I love movement in food photography! Adding movement to your photos makes them so much more attractive! Freezing something in motion also helps to show the properties of your product to your viewer. Here are my 5 types of movement in food photography.
5 Types of Movement in Food Photography
1. Pouring
Adding milk to coffee, coffee to a cup, or soup bowl etc. This type of movement in food photography is used a lot on social media and is one of the most popular types of images in commercial photography.
My personal favourite is pouring milk into a cup of coffee. I love seeing the creation of swirls inside the cup, and the contrast of black and white.
2. Splashing
Since I bought a speedlight last summer I haven’t stopped taking splash photos. I’m addicted! A splash of water, a splash of summer drinks, even coffee. It all works!
You’ll find it’s better to use artificial light for this technique, as it gives a sharper result than natural light. Alongside a flash, you’ll also need a tripod.
This photo for Kinnie (the famous Maltese drink) is my favourite splash photo to date. It has a double movement as I also created waves in the false pool with the help of a hair dryer!
Tips: Be prepared to make a mess, and have towels handy. I also recommend using an acrylic ice-cube if you can find one, rather than the real thing.
3. Squeezing
I took this summery photo for a client just a few weeks ago. The touch of citrus gives it an added feeling of freshness and health, as well as adding movement.
Tip: Squeeze that lemon harder than you would normally. To show up well in the photo you’ll need extra big drops of juice.
4. Powdering
Icing sugar, powdered chocolate, flour or cinnamon all lend themselves well to this sort of movement.
You’ll often see shots like these with icing sugar as part of Christmas campaigns.
I’m going to be experimenting more with flour photography soon. I’ll be trying some popular action shots like clapping hands with dusting flour, but also seeing what else I can do with powder shots.
5. Water Rippling
Although this image is not food photography, it’s a type of movement I love and want to adapt for food images.
These images of fake swimming pools are made using an acrylic tray and a hair dryer. People seem to love them and the BTS reels I’ve made get a lot of engagement. They are very powerful in product photography.
If you’ve found this post helpful be sure to check my older food photography posts!
EN 
ES