Creating Stories With Food Photography

We’re often asked what inspires us, and our answer is always the same: we love creating stories with our photography. As a food photographer, we strive to help you tell the story behind your food — whether that be the hard work you put into making the dish, your memories of a family member’s beloved recipe or sharing some laughs with friends over your favorite doughnut shop. We have learned from experience that great storytelling requires picking a setting, mood, and emotion to convey with your images.

Choosing a story to convey in your food photography

It’s easy to get caught up in the romance of food photography. The idea of creating a beautiful plate of food that can transport people to your location, or remind them of a special holiday, is a powerful one.

However, creating good food photography isn’t simple. It takes patience, practice, and imagination — and these are qualities that can be honed over time.

Food photography is a feast for the eyes, but it’s also more than just a pretty picture. It’s a chance to tell stories and inspire people. After all, eating and cooking are deeply personal experiences that can influence our culture, environment, and even our emotional state. By telling stories with food images, you can connect with your audience on an emotional level, turning them into family rather than strangers.

Mood and emotions play a huge part in conveying the story you’re trying to tell with your food.

Imagine walking into a room where someone just made a batch of freshly baked cookies; there’s the smell of vanilla in the air and the sound of soft jazz music playing in the background. You see an array of cookies on a plate next to a pot of steaming hot coffee – what do you feel? Happy, Calm, or Hungry?! 

The idea behind creating an emotional response with food photography is not rocket science – it simply needs some careful thought so that you can convey each dish perfectly!

Keep things interesting by including props.

For me, food is all about memories, so when I’m shooting, I like to tell stories of place and time with my still images. Food can trigger a sense of place and time, whether it’s nachos at midnight from a downtown Austin food cart or a campfire-roasted marshmallow in our backyard.

Who doesn’t love a good story? And if you’re going for delicious, mouthwatering imagery that will make your audience feel hungry just by looking at your photos, you have to tell a good story with your props. I’ve found that a prop can be the difference between an ordinary image — albeit beautifully shot — and a compelling visual story.

Is your dish a hearty stew? Serve it on stoneware or use an actual bowl as your prop instead of a plate. Did you make a spicy curry for this photoshoot? Use real dishes and silverware. Think about how you’ll present the dish when shooting, and think about what you’d want to see if you were looking at someone else’s photos online; would it look appealing? 

We want our pictures to tell a story, so we use props to give them context.

Learn how to use light, props, and ingredients effectively to tell stories with your food photography!

In the end, food photography is about storytelling. It’s about serving up your dishes in a way that consumers can relate to or want to be a part of. It’s about creating really beautiful imagery that puts you on the map as a photographer and a self-expressionist. And it’s about using all of the resources at your disposal to recreate that craft every time you pick up your camera.

Learning to create visual stories with your food photography can bring a lot of joy to your work. By considering different angles, engaging your subject, and using various props and ingredients, you’ll be able to make your images more dynamic and express yourself in new ways. And if all else fails, sometimes there’s nothing better than a good squeeze of lime…or maybe that’s just me.

Looking for someone to take amazing shots of your food? I’m an award-winning food photographer who can give you natural, mouthwatering photos. Contact me today to schedule your complimentary discovery call to learn more about my services or send me an email at mica@austinfoodguide.com for general questions.