Food Photography: How to Stand Out in a Crowded Niche

How to set yourself apart from the crowd as a food photographer

As a food photographer, I often find myself facing the same time-consuming conundrum: how to take eye-catching, original photos that excite my clients and stand out amongst the thousands of similar shots already on the web. How to stand out in a crowded niche?

In the past few years, food photography has exploded as a niche. It seems like everyone and their mother (even my mom!) is picking up a camera and wanting to take photos of food for Instagram.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this: if you want to stand out in a crowded niche, you can’t be afraid to get a little weird.

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing some insights into staying ahead of the pack in a crowded field.

Don’t bother with what’s been done before. That’s what everyone else is doing anyway. Show the world a different perspective. YOUR perspective.

Don’t focus on what has already been done. Take a chance and capture an emotion or feeling through your food photography instead.

It’s easy to follow trends and mimic the work of others, but it’s much more interesting to blaze your own trail and create your own unique style. You can do this by taking a risks and photographing something that hasn’t been done before. 

For example, Moody photography is popular with soft natural light, subdued colors, and ethereal quality. And while this is undeniably pretty, it is overused to the point where it’s almost cliché. Find a fresh way to make moody photography unique from your perspective.

If you want to truly stand out in a crowded niche, think about breaking away from the standard trend-setting compositions of other photographers. Instead, explore how you can capture an emotion or feeling through food imagery.

If you want to get the word out about your business, networking with other professionals and joining directories like The Luupe and The H Hub are key to forming connections.

Networking with other professionals and joining directories like The Luupe and The Hub is key to forming connections if you want to get the word out about your business.

As a food photographer myself, I find that networking builds connections and gives me a chance to learn from others in my field. By being open to sharing knowledge and collaborating with other photographers, I can better learn about trends in the industry and new ways of improving my own work.

In a world where photographers are a dime a dozen, it’s important to figure out what makes your business unique and how to convey that uniqueness to potential clients.

And in a crowded niche, you need a brand that tells the story of your photography business. 

Branding is the way you tell your story to the world. By hiring a design company to help you create a professional logo and branding kit, you can ensure that the visual elements of your business are aligned with the mission behind it. Branding is one of the most important ways to market yourself and grow your business.

This brings me to my point: if you want to be taken seriously as a photographer, you need branding. You need a logo, a style guide, fonts that work together—the whole shebang! You can’t just slap some text on a page and call it good. Your brand needs to speak for itself. 

PS: Carrylove Designs did an amazing job building my brand and website. Contact them if you need a rebrand.

Food photography is a crowded niche, but if you stay true to yourself, you’ll find success in standing out from the crowd.

As you can see, being a food photographer is hard work, and it’s even more challenging when you’re trying to stand out from the crowd. But this challenge is also what makes food photography so rewarding. There are a lot of food photographers out there, but if you have the determination to create something that really resonates with people and you stay true to your vision, then there’s no reason why you can’t make it big in the world of food photography.

When we started our food photography journey, we had no idea it would turn into a career! But, when you discover something you love and do it with passion, it’s impossible to hide from the world.

We’re so grateful to share our tips and knowledge with all of you. Starting your own business is hard—but if you stay focused on your vision and avoid the distractions of blogging and social media that can pull your eyes away from the prize, you’ll find success.

I’m a food photographer based in Austin, TX, and I’d love to partner with you to make your food look as delicious as it tastes. Contact me for a free consultation about how I can help you bring your vision to life!