By Ella Castillo
If you love pairing food and wine, Instagram is the perfect platform to showcase your passion. But there’s more to just sharing your pics; you need to make sure they look as good as they taste.
Here’s how to elevate your images to make them Insta-famous.
Start With the Story
There’s a reason Instagram has a Stories feature. Great photos tell a story, and part of your story is which foods bring out the flavors and aromatics of a wine. However, you still need to be more specific. Before you pick up your camera, decide on the narrative you want to portray. 
- Are you depicting a cozy winter night with red wine and hearty pasta?
- A glorious summer picnic with rosé and a charcuterie board?
- Is it a celebration with French champagne and a five-star meal?
The story will help you create the mood and make decisions about lighting, color, and props.
Lighting is Everything
As for most product photography, the primary rule is to use natural lighting whenever possible. It brings out textures, enhances colors, and keeps your shots from looking overprocessed or flat. Here’s what works best:
- Avoid artificial overhead lighting. Soft daylight next to a window is ideal, and shooting in the morning or late afternoon gives a warmer, more flattering tone.
- Don’t shoot in direct sunlight outdoors. It causes harsh shadows and can make your pairings look unappealing.
- If you must shoot in direct sunlight using your smartphone, use the HDR (high-dynamic range) setting. It helps to soften the shadows and uses the best parts of three successive photos to create a top-quality shot.
- When shooting next to a window, placing a white background on the opposite side will bounce additional light onto the more shadowy part of the pairing.
- Don’t use a flash when shooting in a dark room. Instead, ask someone to use the flashlight app on their phone to give additional light. This way, you can move the light closer or further away and get the exact intensity necessary for the shot.
Choose the Right Background
The right background for your wine pairings will give them the feel and look that reinforces your story, adding context and mood.
Great options for Instagram-worthy photos of wine pairings could include a wooden table for a rustic look, a linen napkin, or a picnic blanket for outdoor scenes. If you’re at one of the Bucks County Wine Trail vineyards, use what’s around you. A wine barrel, stone wall, or leafy vineyard backdrop adds instant atmosphere.
Apply Composition Techniques
Giving a bit of extra attention to the composition of your image can make the difference between a dull shot and an interesting photo that draws the viewer’s eye to the wine pairing. Some primary techniques to learn include:
The rule of thirds: It’s a guideline that places the subject in either the right or left third of the image, leaving the rest of the space more open.
Using diagonals: Diagonal lines in an image can draw the viewer’s eye to the subject. A napkin lying diagonally next to your wine pairing makes the image more interesting and highlights the subject.
Layers: Using layers adds texture. You can create layers with your backdrop, props, the food you’re shooting, or fabrics.
The rule of odds: Odd numbers are more visually even than even ones. When arranging items like glasses, cheese, or grapes, use three, five, or seven.
Framing: This technique uses items to create a frame around the subject. You could place ingredients used in the food around the plate to highlight its contents, add color, and frame your picture.
Master the Pour
The pour shot is Instagram gold, but not easy to achieve. To capture the perfect pour shot:
- Slowly pour the wine into a glass, holding it by the stem and keeping it as steady as possible.
- Shoot the photo in burst mode.
- If you’re using a DSLR or camera app with manual controls, use a fast shutter speed to freeze the pouring action, enabling you to capture drops of wine mid-air.
- Use a simple, contrasting background to keep the focus on the pouring wine.
For example, red wine pouring into a wide-bowled glass with a plate of pasta or a steaming steak just out of focus in the background creates a scroll-stopping moment.
Plate With Purpose
You don’t need a gourmet chef to make Instagram-famous food and wine pairing pics. Just follow a few plating basics for mouthwatering shots that will get people talking:
- Use smaller plates. They look fuller and are easier to frame.
- Add contrast. Bright foods, like berries or greens, pop on neutral-colored plates and backgrounds.
- Layer textures to add visual depth. Think of crusty bread, creamy cheese, and shiny olives in tightly packed layers next to the perfectly complementary bottle or glass of wine.
If you’re regularly sharing wine pairings, consider each post as a building block for creating your food photography portfolio. Consistency in your plating style, lighting, and composition can help establish your signature aesthetic.
Glassware Makes a Difference
The correct glass enhances the wine and improves the photo. Use clean, clear glasses without smudges or logos and don’t overfill them.
Want a little drama? Backlight the glass so the wine glows. Red wine especially benefits from a little light behind it to show off its color and clarity.
Additional Tips
- Edit lightly to increase brightness and contrast slightly to make colors pop.
- Sharpen the image to define edges, especially around the wine glass or food textures.
- Don’t use filters; they can distort color and make the food look unnatural.
- Write a A great photo grabs attention, and a catchy caption keeps it.
- Add a few focused hashtags.
Final Thoughts
Photographing interesting wine pairings doesn’t require a fancy setup, just attention to detail and a bit of creativity.
Planning your shots ahead of time, including the lighting composition, background, and props, will save editing time, and you will soon have some Instagram-famous wine pairings that will whet your followers’ appetites while they like, share, and engage with your story.
So, get pouring, plating, and snapping!