World Photography Day is observed globally on August 19 to celebrate the art of capturing moments, emotions, and stories on film. These days, food pictures are gaining huge popularity on social media, with landscapes and portraits staying in the background. When it comes to bright colours, extreme textures, and mind-blowing elaborations, few cuisines can inspire like Indian chaat.

Indian snacks are a living showcase of visual drama and variety, from the golden crunch of samosas to the colour riot of a chaat platter. With a bit of creativity in plating, Snapshots of such Indian munchies can be turned into masterpieces worthy of celebrating World Photography Day. This blog delves into the details of creative plating techniques, photography pointers, and stylistic hacks, which make not just Indian snacks good to eat but also photogenic.

Plating Some Typical Indian Snacks - 

1. Go Minimal and Focus

Being Indian snacks, they are loaded with toppings. Imagine how untidy food photography will get! Instead, pick the star snack (think samosas) and decorate with minimal accompaniments such as a swirl of chutney or a sprinkle of coriander. 

Pro Tip: For Pakoras or Dhokla, opt for either white or black plates. They do not distract but rather set colours free.

2. Play With Height and Layers

Kachoris, pakoras, or onion bhajis get all flat if laid out side-by-side on a plate. Instead, layer them two or three high or lean one against the other for height and depth.

Example: An airy bunch of crispy pakoras with drizzled green chutney and a scattering of microgreens will instantly capture the viewer's gaze.

3. Use Props That Tell Stories

The true beauty of food photography lies in authenticity and expression. For Indian snacks, props such as brass plates, clay pots, banana leaves, or wooden boards add cultural richness.

Pro Tip: Serve pani puri in varsity-style brass tumblers with tiny ceramic bowls for flavoured water. Nostalgic and chic at the same time.

4. Use Sauces and Garnishes

Chutneys, sauces, and toppings are an essential part of Indian snacks. Thoughtfully use them:

• Make a happy-looking swirl of tamarind chutney.
• Set out tiny bowls of yoghurt or mint sauce next to sabudana arepas.
• Sprinkle some red chilli powder, sev, or pomegranate seeds for colour.

Pro-tip: When plating for chaat, do not mix everything before you take the photo. Layer the curd, chutneys, and toppings just before you shoot so that you have those lovely textures still fresh and ready for the camera.

5. Consider Movement and Action Shots

Sometimes the best photos aren't static. You might want to shoot pictures of you pouring the chutney over the dahi puri, squeezing lemon over the pakoras, or even hands breaking apart the samosa. Action shots bring a human element into the snack and show off how delicious and irresistible the snack will be when you try it!

Snack-by-Snack Plating Inspiration

1. Samosas

For your plate of samosas, consider a triangular harmony effect and stack the three samosas in a pyramid alignment. You can put the chutney dots around the plate or do something like a brushed tamarind in a streak on the side. You can add coriander leaves for freshness.

2. Chaat Platter

Chaat is already an explosion of colours; instead of mixing it all, you can plate it in a compartmentalised manner: yoghurt on one side, chutneys together in swirls, crunchy sev on top. You can also add edible flowers for that gourmet touch.

3. Pani Puri

Instead of using bowls, why not lay out the individual pani puris on a slate board or on a banana leaf in an arc, and instead of serving the flavoured water in bowls, serve it in small test tubes, or shot glasses to offer a contemporary feel?

4. Pakoras and Bhajis

The pakoras can be arranged to form a circular ring with dipping sauces in the centre. The onion bhajis can be stacked upright to form a cone-shaped structure, and drizzling chutney over the top can add to the dramatic effect.

5. Kathi Rolls

The kathi rolls can be sliced diagonally and stood upright inside a tall glass or cup, lined with parchment paper. Salad greens or onion rings hanging over the edge of the glass could add to the excitement!

Hacks for Lighting and Photography

Plating is just half the job. When your snacks are going to star in a photo for World Photography Day, the lighting and photography will help determine how they will shine:

1. Natural Light is your best friend. Position your snacks near a light source with natural light, specifically a window. Soft, diffused light is what you want. And make sure there are no bright overhead lights.

2. Use reflectors. A white sheet or board on the opposite side of the light will help to lessen the shadows and will create nice images.

3. Angles count:

• Top down (flat lay) works very well for thalis and snack platters,
• 45-degree angles are perfect for samosas or pakoras,
• Eye-level shots can help capture the layers in a Kathi roll or burgers.

4. Macro shots are beautiful. You can highlight the crunch of pakoras and the shiny chutney on dahi puri; this intimate capture can look mouth-watering!

Creative Themes for World Photography Day

If you want your Indian snacks photos to stand out, try using some of these to create themes:

• Street Style Nostalgia - Use newspaper cones, steel plates, and the roadside way of serving food as inspiration.
• Royal Plate - Serve snacks in silver thalis with saffron milk or rose petals to get a Mughal feel.
• Modern Minimalism - Go gourmet with a clean white plate, microgreens, and geometric placements of your snacks.
• Festive - Incorporate diyas, colourful cloth, or rangoli-style backgrounds with traditional items to create an Indian-themed celebration.

On World Photography Day, food photographers and food lovers have the opportunity to turn their dining tables into shoots. For those who love to photograph Indian snacks, whether it be samosas plated with creative chutney art or pani puris served in trendy glass, the options are limitless. Creative plating opens up the world of food photography and takes the food to another level of visual poetry.

So if you are a food stylist, an Instagram user, or just someone who loves evening pakoras, take this World Photography Day to try out new ways of playing with colour, textures, heights, and props and see how even the humblest Indian snack can be turned into something amazing through the lens of food photography.

Because, always, a well-plated samosa isn't just food — it's a story.