fatter pieces of meat look juicier in the frame. When cooking such a piece, you will notice that it will become smaller. Patties should be broader than the bun. They become a bit thinner after being cooked.

Pro Tip: You can use a variety of creative food photography tricks to give your photos a realistic feel. I particularly enjoy using a pastry torch as it allows me to make my hamburgers look perfect.

14. Put a Burger on Parchment Paper

best burger pictures ideas parchment paper

In case you are looking for food photography ideas that don’t require costly props, you can use affordable objects at hand, such as parchment paper. You can use it as a prop for other food photos as well. It allows you to add a nice detail to the composition and make the hamburger bun stand out.

15. Focus on Delicious Burger Buns

best burger pictures ideas focusing on buns

It might be challenging to find a nice-looking hamburger bun. Professionals who are looking for props and objects for food commercials often complain that only 1 out of 100 hamburger buns meets their requirements. To give these buns a perfect look, they might even place sesame seeds with tweezers on them. If you don’t have a professional assistant, it’s better to buy buns that haven’t been sliced yet. It will allow you to slice them in the most suitable way and take the best burger pictures.

16. Take Burger Photos Using Window Light or Outdoor Lighting

hamburger photo ideas shooting outdoors

Make sure to avoid direct sunlight as it might result in deep shadows. Soft light works better for such situations. Windows light is also great when the weather is fine. Thanks to it, you won’t need to carry a lot of lighting gear with you to the restaurant. If you need to take photos outside, it’s better to select a location in the shade.

17. Put a Burger on the Tray

hamburger photo ideas on tray

In many popular food photography blogs, you can see professional photos of burgers and various dishes put on trays. Trays are affordable props that allow you to arrange the items that you want to capture. They come in different shapes and sizes. You can choose between trays made of different materials. There are metal, wooden, and plastic trays available. You can also snap a pic of a waiter holding a burger on a tray.

Bonus Tools

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With the help of these actions, you can streamline your workflow and spend less time editing your images. They allow you to improve the quality of your photos. These tools will help you create attention-grabbing pics for advertising and other purposes that will drive people to buy and eat juicy burgers.

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