How to Photograph Your Bubble Tea

We previously covered the top 5 #BobaTea Instagram hashtags to follow. Now find out how to get those social-media ready photos.

Did you even drink bubble tea if you didn’t tell all your friends about it? These tips are guaranteed to take your social media posts to the next level. Whether you prefer milky classics or fruity flavours, getting that perfect shot is just a click away. Read on to find out how to photograph your bubble tea.

Photograph Your Bubble Tea – Top 5 Tips

 

1 – Rule of odds

You have 2 options when shooting your bubble tea: focus on one drink or capture multiple drinks in the same shot. If you’re shooting a single drink, hold the camera close to the beverage and far away from the background, this will keep only your drink in focus and add depth to your shot.

To photograph your bubble tea, use the rule of odds. This states that an odd number of subjects (try 3 or 5 drinks) produces a more visually pleasing outcome. It will allow you to more easily highlight one of the drinks as your main subject and provide a resting point for the eyes.

2 – Backlight your subject

Lighting is the most important factor when planning a photo and often the most difficult to get right. Placing the main light source directly behind and slightly above your drinks will really make them stand out and avoid those horrible reflections. A reflector facing the light source can also illuminate the front of the drinks to bounce the light back.

By placing your cup on a flat surface in natural sunlight, you can photograph your bubble tea from different angles to find the perfect shot.

3 – Try hard light

The reflections and shadows created by hard light on drinks can produce a very striking photo. The easiest approach is to use natural light, shooting on a sunny day outside or near a window with direct sunlight. For artificial light, you can experiment with the positioning to achieve your desired effect. Remember that the further away the light is, the longer the shadows will be.

Contrasting a fruity, flavourful, brightly coloured boba with hard light can create some truly striking images!

4 – Add a splash

If you want to create a really memorable photo, try dropping a tapioca ball or an ice cube into your bubble tea to make a splash. You will need to use a fast shutter speed to capture dynamic motion, and continuous shooting will prevent you from missing the best shot. This might take a few goes and make a bit of a mess, but the results will be well worth it!

5 – Tag your favourite boba shop

And finally, tag your favourite boba tea shop. Bubble tea is a great way of bringing people together and has a large following on social media. This will connect you to your local boba enthusiasts and open your eyes to the creations on offer.