#FollowFriday – Sarah Tuck, From the Kitchen

Whether you're after new Instagram accounts to follow or already spend half your waking hours glued to your feed, each Friday we'll be featuring a Instagram profile that always has us swooning over their gorgeous photography. First up is a long-time favourite – that of Dish recipe writer Sarah Tuck.

Sarah Tuck's lush, rustic style of food and travel photography, which she shares on her blog From the Kitchen, has attracted attention from around the world. Her photos are too beautiful to simply scroll past – below she shares some of the tips shes learned through creating, styling and photographing hundreds of her own recipes.

How did you first get into food styling?

I started while working for Annabel Langbein – I began working for her testing and doing recipe development, but quickly added prepping and styling for photoshoots, for her website, books and magazine.

 

A photo posted by Sarah Tuck (@fromthekitchen) on Feb 27, 2015 at 1:46pm PST

What tips would you have for someone wanting to improve their food photos?

Wow, there are so many things that will help straight off:

• Only use natural light, find good light sources with indirect sunlight for best results.
• Remove unnecessary mess from the background.
• Think about your angle – side on, over head or three-quarter shots work well.
• Think about the angle you're going to shoot at while plating up – is it a high, layered dish that will suit side on, or a flat one that will suit an overhead shot?
• Keep colours complementary and be careful they don't overwhelm the food, like bright prints or checks.
• Have your "background" organised and set up before you photograph. It's best not to have a plate of food in your hand and start thinking, "Now where shall I shoot this...?"
• Think about finishing the dish – would a dusting of icing, a drizzle of chocolate or a few basil leaves bring it to life?​​

 

A photo posted by Sarah Tuck (@fromthekitchen) on Jun 8, 2015 at 10:48pm PDT

​​What does it take for an image to grab your attention when scrolling through your feed?

I'm usually drawn in by the mood of the shot and by that I don't mean moody. Although, I do love a bit of dark and interesting, but I also love bright, sunshiny, clean and modern photography. I guess it is a strong identity I find interesting.

What do your followers tend to love most – sweet treats or savoury dishes?

Sweet, definitely!

 

A photo posted by Sarah Tuck (@fromthekitchen) on Aug 3, 2015 at 1:14am PDT

How often do you check social media each day?

Errm – Facebook probably at least 6–7 times a day and Instagram about 10–15... It depends also whether I have just posted something and then it's probably more often.

How do you go about searching for Instagram inspiration?

I use the "explore" option on Instagram, I follow most bloggers whose work I admire and then I will often see who those people are following or liking too.

Who are three of your favourite food accounts?

Okay, I have culled this to four, but could happily list 20.

Our Food Stories – @_foodstories_ 
Lady and Pups – @ladyandpups
Cook Republic/Sneh Roy – @cookrepublic
Top with Cinnamon – @izyhossack

And three non-foodie favourites worth following?

Kinfolk Magazine – @kinfolk 
Trendland – @trendland 
Joe St. Pierre – @joestpierre 

Have a rifle through Sarah Tuck's stunning blog From the Kitchen by clicking here or find her Instagram page here. She appears regularly in the pages of Dish as well as online in her fortnightly column "Tuck In".

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