October 1, 2023 Blog How To Start Food Photography As A Beginner In 2023

Starting a business in any field is usually a hassle. You may have taken some photos with a friends camera and got excited and wanted to give it a go as a hobby or perhaps a full time business that would turn into a profitable yet amazing work life balance.

Here are some few tips or as I like to call it “starter pack” on how to start a food photography business in 2023

KEY 1 : Pen To Paper

Bringing your visions to life takes a lot more than just dreaming it. Yes, the first step is to think it and then next step is to gradually bring them to life.

I can’t over estimate how much putting your thoughts and idea to paper is because you can see it clearly and  you’ll be reminded every time by that paper and your mind how you need to get things done.

When I started Photography; it so happened because I wanted to get more clients for my private dining business. I didn’t really think much about the photography aspect, I just wanted to capture simple yet nice images for my clients to see a visual representation of what I did.

It was down the line I realised how I started actualising goals, you see, I have always been a huge fan of putting pen to paper as it helps me schedule my daily activities. I was unconsciously planning what I had no idea of and I’m super thankful to that little skill of mine.

There are various questions you need to ask yourself when thinking of starting a food photography business.

What type of food photography do you want to venture in, is it editorial, commercial, lifestyle, documentary etc

Is it to while away time or you actually want to go pro full time? You should take time to really think about this.

KEY 2 : Getting known and Unknown Mentors

If you want to speed ramp your success rate, having a guide or a mentor can help hasten things up.

We can both agree that having a tour guide in a foreign city helps way more than finding out things by yourself, same in Photography. You can offer to work closely with professionals in the industry even if it’s on a part time basis.

There are some mentors you don’t even need to have a personal relationship with or try to get them to know you. You can study them from afar and see the what, how, and why in how they carry out their workflow. Gaze deep into what kind of setups they use that you like and want to emulate etc.

Then they are some that you know from workshops for example; you can reach out to them and ask them questions that you need help with.

You can also send message to photographers that are vast and popular in the industry, the only problem with that is you might not get a quick response or a response at all due to traffic on their social media platforms and other unseen reasons.

KEY 3 : Be Mentally Prepared

Reality can be tough and can be extremely strenuous especially because you are starting alone and have to double as multiple team members.

When I started out, I literally did everything on my own. No one around me that I knew was into the creative space (food related), I had to figure things pretty much on my own which as you could imagine was not only physically but mentally tiring.

Here are some jobs you’ll double as

– Researcher
– Assistant
– Photographer and stylist
– Editor
– Marketer and Pr
– Social media manager and graphic designer
– Accountant
– Customer care representative

There are definitely more things but these are the obvious ones you would have to take charge of so brace yourself.

KEY 4 : Gear and Equipment 

Shiny brand new equipments are so exciting and can be addictive. It will get to a point where you become compulsive and want to get the latest, newest gears and props but don’t do it, don’t do it.

As a beginner photographer, even with the means to buy all the equipments in the world; I would urge you to take it gradually and progress.

You don’t just walk into a kitchen and become the head chef with zero experience.

Gears and equipment do help make the work easier but that isn’t going to teach you how to take quality photos. It’s more effective to buy a gear that would teach you the nooks and crannies of handling a camera and then progress.

At this point of selecting gears and equipment, you already have an idea of genre of Photography you want to venture in, the kind of look and feel you want for your work.

There are several places and sites, even photographers who wants to sell off their old gears and equipments that are still solid.

Another pen to  paper at work here, write a list of all you think you need; remembering to go at a pace, one step at a time.

KEY 5: Invest Into Re-educating Yourself

Learning is one thing that will never go out of existence.

The world keeps progressing with new developments and technologies that everyone need to always keep up to date with. Put in the time, energy and zeal to enhance your life quality and make a better future for yourself and your loved ones.

Invest in unlearning and relearning.

Getting resources has never been easier. There are thousands of people dishing out free tutorials from YouTube to instagram to tiktok and so much more. There’s no reason to be stuck in your ways and not try out new things.

KEY 6 : Create a Professional 

Portfolio

As a start up, it may seem overwhelming to create a portfolio but a portfolio is proper visual representation of your work and is a necessity. It doesn’t have to be rushed, you can slowly build your portfolio with time.

First impressions are everything even though we aren’t meant to judge a book by its cover, we are humans and we do that subconsciously. So it is very vital to create a piece that speaks for you without you having to say a word.

Potential clients would always ask to see a work that you have done before. As a beginner, you may not have had a good number of clients to show off your work but you can create personal project by using things and people around you.

That also helps to you to practice properly and better your overall skill and image quality.

KEY 7 : Build a Brand

This is just not a logo, it’s the overall look and feel of your brand. What you want people to see your brand as.

Branding is crucial for any start up business including food photography.

Here are few things you need to consider for branding.

Brand name

You need a name that people can associate your work with. Do you want it to have a personal touch or to be less personal.

You definitely want a name that is easy to remember and one that is unique.

You should do a name search on domain sites, social media platforms and any potential trademark encounters.

BRAND IDENTITY

Visual branding is the process of using design elements like your logo, fonts, colours, core values etc. One that would set your brand apart from others.

You need a brand identity because a consistent visual brand helps clients instantly recognise the brand and form some emotional attachment, trust and credibility.

You should have a logo that is true to your brand, easy to remember and looks good whether it’s for a start up or for a multibillion brand.

Color palette consists of colours that reflects the feel of the brand and its personality.

Fonts should be a constant in every work you put out there to help both clients and potential clients recognise the brand at first sight.

Others include icons, graphics and more.

The key element in branding is consistency; as a brand should be easily recognised even if it’s on social media or billboard.

KEY 8 : Self Care and Remember To Take Breaks

It can be both mentally and physically tasking as a photographer trying to stay afloat and make ends meet especially when starting it, it can get bad enough to make you want to quit it all together. It is very crucial to take time off and reboot.

General well being helps rejuvenate the mind, body and soul.

Do things from time to time that has nothing to do with Photography, it can be yoga classes, paint and sip or as easy as going to a coffee shop with that book you promised yourself you’d finish reading but never got to it.

It’s not only writers that get blocks, it happens virtually to anyone who uses a substantial amount of brain work. You must remember that you can only achieve your dreams if you are well, healthy and alive.

After reading all these, what’s next?

Now it’s time to just do it. Give it your all by always putting one foot in front of the other and constantly having reasons and more to keep going.