Christmas in London: A Food Blogger Shares Top Tips on The Perfect Holiday Feast Photo
As we scroll through our social media feeds this holiday season, the beautiful food photos from our families, friends and favorite food bloggers always catch our eye. Looking to take the perfect photo of your holiday feast? Today’s woman dreamer, popular London-based Food Blogger, Aniththa Ragunathan (@Anithaeats) shares her top tips for the holiday feast photo. Aniththa shares the exciting lifestyle of a food blogger, trends in the industry, and her favorite London Christmas traditions! A Must Read Piece for All Foodies!
1) You are a food blogger based in London. How did you become interested in food blogging? How did you build your blog?
During university I always went to different restaurants on a weekly basis. I would always share my meal photos on social media and loved exploring unique places in London that had nice interiors and great food. After some time one of my friends suggested to open a Food blog. So I opened another Instagram account where I started to share my restaurant meals. At that time I didn’t take it very serious and wasn’t fully committed. However, over time I started to connect with other food bloggers and was amazed by how talented they are! At the same time my follower count increased and I was motivated to share more content to my followers. Taking great photos, styling food, visiting different places and creating great content became my passion! I am so happy and proud on how much my blog has grown! I never thought that blogging would become an important part of my life. However, equally building this blog was very challenging as it involves consistency, motivation and creativity. A big challenge for me personally was being very active whilst also working full time and having other commitments. I learned how to manage my time well and being organised with my collaborations & posts.
2) What are some interesting trends you have noticed in the food blogging space?
One major trend is the opportunity to collaborate and partner with brands. It was only during lockdown when I have seen a lot of food bloggers partnering with many businesses, posting ADs and gifted items. Luckily, I was one of the food bloggers who was reached out by a small business to collaborate. And that’s when my food blog had a quick turnaround! My blog had more exposure, more followers and a higher reach. Many brands including a global brand reached out to me for a partnership and you can imagine how excited I was! So I’d definitely say increased partnership is a current trend in this industry. I am happy that brands are now recognising our efforts.
3) What are your top 2-3 tips for the perfect food photo?
Lighting. Angle. Edit. These three steps are so important for the perfect picture.
You need a bright background when taking photos otherwise your meal/product will not be visible enough.
Secondly, the angle is important too and depends on what you want to portray. If you want to show more details it’s best to take a closer picture.
Lastly, editing is something that a lot of bloggers forget. No matter how good your camera is, I personally think that editing is so crucial to highlight the important parts of the picture.
4) As we approach the holiday season, What is your favorite simple holiday recipe? And/or your favorite holiday foods?
As much as I love western and international cuisine, a big part of me loves Sri lankan and Indian food. I myself am Tamil and love all the south-asian meals whether it’s Chicken Biryani or Mutton rolls. Usually I am rarely at home because of work and my weekends are always fully booked with going out, but this holiday season will be different. As I will be solely spending time with family I am looking forward to enjoying my mother’s home-made food such as Biryani, String Hoppers and Sweet Hoppers. Another favourite holiday meal would be a cheesy Lasagna
5) What is your favorite Christmas tradition in London?
Mince pies! I love them so much. As soon as the Christmas spirits start I love to indulge myself with delicious mince pies. I also love Christmas pudding.. basically all the sugary goodness during Christmas! Apart from food, I love visiting all Christmas markets based in London.
Check out some of Aniththa’s Lovely Food Photos (Credits to @Anithaeats on IG)
