What is food photography?
Food photography shows food and drink so that it looks appetizing, or so that it tells a story about cooking, culture and the people behind a meal. It is used in cookbooks, magazines, restaurant menus, packaging and advertising, and today above all on blogs and social media. Most professional food pictures are made by a team: photographer, food stylist, prop stylist and often an art director.
Main approaches
Cookbook and editorial. Pictures that make a recipe look inviting and possible to cook at home. David Loftus has photographed more than 100 cookbooks, including most of Jamie Oliver’s books, almost always in daylight.
Advertising and packaging. Highly controlled studio pictures, where every crumb and drop is placed and the food is often prepared to last under the lights.
Food and culture. Stories about farmers, markets, kitchens and meals. Penny De Los Santos has photographed food and culture for Saveur and National Geographic.
Blogs and social media. Many food photographers began with their own blogs, for example Hélène Dujardin (Tartelette) and Katie Quinn Davies (What Katie Ate), who later published cookbooks.
Still life as art. Food as a subject for fine art, in the tradition of painted still lifes. See still life photography.
by David Loftus
History
Food appeared in photographs from the beginning, mostly as still life. William Henry Fox Talbot included A Fruit Piece in his book The Pencil of Nature (1844 to 1846). Around 1860 the British photographer Roger Fenton made still lifes of fruit and flowers.
Color printing made food a subject for magazines and advertising. In the 1930s and 1940s Nickolas Muray made bright color food pictures for magazines and advertisers with the three-color carbro process, and helped create the look of color advertising. Later, Irving Penn made precise still lifes of food for Vogue.
For decades, food pictures were made in studios with strong artificial light and food that was often not edible. From the 1990s, cookbooks and magazines moved toward natural light, real cooking and a more relaxed style. Blogs and Instagram then turned food photography into one of the most popular kinds of photography, with the overhead “flat lay” view as a typical format.
Techniques
Light. Most food photographers prefer soft side light or back light from a window, often softened with a diffuser and filled with a reflector. Back light makes drinks, sauces and steam glow.
Angle. Overhead works for flat dishes and table scenes. A low angle of about 30 to 45 degrees suits burgers, cakes and drinks with height.
Styling. Cook food slightly underdone so that it keeps its shape and color, add fresh herbs at the last moment and keep props simple. Small details, such as crumbs or a used spoon, make a scene look real.
Speed. Food changes fast: salads wilt, ice cream melts, sauces skin over. Set up light and composition with a stand-in plate first.
How to start
Start at home near a window, with one plate, a neutral background and a piece of white card as a reflector. Photograph the meals you cook from different angles and compare. A standard or short telephoto lens, or a phone, is enough. If you photograph in restaurants, ask the staff first and do not disturb other guests.
Books to start with
Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots by Nicole S. Young (Peachpit). A practical guide to light, styling and composition.
Plate to Pixel by Hélène Dujardin (Wiley, 2011). Digital food photography and styling from a former pastry chef.
by Helene Dujardin
Legacy
Food photography has changed how people cook and eat. Cookbook pictures set expectations for home cooking, advertising shaped the look of fast food, and social media made photographing a meal part of eating out. The genre also keeps the old tradition of the still life alive.
Discover food photographers · Food photography in the Photopedia Dictionary
Last updated: November 2026
