Taking a photo of your dish with a phone: 6 tips

Published on 4 November 2026

A dish you got right deserves a photo that does it justice. No camera or editing app needed: a phone and six habits are enough.

1. Daylight, no flash

Set your plate near a window, with the light coming from the side rather than from behind. Flash flattens colours and makes sauces glare. In the evening, a lamp to one side beats the ceiling light.

2. The right angle for the dish

Straight from above for flat dishes (pizza, salad, bowl); three-quarters, at table height, for dishes with height (burger, cake, layered glass). When in doubt, take both.

3. The whole dish in frame, and sharp

Keep the whole plate in the picture. Tap the screen on the dish to focus, and wipe the lens first: one greasy fingerprint is enough to blur a photo.

4. A clear background

Move packaging, sponges and utensils out of the frame. A bare table, a wooden board or a plain tea towel shows the dish off.

5. Clean plate rims

A wipe of kitchen paper around the rim before the photo: it's the simplest move, and it changes everything.

6. Right away, before it cools

A hot dish sags and loses its shine within minutes. Get the photo spot ready before you plate, and shoot as soon as the plate is ready.

Why it matters in Verdish

In Verdish, the jury scores your dish from its photo: it doesn't taste it. A sharp, well-lit photo helps it judge well; a dark or blurry one can mislead it.