According to Ankiet one can keep up their ‘game’ on social media with their smartphone, sans bulky camera equipment.

The ever-present smartphone and multiple social media profiles have created the need for far worthier subjects than selfies to upload on them. Along with the faces that pop up on our news feed, there has recently been a rather a huge influx of food pictures too. We see a lot more of beautifully plated, mouth-watering food on Instagram now, and a new breed of food bloggers has emerged!

And this fad of food blogging just doesn’t require the right angle or neat-looking morsels, but precision. But wait. One need not lug around a heavy DSLR camera and a whole bunch of lenses to get that perfect shot. 

With no requirement of technical knowledge, recipe blogger Ankiet Gulabani is hoping to share some tips with a food styling and photography workshop, helping photographers push boundaries of what one can do with a humble smartphone. 

Passionate about food, Ankiet for the last three years has been religiously uploading recipes pictures with the help of his smartphone on his blog Belly Over Mind.  “Initially it was just few curious friends who wanted to learn how to capture food better.  But then enquires continued to flow in and people wanted to me to hold a workshop where I could share my experiences and ideas,” smiles the 27-year-old, announcing that this is his first workshop.

 Ankiet Gulabani

According to Ankiet one can keep up their ‘game’ on social media with their smartphone, sans bulky camera equipment. “Everyone knows how to click a picture. But people tend not to focus on the object, especially in the case of food photography. It is just about the right focus and angle, exactly the way you do it with professional cameras,” he shrugs.  

Right from setting up the perfect shot to using props effectively, as well as lighting to understanding shapes, the blogger will also be focusing on styling of the food, to present it better. 

“Obviously, everyone clicks pictures, but what makes it look better is the right type of styling and the post-production. I will be introducing a few post-production applications for designing and stylising the food,” says Ankiet.

Just like the pictures he has been uploading, the blogger explains there are different ways of approaching a plate of food. “How you style the food is very important because that helps in making the food approachable. You can play around the food with a napkin, a fork and some spoons. With these basic accessories the food can tempt your belly… if it is captured perfectly,” he smiles.

 

Talking about the reception he’s been seeing from potential participants, Ankiet says that while they have people coming in just for fun, a vast number of them want to learn this art to improve their in-house food business.

To make people understand the art better, the food photographer will also be giving live demonstration. “I will be clicking pictures from various angles and will show them uses of light and the different ways to look at a particular dish so the end result is class apart and stylish,” grins Ankiet.

While he will be teaching how to optimally use natural lights, he will also be introducing people to artificial lighting and it usage. As far as the future is concerned, Ankiet intends to organise similar events. “I want to continue organising such events where I can demonstrate my way of styling basic food and capturing it even more attractively,” he says, hoping more people would want to learn the art. 

Food Styling and Photography WorkshopAt Jamjar Diner: Bandra (W) Today, 3.30 pm onwards.