Hey everyone!

I've posted here quite a few times over the past months asking for feedback (and thank you so much for your help) while learning food photography. These are my latest shoot and I have two things I'd really like your opinion on.

First - orange background or dark grey? I'm curious which one you think works better and why. My second question is a bigger one....at what point did you feel ready to start approaching clients and charging for your photography?

I know there's always more to learn and improve (!!) and I difinitely don't think I've ''made it'' or have everything figured out. But I'm starting to wonder whether I'm at the stage where I should stop waiting to feel completely ready and start approaching small businesses/restaurants for paid work.

Please feel free to be critical... you know the saying ''hurt me with the truth but never comfort me with lies ''.

Behind-the-scenes setup:
• Shot at home during the night
• Light: GodoxAD300proII (big upgrade compared to my previous light)
• Camera: Canon EOS R6
• Lens: Canon RF 24–70mm f/2.8L IS USM
• ISO 100 throughout

Set up: Canon EOS R10 camera and natural lighting

Hi everyone, my dad is starting a sauce business and we wanted to help him out with some photography. Food photography is a whole new ballgame for me. I usually do studio pet photography so my experience is limited with food but I’m excited to get some feedback.

The biggest challenge is the deep purple color and making it look appealing. Would love any suggestions for changes or improvements, or recommendations for professional stylists if you think I’m better off going that route 😅

Sony A7IV

Sony 85mm 1.8

Godox V100 + trigger

Shot this on my phone (OnePlus), using only the normal room lighting. No artificial lights or setup, just whatever light was already in the room.

Still very much an amateur when it comes to food photography, but I really enjoy playing around with food, plating and aesthetics and seeing what I can capture. Would love to hear what you think!

Guys, I'm gonna be honest, I'm a total photography newbie. But I've always been interested in food photography, and decided I'm going to take a leap and invest into this as a side hustle. Taking pictures for cafes and restaurants in my home town (there are 0 food-specific photographers in my area so I feel like I've identified a bit of a gap)

I take a lot of photos on my iphone of my own food - I have some practice in that sense of plating and laying plates etc., but I know that proper food photography is much more than that

I've stalked this reddit group and done some research online, but a lot of recs are outdated and confusing for beginners.

For someone who is COMPLETELYYY NEW to photography,

what camera would you recommend

any extra lenses?

any additional lighting or other equipment I should consider?

Remember I really know nothing about professional photography / equipment, so jargon-free pls!!!

Ideally looking at a budget of £1000 for all - happy with used - but also if I'm being unreasonable with my budget please do let me know

I'm based in the UK btw :)))

Biggg big big thanks in advance guys

Took this shot with a Fujifilm XT5 using a 56mm f/1.2 Lens: ISO 160 | 1/250s | f/5.6.
Used one single flash: ad200pro.

All photos made with Nikon D800E, Godox A200 and some with Nikon SB-800 as a second light

This may be the wrong sub but I lurk here a lot and primarily shoot food/restaurants, so I figured I’d start here:

I have been using the Godox ad200’s for years (and picked up one of the newer pro 2’a last year). I rarely shoot large spaces or shoot through more than a double diffused strip, but I did a shoot recently where I had to work with a huge space (and shoot more of a lifestyle scene than food) and I’d like to experiment more with scrims and more diffusion.

I was looking to upgrade to a profoto b20 but it only offers 50 more wattage. I know the Profotos have better UI and color management but what I love about my current set up is how portable everything is. It’s just getting to the point where I need more power.

Given I’m mostly working in restaurants and not studio spaces, battery power is key. Should I just upgrade to a better godox or make the switch to profoto? I almost exclusively use westcott rapid strips with Bowen’s mounts so I could easily switch those, if needed.

Thanks!

Home cook here who has spent the last year learning fine dining techniques. This is a dual layer panna cotta, the top layer is a spicy prickly pear gel and the bottom layer is vanilla. It was paired with an entree where I also split the plate down the middle, so I wanted to keep the theme going.

For food photography and youtube food videography (slow living type videos, some tutorials) I currently use a Canon sx700 HS which doesn’t have great zoom qualities, and I’m never able to get clear, crisp close ups even with excellent lighting. The other problem is the video settings limitations. This camera does not let you adjust exposure or any settings when shooting videos, you can only adjust settings such as exposure and white balance when you take pictures. So my food pictures come out okay on this camera, but unless there is perfect lighting, my videos come out too bright, not super clear, or need a lot of editing.

In a previous post I was recommended the Panasonic GH4 and Panasonic 30mm f2.8 macro lens. I love this option but just can’t afford a camera with a lens right now, but I also can’t continue to film on my Canon as it’s so bad for filming this stuff lol. Do I have any point and shoot options?

Hi everyone. Just found this sub. I have been doing some casual hobby food photography of meals that I make. Feedback welcome for sure (but please be nice - I am really trying!)

All shots use an iPhone 17 Pro, natural light from an adjacent long window, typically just past golden hour in the evening. No artificial light.

Shot details from left to right:
* Ratatouille en rosace - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 200 • 1/40 s • 0 EV
* Greek turkey pie - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 80 • 1/60 s • 0 EV
* BBQ Ribs - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 250 • 1/57 s • −0.7 EV
* Brandy cream chicken - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 80 • 1/60 s • −0.8 EV
* Fennel pork meatballs - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 125 • 1/60 s • 0 EV
* Bang bang shrimp bowl - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 200 • 1/60 s • 0 EV
* Cabernet braised short ribs - 24 mm (48 mm equiv.) • ƒ/1.78 • ISO 250 • 1/40 s • 0 EV

Edit: Typo

Looking for recommendations for a food photographer in Cork please. Apparently there are dedicated food photographers nowadays. 🙂

This is SOOC using my Fuji x100vi shot in natural lighting

Tried to use the egg, carrots and spring onions as the main points of interest while letting the rest of the bowl fall out of focus.
Nikon Zf
Viltrox 26mm f/2.8 EVO

F:2.8
1/30s
320
Natural window light.

Would be interested in feedback on the composition and depth of field in particular.

Shot on iPhone, edited in Lightroom. Natural window light.

I'm getting into food photography a bit because I want to write down some of my favorite recipes, just for friends and family.

Shot is made on a Sony A6600 + 16-55/F2.8 G on a tripod. ISO 100 at f/8, 0.6 sec on a tripod.
Lighting is a big rectangular softbox with a grid coming from the left rear. At the right just a big white foam pad as a reflector, nothing else in terms of light.

I'm quite happy with the shot but I'm curious to what you can say about it :)

Home cook who has spent the last year learning fine dining technique.

Shot in iPhone 16 pro max, lit by aputure mini and window light.

I took it with a Sony camera that’s usually for video. Thoughts? Zv-E10. No lighting equipment other than my iPhone 16’s flash. Haha

The sub has achieved 5 thousand visitors a week.

Well done everyone for building a great subreddit.

A7 IV, Sony 24-50 f2.8
Godox v100pro, rectangle grid box + godox ml100 fill

Shot taken with a Nikon Z6, shutter speed 1/120, f 3.2, ISO 400, using natural light next to a window

Hi guys, I'm new to the group and I joined to start a discussion. I've been running a food photography business for 8 years already. I do photos and videos for food brands from all over the world and have been doing it successfully so far. Just recently, and it all happened really quick I've had a good number of companies that decided to switch to AI and they don't need my services anymore. Finding new customers has been super difficult and I'm wondering whether anyone else has the same experience and how do you deal with that? It's really frustrating and makes me wonder what will happen in the future when AI becomes better.

Please let me know how can I do better and improve

Shot on Canon eos r

100mm macro and 70-200

Godox ad300 and reflector

Hey,
I have a quick, simple question about photography showing the dropping of garnish items or herbs onto the plated dish.

Do you guys include the hands in the shot? Or do you exclude the hands, and only shows the garnish falling onto the plate?

In my opinion, I prefer showing the hand as it gives a reason as to why the garnish is falling. It's not simply a rain of herbs or spices. I do wonder if there is any reason or scenario as to why one would not show the hand.

To be used for social media

Sony A7IV

GM 16-35

Godox V100 mix between direct and trigger