Have you been shooting for years but feel stuck in a creative rut when it comes to your food photography?
Or maybe you’re a beginner and are endlessly frustrated that your images don’t live up to those you envision in your head.
It feels like you’re not growing. That your food photos will never look like those in your favourite Instagram feeds or foodie magazines.
When I first picked up a camera to shoot my first food photos thirteen years ago, I never imagined that I would be a food photographer one day. And no matter how hard I worked, it took years to see progress in my photos. Yet I kept going because I loved it so, and saw a glimmer of promise in my earliest of images.
Now I work as a commercial food photographer and teach food photography at an art college. Yet every year I review my body of work and observe that my images are better than those I shot the previous year. I still have ambitions for my work. Lighting techniques to master. Composition techniques I want to try, colour theory that I want to experiment with.
Being an artist of any ilk is a lifelong endeavour, but over the years I’ve found that there are ways to accelerate your growth as a food photographer. In this post, I’m going to share some of the tips that I’ve learned—some that I wish I’d implemented a lot sooner.
Study and Shoot Other Genres of Photography
There is a time and place for studying the food imagery of other photographers, especially in the beginning. It can help you learn how your light should look, good placement for the subject and supporting elements in a food scene, and how to approach the use of colour and texture to create mouthwatering photos.
But eventually you’ll want to move on from this and study the images of photographers from other genres—especially the greats such as Henri Cartier Bresson, Imogen Cunningham, and Irving Penn. They have a lot to teach you about light and composition.
You may also want to shoot other genres of photography, if you don’t already. Even if you have no intention of becoming a portrait or landscape photographer, practicing outside your genre can be helpful in expanding your skill set.
Study the Use of Light, Composition and Colour in Classical Paintings
I am the photographer that I am today thanks to what I have learned from studying classical paintings, particularly Old Masters such as Caravaggio and Vermeer.
Formally studying Art History in Florence Italy during my university days was something I did for fun; it wasn’t a part of my core group of studies. Little did I know that studying the way the artists utilized colour and light would inform my work as a photographer decades later. Given a choice, my work echoes the shadow play and moody atmospheres that drew me to classical painting so many years ago.
If you think that classical art has no relevance to food photography, look closely at the way Vermeer captures light and contrast in his paintings and you may reconsider.
Set Aside Time Every Week To Practice
As a food photographer, you may not necessarily be shooting every week. Professional food photography shoots take so much planning and prep
that a weekly gig can add up to a very intense schedule. If you shoot professionally, your calendar may be filled with marketing and administrative tasks like pitching, creating estimates and invoices, or doing your bookkeeping.
As busy as you are, setting a couple of hours aside every week to shoot can help you progress quickly in your food photography. If you have the time for a more complex shoot that allows you to practice your styling skills, that’s great but not a necessity. Grabbing some pieces of fruit and using them as a subject to practice your lighting can be a valuable exercise that can help you on future shoots.
Every successful artist has a daily practice. That may be very difficult for you to cultivate as a food photographer, but the more you can practice your skills, the better.
Regularly Shoot Personal Projects
As in the previous tip, when you have back-to-back shoots and your to-do list is as long as your arm, shooting personal projects may be the last thing on your mind.
However, undertaking an extensive personal project a couple of times a year can really help you accelerate your growth as a food photographer.
There are multiple reasons why you should consider shooting a personal project. Getting to shoot whatever you want is a lot more fun that shooting for clients, who usually impose a lot of restrictions and can make you feel like a button pusher. It’s a great way to get out of a creative rut and push your skills.
There is also an added professional benefit in that a personal project can help you diversify your portfolio, or get you noticed by potential clients that you might want to work with. You can implement key trends or fill in gaps in your portfolio, and even push yourself to learn new lighting techniques.
Creatives and photo buyers understand the value of personal projects,
which is why you’ll see that many photographers have personal projects under a separate tab on their website.
Take an In-Person Lighting Class
I’m obviously a big supporter of online education. There are many online classes and memberships where you can learn a lot about lighting in general, and for food photography in particular.
That being said, nothing beats taking a lighting course in-person, if you can swing it, especially if you’re not super technical. This is the reason that after a couple of years of trying to learn on my own, I decided to go to photography school. Having someone personally walk you through various lighting set-ups and having the opportunity to get feedback and correction on your process can be invaluable.
However, you don’t have to sign up for a whole photography program like I did. Many colleges and photography schools have a Continuing Education curriculum where you can sign up for a lighting class that you can attend in the evening or on weekends.
Not only will you get to work with an experienced instructor personally, you’ll also likely have a chance to use high-end expensive equipment that you may not otherwise access.
Find Peers for Mutual Support
It can be lonely out there as a food photographer. You may be spending most of your time on the back end of your business: pitching clients, sending out proposals and invoices, or even shooting commissioned work solo in your home studio.
Having likeminded peers to engage with can help you grow as a food photographer not only because you can get valuable feedback on your work from an impartial eye, but also from the emotional support a peer can give you. Engaging in Facebook groups and on Instagram is a good start, but having a photographer friend or two can be infinitely valuable.
The photographic industry has always been very competitive, but more and more you can find a sense of community and photographers more open to sharing their secrets.
That being said, you may find the best support from friends who shoot in other genres than food, or those who do not compete for food photography clients in the same city as you.
Keep an Inspiration Journal
Ideas can come and go as quickly as a flash of lightning. Writing them down in a journal can ensure they keep until you’re ready to implement them.
You can keep a file on your computer or go analog with a notebook. I recommend the latter, as it slows you down and connects you more deeply with the process. Collect inspirational images, create mood boards, and keep notes of your observations of your shoots and what you learned about them.
Not only is art journaling is a long-recognized practice within creative therapy approaches, it has been shown to encourage creativity and problem solving.
An inspiration journal can help you track your artistic progress, or even preserve your artistic journey for future generations. Think of the notebooks of Leondardo Davinci!
Invest in a Mentor
Investing in a mentor early on is something I did when I started my photography business. I also went to photography school and had instructors who served as my mentors. Having the support of people further along in their creative journey was invaluable for me as not only a business person but also as an artist.
When it comes to your photography, it can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. You’re too close to your work. Having an experienced guide that can help you put your best food forward can fast track your growth as a food photographer exponentially.
A business coach can give you invaluable guidance on pricing and estimating your work, and mentor who is experienced on the creative side can provide you with feedback and help you curate a body of work that will help you get your dream clients.
Conclusion
Sometimes becoming a better food photographer can be a very slow process. However, this doesn’t mean that you should grind away for years without seeing progress. These tips were what helped me on my food photography journey and much of what I advise here is still useful to me today.
As a photographer, mastery of your craft is a long and winding road that may never end. This is actually the exciting part. After all, it’s about the journey, not the destination.
Want more business advice? Work with me one-to-one I one of my mentorship programs. Whether you want to develop a marketing plan, need help with your pricing, or a supporting sounding board for your photography business, I can help!
