If you’re anything like I was when I was just getting started in food photography, you probably oooh and ahhh over those beautiful, mouth-watering food photos on Instagram or Pinterest, and wonder how on earth these people get their food to look that good. Well, let me tell you—it’s not really magic, and with a little effort and dedication, you can learn how to do it too. And don’t worry, no—you don’t need to quit your day job or own the fanciest camera to get started. It’s really all about practice, patience, and just plain doing it. And of course, learning a few new skills too (which I’m going to help you with over the next few articles).

So, grab a cup of coffee (and maybe a snack too, because you’ll probably get hungry reading through all this, but it’ll be worth it, I promise), and let’s talk about basics of food styling and photography for beginners.

Start With What You Have

Okay, confession time—when I first started taking pictures of my recipes for this blog, I had just gotten my first actual camera for Christmas, which I had absolutely no idea how to use (and left on the “Manual” setting the whole time). No special lighting or any of that high-end gear you hear about. But I did have some natural sunlight, a burning desire to learn food styling and photography, and a whole lot of trial and error. And guess what? It worked. And it’s perfectly fine for you to start there too, with what you have.

Smartphone or Camera?

Now, I know you’re thinking, “do I have to buy a fancy camera?”. The answer is no. Seriously, NO. Most smartphones these days have excellent cameras and can take stunning food photos. Whether you’re using your phone or a DSLR camera, the key is learning how to use whatever you have, and this is super important because if you don’t understand how your equipment works, it can’t work for you and oftentimes ends up working against you, making the editing SO MUCH harder (way more on this later). So, if you do have a camera, that’s awesome—get ready to get personal with it. But if not, please don’t stress—your phone is perfectly capable while you’re learning.

Lighting Is Your Best Friend

If there’s one thing I absolutely swear by, it’s the light. It’s the one thing that’ll make or break your (food) photos. You can have the prettiest dish on the planet, but if your lighting is off, the colors will be skewed, it’ll be too dark or contrasty, and well, it’ll just look sad. And boy, have I been there—I used to take photos in a dark room, under harsh overhead lights and wonder why everything looked so…awful. Spoiler alert—it was mostly my (lack of good) lighting.

Natural Light is Gold

So to elaborate on lighting—indirect natural light is your best friend in food photography. It’s soft, it’s free, and it makes everything look warm, tantalizing, and just…better. Try to take your photos near a window during the day. A north-facing window is perfect if you have one, but really, any window with indirect light will do. Keep in mind, when you’re just learning food photography, you’ll want to use the natural light as often as you can. Trying to learn artificial lighting on top of photography skills can be overwhelming (and defeating). One step at a time, my friend.

Avoid Harsh Sunlight

Okay, so back to lighting. Direct sunlight, on the other hand, is not your friend. It’s too much, so try to avoid shooting during times the bright sunlight is streaming in the window. It creates strong shadows and highlights that can make your food look unappetizing and really hard to edit. If you can’t find an indirectly lit window and have way too much light, you can soften the light by hanging up a sheer curtain or even using a plain white sheet or taping up a piece of parchment paper to the window as a DIY diffuser. In the beginning, it’s all about working with what you have and getting the practice in, remember? Learning how to control, balance, and manipulate the light is a key part of becoming a good food photographer, but it takes practice.

Practice, Patience, and Playing Around

Speaking of practice, food photography is just like cooking or baking—you get better at it by actually doing it. You’ve got to practice, a lot, as often as you can actually. You have to put in the time, as they say. I look back at some of my early food photos and just cringe, but that’s all part of the journey. No one’s perfect right out of the gate. It’s all about experimenting and figuring out what works for you. Every shot, every picture is a chance to learn something.

Here’s where I started, circa 2015 ish…

Keep It Simple

When you’re just getting started, focus on the food first. You don’t need a ton of props or fancy backdrops in the beginning. In fact, too much going on in the background can distract from your food anyway (until you hone your skills, that is). Might I suggest investing in a couple of small white plates and bowls, using utensils you have in your kitchen, and keeping the linens (napkins, towels, etc.) to neutrals. This will keep you from getting distracted and focusing on the wrong things (styling). Remember, my friend, photography skills come before styling. Learn how to capture the colors in the food accurately before adding colorful backgrounds or props. We’ll talk more about where to find props and backgrounds in another post.

Invest in a Tripod (but no pressure)

Okay, when you’re ready to level up just a tiny bit, I recommend getting yourself a simple tripod. This little guy makes a huge difference, especially when you want to keep things steady or need your hands free for styling. Plus, it’s one of the most budget-friendly upgrades you can make—no need to spend a ton on one. You can also prop your phone or camera up with books, boxes, or whatever’s nearby. Sometimes you have to get creative.

Start Snapping!

So there you have it guys, a very basic introduction and overview of how to get started with food styling and photography. In the next few weeks, we’ll be going into each one of these topics (and more) in great detail and I’ll break it all down for you, step by step—as well as share my favorite tips, tricks, props, and backgrounds, and of course, how to pull it all together for THE shot.

So, here’s your homework for the week—pick a recipe, whip it up, and snap some photos. Don’t worry about getting it perfect. Just play around with your camera, settings, lighting, and have some fun. Don’t be too hard on yourself either. Learning something new is challenging, but that’s what makes it so great.

Next Up: LIGHTING

Now that we’ve laid the groundwork with the basics of food styling and photography, it’s time to tackle the most important factor—lighting. In the next post, we’ll go over how to find and use the best light, different kinds of light, and how to manipulate it to your advantage. Plus, I’ll share some easy tips to avoid harsh shadows and create that beautiful, soft light that makes your food look absolutely irresistible. Trust me, once you master lighting, your photos will level up instantly!

My recommended products from this post are all linked in my Food Styling and Photography Amazon Storefront for you, don’t forget to check it out.