My three favorite ways to use food photography color theory with Adobe color wheel to build Instagram grid and portfolio with Adobe Color CC by analyzing some images and gather inspiration for my food photography & food styling.

My color obsession is real

If there’s one thing I’m obsessed with, then it’s COLOR. I can assure you that. Every time I plan or shoot some new images, then one of the first things I think of is color palette. How exactly I use color theory in my food photography?!

How use food photography color theory?

BUILD Portfolio or Instagram Grid

I like to use this website here (Color Kuler) to analyze my current Instagram grid. Once I learned about my color palette, I started to build my portfolio and Instagram with these colors.

EXAMPLE:

I’m obsessed with grey and grey-blue(ish) backdrops. That’s why I started to build my portfolio on these colors. To be honest, I’m not completely happy with my grid. I know that there are so many things to do and change and it’s not perfect.

However, it’s still a journey, and I like to see my progress through time. When I try to post almost every day, then it’s always a challenge to keep up with the color palette (not complaining, love the journey, just saying that it’s a challenge).

ANALYZE Images

Usually, I use Adobe Color CC where I can upload some of my images to understand the color palette I have used. In that way, I can study some of the images and color combinations I love.

Sometimes I don’t even use that color wheel before, and I try to get some kind of feeling to make my composition. When I’m quite happy with the color palette, then I can analyze what I loved and didn’t like about it.

EXAMPLE:

I didn’t use the color wheel for this image here, and I just used my instinct. In the end, I was quite happy with that color combination, and because of that, I uploaded my image to the Adobe Color CC, and it showed me the color palette. I got the results you can see here.

Gather some INSPIRATION

I also love to use the color wheel to gather some inspiration for my future images. I try to choose my color harmony between analogous, monochromatic, triad, complementary, compound or shades. I try to play around with that Adobe Color CC and try to analyze the matching colors.

EXAMPLE:

I will take the color GREEN and then think what kind of green foods I have at home. When I made these savory pancakes, then I had avocado, broccoli, and mint.

All of them were in a similar hue. However, since the buckwheat pancakes looked more like YELLOW, then I tried to create a composition with ANALOGOUS colors. It means that I grouped three colors that sit beside each other on the color wheel.

Also, my post how exactly I use the color wheel and how I choose the color palette here.