No.1 Guide For Food Photography – Shoot Like Pro

What is Food Photography?

Photography which captures photos of food which are attractive & for marketing they use photos in advertisements, magazines, pamphlets, menus & cooking books it is known as FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY.

What will you learn in this?

1. How to shoot for food photography?
2. From where to learn food photography?
3. How to start a food photography business with minimum money?
4. Conclusion
5. QnA
6. FAQ

1. How to shoot for food photography?

In this type of photography, you don’t need DSLRs or SLRs. If you have then, good you can take more awesome photos. But if you don’t have don’t worry because you can click on your mobile phones & for this, you don’t need light.

If your food is small means like dry food or “NASHTA” then you have to purchase a tent (a white color transparent tent) with that you can shoot products.

For this what you need is phone or DSLR camera, a tripod stand, a transparent TENT, a mobile holder/grip.

TENT

E.g. If you want to shoot a toy then place your smartphone on the mobile grip of the tripod stand & place it on transparent TENT.

Then click photos of toy with each & every angle so that if customer watches the product they can see it with 360°.

CAMERA

Talking about cameras there is no need to buy a DSLR camera for this you can shoot with your smartphone camera in starting.

After 6-8 months if your business increases then shift to DSLR cameras. Thus don’t afraid of using your smartphone camera.

TRIPOD

If you are shooting any type of photography then you must use a tripod. Because you get benefit from that i.e. you can equally balance the phone & taking measured photos.

Tripod is not that costly to buy & if you buy then it is not a waste of money it is an investment. For photos, a consistency tripod is a powerful instrument.

LIGHTS

In this you don’t need artificial light.

We use Natural sunlight for food photography.

So decide it because mostly food photography is done outdoors. So I recommend you to not use artificial light so that your photos become clear & customer also satisfies with your work.

When buyers or customers came & saw your photos then it comes with the mindset that the look of the food is awesome & they like it. So light matters a lot.

Choose your light accordingly. Natural light is sunlight & it is also known as soft light so when you go for the shoot of food photography then adjust the light with the diaphragm, shutter speed, ISO, Aperture & last option white balance.

A Mobile Holder/Grip

In every tripod they give a grip where you can attach your phone with tripod & shoot perfectly or you can use a Bluetooth to click photos by standing at a distance.

It helps you to hold your mobile & capture photos easily.

2. From where to learn food photography?

Nowadays, there are so many online platforms that teach photography. Some are paid & some are free and easily available. For example YOUTUBE it is the largest collection of videos & you get all kind of videos.

So, from my side I recommend you YouTube is the best platform for learning.

Still, if you want to go deep & want genuinely to learn, then I recommend you UDEMY. It is perfect for all types of courses.

In starting when I want to learn the photography I bought that course.

Even I randomly went to some photographer’s studio to learn that How they shoot food photography, How to place a camera on the perfect angle, How to focus, How to cover line & length, and many more.

There are so many options to learn photography. Everyone is ready to teach but no one is ready to learn. I just want a player to play & learn photography.

It’s up to you; do you want to learn? Or just for showing friends, relatives that I am doing photography. If you can’t answer that question then you are living in an illusion.

Try to come out from that as early as possible.  

3. How to start a food photography business with minimum money?

I) Collect Information

First of all, you have to learn how to select an angle for food photography, how to shoot for it, and all.

So if you start any business you always need some money there is no business which can be started with no money. Well, before you start any business research your idea as much as you can & take out information about it.

You can search on Google and what the result you get, write it & think on it that is the information is helpful to your business or not? If yes then try to apply to your business.

II) What do you need?

Firstly you need information, correct information. For this what you need is phone or DSLR camera, a tripod stand, a transparent TENT, a mobile holder/grip.

You need these all instruments in starting because it is necessary instruments without that we cannot shoot food photography.

All types of studio light are not needed because for taking amazing photos you need that & if the customer satisfied with that then, there is a high possibility that he/she will come back to you for more food product shoot.

Now, talking about light gadgets they are an important part of photography but in food, photography lights are not needed because without light we can shoot.

III) Find your target audience

Now this is a task for you that you have to find your target audience. How will you find? You should know who is your target audience.

So think about this question & ask your mind? Search on Google, observe around you, ask any photographer, then think who will come to you for the shoot of their food product with you? Who are they? Why you started this business?

The answer is people who work for Zomato, Swiggy & uber, etc. will come because they have to show photos on Zomato, Swiggy & uber of their products.

Therefore they had come to you to do so. Merchants, chefs & restaurant are your target audience.

So in this way, you found your target audience & using digital marketing you can rank yourself on top so that those who are working for these food sites will know you & they contact you for their work.

IV) Ideas to grow your business

a) When you start your food photography business, in starting for 6 months do it with charging less money to people. So, this will spread the word by mouth to people.

More Merchants, chefs & restaurants will come to you.

b) You can do digital marketing & run ads on social media.

c) In starting when you do shoot for food photography record some videos & save some photos with you because with this you can show to other Merchants, chefs & restaurant that you had done this work & show them that video.

Well, there are so many ideas to grow but now you think & try that in your business plan. Because if I tell ideas your thinking power will not develop. So grow & think.        

V)Back-up plan

An entrepreneur will always have a BACK-UP plan and not in business but everyone should have backup plans for everything they do in their life. If you are doing business then you should always have an alternative to it.

For example, I am running the business of photography and I failed then what happened? Who will be responsible for that? At that time family also not support me.

So at that time if I have a backup plan then I don’t have tension so I work smoothly.

And one more important thing is to choose a backup plan of your field only like if I do photography of wedding and in that, I failed then I change to portfolio photography or any other photography but I will not change my profession.

You don’t do like if you are a photographer your business plan fails then you cannot be a doctor, engineer, etc. BACKUP will be with the same profession DO NOT change it.

So now this all are the points which I had covered above in point no.3 if you want to follow then you can & in this all not so much money is used.

This process is not of 1 day it takes times but you will enjoy it.

4. Conclusion

From the above discussion, I conclude that if you are a photographer then always think about how to use less money & get more output and always collect information of your business before starting it & research it deeply.

Also think about new ideas to grow your business & keep busy yourself learning new things.

5. QnA

6.FAQ