#122 - Photography techniques to make sure the hero doesn't look flat in your photos

Have you ever looked at a photo and wondered what you were supposed to look at?

If your hero—the main dish or product—isn’t instantly stealing the show, there might be a miss in the lighting or composition.. Many food photographers unknowingly make mistakes that cause their hero to fall flat or fade into the background. The result? A photo that doesn’t do justice to your portfolio or your business.

So, how do you make sure your hero isn’t mistaken for the sidekick? That it stands tall, gets the spotlight, and commands attention?

When we say the hero in your photos should stand out, it means that the viewer’s eyes should immediately be drawn to it and stay there. There shouldn’t be any confusion about what the photo is about. It should be crystal clear who the hero is, what the supporting elements, props, garnish, and backdrop are. 

The roles of different components of a photo should be obvious.

So, how do we bring that messaging into our photos?

Make your Hero shine

The truth is, most photographers don’t know they might be missing this in their photos. Sometimes, we unintentionally block the hero from taking the center stage. Instead of a powerful, striking photo, we get something that might look good but doesn’t make an impact. The hero falls flat.

Truth is, the magic lies in the obvious - two core skills we already use - composition and lighting. 

A few simple but powerful principles in these areas can make the hero shine.

COMPOSITION

1. Center placement

The most obvious way to highlight your hero? Put it smack in the center. It’s simple. It works. The eye naturally goes to the center of the frame. And the hero stands out like the hero. 

But if you find center compositions a little too stiff, play with placement. There are other composition techniques to make images feel dynamic and creative without the center placement.

2. Use the Grids

When you’re not using the center placement, tap into placement guides like the Rule of Thirds, Golden Spiral, or diagonals. Place your hero on the nodes (the intersections of those lines). These points are visual magnets. When your hero sits there, it instantly gains power and prominence, making the hero most visually captivating.

3. Think of Scale

While viewing a photo, the tendency for the human eye is to go to the largest area in a frame.

So if the hero is placed in a smaller bowl and the side dish comparatively bigger, there’s a high chance that the eye is drawn to the prop and not the hero, exactly what makes the photo miss the mark. Other factors may make the hero stand out even if it’s small, but here, size does matter. 

Your food hero should get the treatment of a hero — bigger, more visual appeal, and undeniably the main attraction of the photo.

LIGHT

Now for the game-changing part.

1. Light Up Your Hero

If your props, backdrop, or garnish are catching more light than your hero, guess where the viewer’s eyes go? Not to the hero, because the human eye is also drawn to the brightest area in a photo.

Even if you’re creating dark and moody photos or bright and airy ones, the hero must catch the best light in the frame. Not overexposure, the quality and intensity of light hitting the hero should be superior to anywhere else in the frame.

2. Use Contrast to Your Advantage

In simple terms, contrast means the difference between light and dark, textures, or colors. When your hero sits where contrast is highest, it commands attention.

Another lighting truth is that the eye is also drawn to the area of greatest contrast.

Before confirming the final shot, check if the hero gets the best light and contrast in the frame, because the composition can be the greatest, but if the lighting isn’t in place, no composition can help.

Make the Hero, the Hero

Making the hero shine doesn’t require fancy gear or complicated techniques. It requires awareness & technique, with the skills you already have.

Intentional placement, scale, lighting, and contrast make a photo feel cohesive, powerful, and visually clear. You’re not just taking a pretty photo — you’re telling a strong, focused visual story that does not confuse but is filled with clarity. 

So the next time you set up your frame, check - 

• Is the hero getting the spotlight?
• Is any other element stealing the show?
• Would the viewer immediately know who the hero is?  

Always make the hero look like the hero and never the sidekick.

For questions or thoughts, drop me an email at [email protected]

or send me a DM on Instagram at @dyutima_myfoodlens