There are three core camera angles in food photography: the flatlay, the straight on, and the 45 degree.
While typically referred to as the 45 degree angle, this style of shooting covers anything from around a 25 to 75 degree angle, which essentially is anything between a straight on shot and a flatlay.
The food generally guides me here, as the angle that looks best will depend on the texture, layers and details of each individual subject.
I use the 45 degree angle whenever I want to capture both the detail on top of my subject, and on the side.
Typically, flatter foods look best with an angle of 45 degrees upwards as there’s more detail in the surface of the food than the side, while taller subjects suit a lower angle.
The 45 degree angle can also act as an incredible powerful tool for mental stimulation - in other words, getting people to imagine themselves eating your food.
This is because the 45 degree angle typically mimics a person’s line of sight if they were to sit down at the table ready to eat a meal, so it’s always worth considering if you’re keen to use your imagery to make more sales.