With so many photographers out there, what sets us apart is our style and personality. As a new photographer, it is often something you think about.
You most likely have taken up food photography as you’ve been inspired by images you’ve come across in your day to day life. Now, you’re asking yourself, what’s my food photography style?
Some people have a clear idea of what they want their style to be from other creative fields they’ve pursued in life. For others, this feels completely new!
Just remember that we all start from the same place and finding our style is something every photography needs to go through. In this post, I want to share 5 steps to take to discover your food photography style.
Discover Your Food Photography Style
At the point where you decide that you want to be a photographer, whether professional or as a hobby, something shifts within you and you’re eager to start creating imagery, stories, works of art.
Yet at the beginning, something is missing. You stare at the images and they don’t quite feel right.
Not to say that you aren’t proud of the work you’re producing or how you are progressing, but the images don’t quite feel like yours yet.
Finding your style in photography is like any worthwhile relationship. It takes time to build.
If I look back on my food photography journey I would say it took me a few years to work out what my style is. Some of that was because social media wasn’t huge for food photography when I started and there were nearly zero resources on it, (which is one of the reasons why I started this blog).
After shooting for 10 years, my food photography style has even evolved over that period of time. It’s like fashion, it’s never finished. I find that exciting because it means there are always new ideas for me to discover. Just like life, it is about the journey and not the destination.
One of the key things to remember is that you want to have fun discovering your style during that time.
Let’s take a look at the five steps to discover your food photography style.
STEP 1: Get Comfortable with Photography Technique
Food photographers have a tough gig. Creating an entire still life scene from nothing is hard! Not only that, but we have to cook and style the food too. Wearing four hats, photographer, stylist, chef and food stylist!
So that you can focus on finding your food photography style, I recommend getting comfortable with photography techniques so it becomes second nature.
Learn how to shoot on manual mode, understand the best aperture to use for food and what camera settings will get you to your creative vision. Until you have figured this out, your style won’t be able to fully develop.
Then you can focus your energy on playing with different compositions and styles.
If you need to brush up on your photography technique you can take my Photography Fundamentals Blog Series for free.
If shots you like, involve capturing movement then you will need to understand your camera settings and technique in order to capture them.
STEP 2: Find What Truly Inspires Your Food Photography Style
Inspiration is all around us, all the time. Yet, it can take a keen and well-trained eye to decipher what you actually find inspiring about an image. When you find that image that really moves you, gets that fire burning inside of you, that’s when you know you are on the right path to unleashing your food photography style.
What most new photographers don’t yet understand is it’s usually not the entire photo that inspires them, but elements within that photo.
If you find an image that you love, that doesn’t give you permission to copy that image and pass it off as your own. Your challenge instead is to break down that image and find what about the image is inspiring. This is where Step 3 comes in, but we will get there in a moment.
I suggest that you start a mood or inspiration board. You can use Pinterest or Instagram for this, but I like to use Bublup. One of the reasons that I like Bublup is that I can save anything from around the web or on my computer to a mood board folder.
Check out the blog post I did on How to Create a Professional Moodboard.
If you start to look at images every day, your subconscious will start to absorb all sorts of things that your creative brain will come to use later.
STEP 3: Reading Images That Inspire You
Now that you have a bunch of images saved to a mood board that inspire you, we are ready to pinpoint ‘what’ it is about the image that intrigues you so much. These will be the elements that you’ll want to pursue on your journey to finding your food photography style, now that technique is becoming your second nature.
What exactly do I mean by ‘reading images’? Reading the image is a way to determine how the photographer captured and styled the shot. Ask yourself:
- What angle is this shot at? (Straight on, 45 degrees, overhead)
- What depth of field has been used?
- Where is the light coming from? (side light, backlight)
- Are there shadows and are they harsh or diffused?
- Is the image bright or dark?
- What props has the photographer used?
- Is the image highly stylised, or minimalist?
- What interesting details are present in the food?
- What textures are present in the props and background?
Look at all the images that really speak to you and work out if there is a trend in these elements you are seeing.
This image by photography Matt Armendariz still inspires me years after I first saw it.
Reading this image, the reasons I am drawn to it are I love the:
- Contrasty lighting
- Simplicity and minimalism
- Perfect food styling
- Details looks at without the use of excessive props.
- Chiaroscuro theme
STEP 4: Do it Better – Make it Your Food Photography Style
In The Passionate Photographer by Steve Simon, Steve made an interesting point that there are very limited new ideas out there in photography that haven’t already been explored, (maybe that saddens you?), but the greatest thing is that there is only one you and no one can do it as you can.
Once you have read a bunch of images that you connect with, pick some of the elements to play around with – do it better. The point is not to necessarily be groundbreaking, but to create something better by letting the process be true to you. Make it yours, in other words.
Stick with exploring the elements that interest you, not all of the image features, and over time you’ll start to see a pattern with how you execute those elements. This will be your food photography style, finally.
Trust is also a huge element. Trust that with time and practice you will find your style. How long it will take is unique and personal to each photographer.
Bea Lubas is a huge inspiration for me. I am always taking elements from her photos and making them my own. Here are some examples.
I was so inspired by the colours in this image, that I embarked on creating a photo that included pink, yellow and blue for a completely different subject. Also, I like the moody lighting, so kept that idea with the image I created. Being inspired doesn’t mean that you should re-create the entire image as is.
Please note: There is a fine line between copying another photographers work and using the elements of an image as a base to explore. I think all honest and passionate photographers know the difference. If you copy an image for educational purposes, don’t pass it off as your own. Maybe you won’t be publicly sharing this image. Use it as an educational exercise only.
STEP 5: Act, Practice and Enjoy
It does take time to find your style, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy this time!
If you’re like me and a lot of other humans, we just want to read something, take something or have a magic wand and boom. We are better or proficient at something.
Finding your style doesn’t happen that way. The good news is that photography is a journey and there will be many hours with your camera and editing that you will simply just enjoy. The bad news is that your first 10,000-15,000 images will be your worst. So you’ll want to get cracking on chipping away at that number.
Practising photography should be enjoyable and the best way to do this is to find or create a project you are not only passionate about but one that is going to challenge you.
I think the turning point for me in terms of finding what style I really wanted to shoot was when I shot an entire cookbook with 55+ recipes every weekend for a month.
With almost no budget and little time, I created some great images, but deep down I knew they weren’t exactly what made my heart sing. It was through this challenging project I worked out what it was I really wanted to create.
Since then I’ve sought creative projects to explore ideas, learn and evolve my food photography style.
I set out to discover texture by undertaking a black and white food photography project.
5 Actions to Discover Your Food Photography Style
1 – Read a Food Photography Book Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardan
There are a number of great books you can read on food photography (in addition to this blog!). My top three recommendations are:
- How to Photograph Food by Bea Lubas
- Picture Perfect Food by Joanie Simon
- Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin.
2 – Create a Free Mood Board on Bublup
Save anything from around the web into one place so you can find images that you love. Make sure to add images you aspire to create. Click this post to learn more about Mood Boards.
3 – Find elements in images that interest you
Once you have your Mood Board set up, pick a couple of similar images and find out what those elements are. Write them down in order of difficulty (if you can) and interest.
4 – Put those elements into practice
Put regular time aside to practice those elements that you wrote down. This might include doing a bit of research online and practising. Get your hands on some delicious baked goods, cakes, cupcakes, sourdough loaves, they make for simple and beautiful subjects so you can focus on exploring the elements.
5 – Create a project to practice those elements
Once you have put some time aside to explore those elements, create yourself a project for you to practice and build upon. This might look like working on an image for your Instagram daily, a 365 day project on your blog or an A-Z project undertaken each week.
Remember to have fun and frustration is a sign that you are challenging yourself. So make sure not to be too hard on yourself.
Becky Winkler
Great post! I love these ideas, and you’ve inspired me to revisit the Pinterest board I already have for food photography and really nail down what moves me about each image.
Rachel Jane
Hey Becky – this is so great to hear. I wish you the best of luck with it and I’d love to know how this goes for you. I have taken a peek at your Pinterest board and it looks fab. Some great ideas in there. Keep in touch!
Susan
Thanks for the post – really useful. I think I’m still in the pre-figuring out my style phase. I’m still a bit all over the place in terms of trying for different images and have multiple folders for favourite images, generally divided into ‘rustic’, ‘light’, ‘dark’ and ‘dramatic’. You can see it’s going to be hard to find MY style in all of that!
Rachel Jane
Hey Susan, I am so pleased to hear that you got something out of this. It sounds like it might be a case of not being able to see the forest for the trees. I’d bet within all of those photos there would be some similar elements that you can focus on. That might be as simple as the way they style their food or props, the movement the shot creates, the mood, so many things. I do love bright images, but I also am drawn to dark. The constant in both of those is the use of highlights. I just love highlights. So whilst I might shoot a dark image, I feel it is still my style because of the way I capture them.I’d be more than happy to chat to you about the elements in these photos if that would make a difference to the journey you are on. Anytime, flick me an email [email protected]. Remember there is no right or wrong here!
Susan
Hi Rachel. Just wanted to say a massive ‘thank you’ for your generous and thoughtful advice regarding my food photography. You’ve provided a clear pathway to help guide me towards better food photos and I’m so excited to get started! You’re the best!!
Monika
Thank you for your courage! I tend to be impatient and sometimes frustrated when my pictures do not look like I imagined. But it needs time and practise and I already see the difference in my pictures now and 2 -3 years before. You just have to keep trying, look around and get inspired every day…
Rachel Jane
Hey Monika! You are welcome, thank you for sharing this. I totally feel frustrated ALL the time, and that usually means that I am pushing myself and trying something that I am not completely comfortable with, which is when we grow. Actions is always better then inaction and will lead you closer to where you want to be. I am so pleased to hear that you can see a difference in your pics. Best of luck!
Kiki
What a great post, Rachel Jane! As you know, I’ve been following for the past 3 years, and it was you who made me pick up Plate To Pixel after I had stopped at the first chapter. I’ve been admiring your photography all this time, especially how it developed and turned out so beautiful.
Personally, I’ve been stuck in a rut with my own photography for a while, because I felt I couldn’t get my visions into a picture. I didn’t know if what I currently do has become my style because of a lack of imagination or if it’s a case of not knowing how to take the next step. What I do know is that I don’t really want it to be my style, I want to develop it. By "it" I mean all three elements – photography, styling and props.
I’ve actually just come back from a food photography workshop with Helene Dujardin, and I have a lot to think about. I know it will take some (even a lot) of time for me to process everything I learned there, and your post couldn’t have come at a better time to assist in this thought process, so thank you for that and the great timing!
Rachel Jane
Hey Kiki, I am thrilled (and slightly jealous) that you attended her workshop! Good for you. I am sure that you have a lot to process, and I have taken a well overdue peek at your blog today and I can totally see a massive improvement in your technique. You should be so proud of yourself. I don’t think that you lack imagine, I think (for me at least), when one lacks direction or organisation, that makes us struggle with the work we want to produce. If you ever want to chat about how to take the next step, or even what that might look like for you, please shoot me an email. I would love nothing more than to chat to you about it. Sometimes it just takes an outside perspective to see something that we are blind to because we have been staring at it for too long! Anytime, [email protected].
Please keep in touch and let me know how you go!
Kiki
Thank you so much for your offer to chat! I’d really love to do that, and once I’m home and have started processing what I’ve learned, I’m sure I’ll appreciate a chat as well as advice, especially from someone whose pictures I adore!Talk to you soon.
Karene'
Hi Rachel Jane, I love the way you broke this all down into manageable steps. I’ve been shooting for many years, but it took me a really long time to realise that you can’t find your style inside of you, while sitting in a vacuum, but that you need to open yourself up – be eclectic, look at what everyone else is doing and absorb bits that feel right. We need to learn from others all the time. Everyone absorbs different things, which keeps us all slightly different. Then a little bit of gut feel can come into it after you’ve found your way. You’ve summed up a wonderful reminder of the process. I think it is an ever-growing process that I need to return to regularly. I love your clean, serene style. Good to be hearing from you again.(Very jealous of the Helene Dujardin workshop too! )
Rachel Jane
Hi Karene, It’s so great to hear from someone who has been shooting for some time! You are totally right and I love how you have expressed finding style as opening yourself up and being eclectic. Everyone does absorb things differently, that is so very true. I think writing this post has allowed (and reminded me) that it is all a journey and I need to keep creating and pushing myself and this is the exact process I need to walk through to get there.
Jo
Each this post is BRILLIANT!! I think its hard sometimes to even recognize your own style because you know everything that went into a shot and you’re not just seeing the finished product. I was shocked when someone told me that when they one of my Insta posts they know right away its my photo – I think I have the most inconsistent style because I love trying new things and exploring – much like what I love it life : Variety. Do you think its important to have and stick to a particular style or be adaptable especially when it comes to working with different clients needs? I know I feel way better about my work I am producing photos of a consistent quality. Plate to Pixel is what got me started too!!!
Jo
Silly auto correct – Rach not each!! 🙂
Rachel Jane
Haha, I know. This happens a lot. It drives my husband crazy!
Rachel Jane
Thanks Jo! So pleased you enjoyed it. It is funny, sometimes we are so involved in the work that we produce we find it hard to look at it for what it is. I totally would be able to pick which images are yours, as I know what your ‘look’ is or when your work reflects you. I do often wonder if people would be able to do the same for my work!
I definitely think that one needs to adaptable and flexible to shoot varying client needs, however the work will always reflect the direction of your style. I think clients approach certain photographers because they want their project to be executed with your eye and artistic visions. If someone approached me with a concept that I didn’t think was within my realm of ability, I’d have a conversation with the client to set expectations and what the work would look like if I executed it.
Aysegul Sanford
Dearest Rachel,These are incredibly helpful techniques. I totally agree about the fact that it takes time. And most of the time we do not like this fact, but it is a reality.When I started back in 2013, I had a couple of people that I admired but as time went by I immersed myself in the community and started liking people who are completely different. At times it was (and still is) a painful process, but in a way it is almost like learning about yourself and how you see the world. I did benefit so much from Helene DuJardin’s book as well. I still follow her to this day and she is always amazing. Another book that I learned from was called "Steal Like an Artist" by Austin Kleon. It talks about what you said – Learn from others work by analyzing and trying to figure out what you like about them and apply those things to your own work. It was such an eye opener for me. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Your style is one that I admire and learn from regularly.Sending lots of Caribbean sunshine to your way! XOXO
Rachel Jane
Oh you are so very welcome! Recently I was told by someone that they could see how impatient I was and wanting it all to happen right away. This is a reminder that it is about the journey and not the destination. Who did you admire in the beginning and who do you admire now?I was also directed to that book, but have not read it yet. I actually have it book marked to read in the future along with a few of his others. I really enjoyed writing this post and find it so fulfilling that my experience can help others. Thanks for stopping by. See you on IG!
nanette
I love this! This is so insightful and helpful. Thank you so much for sharing!
Rachel Jane
So great to hear that Nanette! I’d love to know what was your one main takeaway from this?
Giulia
Hi Rachel, thank you for this inspiring post. I’ve been blogging for more than 6 years now, and I learnt food photography by admiring other food bloggers and photographers and reading Helene’s book. Recently I was lacking inspiration and I was looking at my pictures and thinking there was something which needed some improvement. I’m working on this now, and your article is really what I needed to make a step further in my investigation. Thank you, I’ll follow you to learn more!
Rachel Jane
Hey Giulia, it is so lovely to hear from you and that you got something out of this post. I find that there is a lot of resources for beginners, but not so much for those wanting to make the leap into a new space. I would really love to hear how this journey goes for you! Take care and best of luck!
Rachael
Thanks for this post Rachel – very inspirational! I love improving and growing as a budding food photographer, but I often feel like I’m getting stale, so a new perspective is a wonderful thing. I’m going to set myself an A-Z challenge as I read Helene’s book. Thanks.
Rachel Jane
It is sure Rachael, and it happens to everyone whether they are just starting out or a seasoned photographer. Challenges are a great thing to do. I should dig up my old A-Z images and share them for everyone to see the improvements in my work. Should be a good laugh.
Maeve
Thanks so much for writing this all out for the world.. I’m studying photography and doing my final portfolio on food photography and have really gotten sort of stuck. This post was like a wake up call and a reminder of why I love photography and especially food photography so much. Truly inspiring. Thanks for kicking my butt back into gear! Ready to finish my semester strong x
Rachel Jane
Hi Maeve, I am so pleased to hear it. It is always nice to find that motivation again, what a great feeling. Best of luck with your final semester – how exciting!
Lauren
Oh hey! It’s me! 😉 Grateful to have a moment to myself this Thanksgiving morning to spend some time with your beautiful work and blog. I love this post! It’s amazing to me how much of our journey is similar. I was in a photography class years ago when my teacher said that I should try to grab a copy of Plate to Pixel. Isn’t that book amazing? I’ve done a workshop with Helene and she’s just as wonderful (if not more so) in real life. I don’t shoot food as much anymore but I’m always drawn to your work, and I love your five steps. Another step that helped me (because I’m verbal) was to come up with three words that defined my style. This took a lot of thought and a narrowing down of a much longer list! Now, when I shoot, I try to have those words in my head. Doing so creates cohesion, at least I hope it does!
Looking forward to continuing this conversation. You always inspire me!
Rachel Jane
I am so grateful for this response and that you took time out of your Thankgiving day, I feel very blessed. So thank you too!I feel that a lot of our journeys are the same and that we shouldn’t have to do it alone. The most powerful part of being creative is working as a team and as a community. That is when the most incredible things happen. I am so intrigued by this concept of the three words and would love to continue the conversation. I am a very visual person, but I ‘see’ words too! I will shoot you an email.
Kym Grimshaw
Hello from not so sunny England!
I’ve been a lover of your work through Instagram and Pinterest for a short while now, I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to read your blog but I made it! So glad I did 🙂
This post is really useful as a reminder that these things do take time. I’ve just started my food blog and have already found myself getting tirelessly frustrated with my photography and styling, I want everything to be perfect NOW! That being said I do enjoy it, I’m going to pay more attention to the journey. The A – Z of vegetables project is a fab idea to help with this! Thank you for the motivation.
Rachel Jane
Hey Kym, thanks for making the journey over to the blog! I am so glad you did too.
Things indeed do take time and I am so classic gen y and want everything to be perfect now as well. It is interesting how we resist the desire to be frustrated, when in fact it is these occurrences that actually make us think differently and get us where we need to go!
Elle
Thanks so much for the inspiring and insightful read! Always so great to read about others experiences. Thanks for sharing!
Rachel
Oh you are very welcome Elle!
betty
This is fantastic. There’s been much unsettlement in the community about imitation and the very thin line between inspiration and outright copying, but I think you summed it up really well. But there is another side to it – not only is there the novice taking on inspiration (which inevitably happens in our small community, so well connected via social media) who has to be wary of toeing the line, but I’ve also been seeing (sadly), those with established styles who go paranoid on thinking everyone is copying them. I love that you’re sharing your thoughts – thank you for this! I’m going to be sharing this!
Rachel
Hey Betty! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It is definitely a changing world and the access to photography is unparalleled. I really think Steve Simon said it the best, ‘everything’s been done before, do it better’. It really allows you to take the concepts you love and roll it into work that is your own. It’s so interesting because I find that I can’t replicate someone else’s style. It always looks like my work. Appreciate you sharing this perspective!
Sarah Thompson
I have just discovered your website today (via Jonathan Thompson so big thank you to him!) and have been reading avidly all afternoon. Thank you for being so generous in your sharing of tips and inspiration, I’m loving it all!
I’m only just starting my food photography journey but would love to do it in the long term. Reading through your 5 steps (I’ve read and long been equally evangelical about ‘Pixel to Plate’ – wonderful book) I decided to really examine my food Pinterest board (loooove Pinterest!) and found it really didn’t need much examining for the moody shots to stand out so I guess that might be where my true style lies. Goes to show how easy it is to miss something that’s staring you in the face, just takes someone else to point you in the right direction. This is my board so you can see how laughingly obvious it is! https://uk.pinterest.com/sltphoto/food-for-thought/
Thanks Rachel, onward and upward x
Rachel
Hey Sarah, lovely to meet you. Yes JT is a superstar. Glad you found this post helpful and that moody shots have found a way into your heart. Now all you need is practice and patience as you walk the walk. It’s a matter of can’t see the forest for the trees in so many cases. I find life is like that and it just takes someone else to point it out. All the best and stay in touch!
Hanna
thank you very much for your work. Information and tips you share with us very useful and inspiring. Sorry my English is not so good, so I write briefly.
Irene
Lovely article! Very inspiring
Rachel
Thanks, Irene. Glad you found it useful.
Chanah
hi!! real thanks for this post. im a begginer and this really helped me , and also a lot of posts in your website! thanks!!
Rachel Korinek
I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by.
Deepti
Such an amazing article Rachel .. very inspiring.. the Idea of creating mood boards was fabulous
Rachel Korinek
It’s such a great skill to have! Truly! Glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for stopping by.
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