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Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be a food photographer? How does one turn the art of photography into a career?
As it turns out, there’s more to this profession than simply taking pictures of food. In this blog post, I explore the different paths one might take in this highly rewarding, exciting career.
What is a Food Photographer?
In the simplest terms, a food photographer specializes in making food as tantalizing as possible for a specific purpose. In some cases, this might be showing as much detail as possible, so that a consumer scanning the shelves at a grocery store will understand — at a glance – what a package contains.
In others, food photography less about a visual explanation of food and more about making viewers feel a certain way. Editorial photography, as this genre is called, is more likely to find its way into a cookbook or onto social media, where the story that the photos tell is the product.
Commercial Food Photography
Commercial food photography is broad category that includes product packaging and advertising. The end results are shared in catalogues, billboards, menus and in online advertisements.
Product Photography
When it comes to products, the visual description is everything. With the right photograph, a product can be transformed from a simple object into something that is irresistibly appealing.
Because of this direct objective, commercial photography usually involves brand collaboration. Photographers often work closely with a brand’s art director, adopting the brand’s own shot list.
While requiring a high degree of skill and being lucrative, commercial food photography, especially for product packaging, can feel creatively limiting. Color schemes, prop selection and framing are often highly directed by the brand.
Advertising Photography
Food photographers shooting for advertisements may find more creative leeway in those jobs. The shot list, while likely still heavily dictated by the brand and constrained by layout requirements and advertising regulations, is more likely to require an editorial eye.
Editorial Food Photography
Editorial food photography is all about capturing the lifestyle and culture surrounding food. These types of images are often used in magazines, social media and cookbooks.
Editorial food photography tells a story, seeking to evoke certain emotions in its viewer. It’s often less direct than commercial food photography in its messaging, seeking to tell a story rather than selling a product.
In this setting, food photographers are likely to be hired for their creative capabilities as much as their technical skills. Composition, color theory, prop selection, lighting and exposure can be used across the shot list to entice a viewer to try a recipe, buy a cookbook or even just follow a creator on social media.
Want to explore editorial photography? Read my Storytelling Through Food Photography blog post next!
Food Photography: Finding Your Niche
Discovering what types of food photography appeal to you is part of development. It’s not a decision that needs to be made at the outset of your journey. Often, it doesn’t need to be made at all. Food photographers with strong editorial skills can reasonably engage in commercial food photography and vice versa.
Despite this fluidity, many food photographers discover that they have a preference and choose only to do that type of work. As you set out to build your food photography business, consider spending time building your skills in both areas. Over time, your strengths will come into focus (pun intended).
