Food Photography, A Journey Back
Food photography has been part of my career for fourteen years now (I’m including the break 2020-2025 👀). I started around 2012, not long after my eldest was born. I've always loved food, and combining that with photography felt like a natural fit. A single shoot at an independent coffee shop where my brother worked was the start of it, my foot in the door for food photography. From there, it evolved into something much bigger. But it's also evolved into something different, and that's what I want to talk about.
From Cafes To Michelin Stars
Those early days were spent shooting small independent places, cafes, bakeries, artisan restaurants. My first proper paid gig was with an independent catering company based in Milton Keynes. I remember them delivering all this amazing food, and I spent the day photographing it. In my own kitchen at home.
(One of the first food photos I ever took - So much I would change and edits to be made, but I was new to it, and I wanted to showcase that.)
But the work that really taught me was the bigger stuff. I spent about four to five years shooting catalog work for British Bakels, an ingredients company supplying bakeries and confectioneries around the world. Some of that work ended up in Sainsbury's and Waitrose. It was a lot of bread and baked goods, a lot of repetition, but it taught me consistency and efficiency.
Then there was Paris House, a then Michelin Star restaurant in Woburn. That's when it really levelled up. Beautifully plated food, high-end dining, incredible detail. Those two clients, Bakels and Paris House, were probably my biggest food photography work for a very long time.
(From the Paris House days)
What Changed Over Time
The biggest thing I've learned is light control. Early on, you're just shooting. Over time, you learn to manipulate light, understand what works. I've always been a fan of natural light rather than strobes. If you can position something by a window and get that soft, diffused daylight, you're halfway there. That said I was a big fan of continuous lighting rigs.
Years of doing this means I've developed a better eye for it now. I know what I'm looking for before I even arrive at a shoot, which makes the whole process quicker and more instinctive.
(In the kitchen of our first home, I had very little idea what I was doing!)
Why I Stepped Back
Around 2019, I started to feel burned out. A lot of the catalog work, especially the bread, was becoming monotonous. I was losing the creativity for it and felt like I needed a break. I wanted to pivot into product photography, but then COVID hit in 2020 and everything changed anyway. During lockdown, I shot a lot of my own product work and built up a portfolio. But then the opportunity came to open National Sound, the music studio, and photography took a step back. I shifted my focus there.
(Bakels lifestyle shoot… Maybe 2016/2017?)
Coming Full Circle
When I came back to photography full-time this year, I didn't necessarily set out to do food work. I was more drawn to live music and events, that felt like the natural direction. And honestly, I didn't know how to make shooting bands a paid job at first. But National Sound was my bread and butter (no pun intended), so I had the freedom to build photography back up the way I wanted.
That said, food never really went away. Earlier this year, I did some food photography for a Unity Place that hosts events and wanted to showcase their catering. And recently, I finished a shoot for a private chef (Georgina Williams - G’s). Although live music and events are my main focus now for photography, food work is still there. The opportunities still come up, and I still take them.
What's Different Now
I still try to be different. I still use natural light and have a better eye for it. But now I'm more selective. I shoot quality food, food that looks the part, that's been prepared by someone who really knows their stuff. That's where I'm at with it.
Live music and food photography are mostly different, though there's some crossover. If you're shooting in a live kitchen with chefs cooking, that can get pretty chaotic too. But typically, food photography is a more controlled environment, whereas live music never is. As a photographer, you have to be broad in how you work if you're shooting across different genres. The skills are different, the mindset is different, even if there's the occasional overlap.
If You Want To Get Into Food Photography
Just do it. Start at home. If you've prepared a meal or made something, take a few minutes to shoot it. Be ready, be prepared, but don't overthink it.
Get in touch with local bakeries or independent food businesses. Offer to shoot for free if you need to build your portfolio. A lot of small companies need social media content and don't have the budget for it. It's not a big ask.
And here's a bonus, there are perks. I've been fed on shoots, sent home with cookies, cakes, pizzas. It's not just about taking photos. It's a great way of life if you can get steady work. It's a good life.
