When you look online, it can seem that food photography is almost ubiquitous these days. There are literally hundreds of thousands of websites and blogs devoted to this much-loved art. In fact the skills of food photographers are in hot demand, certainly in a commercial sense, but also there is a real need for them to impart their wisdom onto foodies the world over.

Let’s examine some of those key areas where a food photographer’s skills are useful aside from their commercial work:

• Food blogs – there are thousands of them! Foodies from all corners of the globe can now unite through their shared loved of food. Not only do they blog about it, they also share photos of meals they have prepared, or have had prepared for them – sometimes referred to as ‘food porn’. Food photographers are capitalising on this food trend by setting up their own blogs and sharing their own food images online. They provide handy hints and tips for their followers as well as critiquing their fellow bloggers’ work
• Food photography workshops – professional food photographers are now starting to offer workshops where they can spend anything up to three days with everyone from hobbyists and beginners to more experienced photographers, teaching them everything from styling, prop selection, composition and correct use of lighting
• Food photography books – more and more food photography books are popping up giving readers useful tips and pointers to improve their skills. Usually, each image will include a description of how the photographer achieved this shot, and will also examine other things such as the role of food and prop stylists in food photography

Of course, doing a workshop or following a book does not a professional food photographer make – this takes years to develop. However, understanding the basics of food photography is a great skill to have and leads to many wonderful mementos of those mouth-watering dishes you’ve enjoyed.