A good photograph differs from a bad one not because you have chosen the wrong object of shooting, but your composition doesn't look professional. Even a photo of a dinner may become a masterpiece if a background and perspective are chosen correctly. However, there are other important aspects of the perfect composition in food photography.

Here are several aspects you should pay attention to while creating every photo of food:

A mood that is created by a photo
A story that is left behind the scenes
The rule of thirds that is always important for any genre of photography
Positioning of the objects in a frame
Camera angle and the orientation of an image
and finally, balanced color palette

Now more information on each of them:

1. The mood of a shot

Food on a photo should look natural, as it was easy peasy for you to make a perfect photo. Instead of organizing a shot, try the food, enjoy its taste, serving and make a photo in a good mood. So, according to Debi Rajpal (Deeba Rajpal), the author of the blog Passionate About Baking, you will be able to achieve the best results.

2. A story behind the scenes

A composition may tell a story. When looking at the photo made by Sandhya Hariharan, it's easy to imagine how she tells her mom about the latest journey.

3. The rule of thirds

Indeed, not every photo should tell a story. But if you want your visitor to come back, he/she should have a desire to taste your dish. The easiest way to achieve this is to use the rule of thirds: 4 lines, nine areas - we have mentioned it already.

Here are some more numbers that you should remember to create perfect photos of food:
1. Make sure, the object of shooting takes around 75% of a shot.
2. There can be several objects in a frame (3- will be the best choice), that create lines, but only the main object should be in focus, in your case -food.

Here are several splendid examples how the rule of thirds can be applied:

Before+&+after-Food-Lightroom-Presets-by-BeArt-presets+(1).jpg

3. Position of objects

To create an outstanding mouth-watering photo you should pay attention to a couple of planes: that is behind, and the one that is under your dish.

A background determines how highlighted will be your object. There are no strict rules. Same say that you should use a background that contrasts with your dish. But these photos of Sujitha Nair are beautiful, aren't they?

However, the background should not distract your attention from the objects. So be careful when using vivid colors. And so consider the surface on which your dish is placed.
Let's compare: The dish is the same, but the compositions are different.

As a background, the surface should be an additional part of your composition not the main object of a photo.

Cheese and meat appetizer selection or wine snack set. Variety of cheese, salami, prosciutto,..., автор — Anna Ivanova на 500px.com

4. Camera angle and image orientation

Here the type of your dish plays the most important role. For example, a pizza or pie will look good from the top. But sandwiches and burgers look the best when you make an angle shot. It's better to try different angles until you find a perfect perspective.

5. Colors

You should consider the colors you choose and use your favorite ones is not always the wisest decision, as namely tints and colors you use can make an ordinary food photo look like a real masterpiece. Keep in mind a color wheel and complementary colors (those that are on the color wheel opposite each other), while choosing a harmonious combination.
This curry won't look so attractive with an orange plate and a red tablecloth. If you don't have other options, use a white background.