Our friends at Panna Cooking know a thing or two about photographing food (in addition to cooking it). Since we’re on a constant mission to improve our #FoodPorn, we asked Panna’s resident photographer how he crafts that perfect, mouth-watering shot every time. And not surprisingly, our Food Porn host Michael Chernow utilizes all these tips in his personal Food Porn shots. Luckily for us, Michael was teaching us his Insta tricks all weekend long in the Food Porn studios at SXSW’s FYI Bite Club!

1. Use Natural Light

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Natural light is always best—but when that’s not available, try playing with the angle that light hits your food. Backlight, for instance, highlights texture and allows any steam or smoke to show up in the image.

2. Embrace the Rule of Thirds

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If you’re new to composition, we suggest starting with the rule of thirds. It works like this: Imagine your frame is divided into a nine-part grid (like sudoku). Your main subject—a burger, a slice of cake, a plate of barbeque—should be placed either along those lines or at their intersections.

3. See Things From a Different Angle

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For an image that stands out from all the rest, experiment with shooting your food overhead, tilted, or into the edge of the plate or table.

4. Use Props to Add Context

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Simple plates, cutlery, and raw ingredients are all fair game, because they help create a story around the food you’re shooting. Also, if you’re using a number of props, work with odd numbers to keep things visually interesting. For example: three grapes, not four, on your cheese plate.

5. Add a Human Element

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When in doubt, include a human touch. A (well-manicured!) hand holding a fork or reaching for the dish shows scale and creates a warmer, more approachable tone.