Essential Gear for Getting Started in Food Photography

Food photography is a dark art and there seems to be an infinite number of tips and tricks to get the best results. Food photographer Skyler Burt has put together a list of six essential bits of gear that he takes on every single shoot, and some of them might surprise you.

Burt’s choice includes a few elements that are useful to studio and location photography in general, especially when you have a client waiting to see your images. One of the items that stands out for me is the 15-foot Tethertools tethering cable which allows you to shoot images straight to Lightroom or Capture One. For many new photographers, tethering is just something mysterious that professionals do, but given that the cable is not even $40, it’s worth picking one up, even if you’re simply shooting stuff for your own portfolio. The new workflow will quickly fall into place and this is not a huge transition given that it will make your work easier, impress your clients, and make working with those clients a smoother process.

With the growth of DoorDash, UberEats and so many other food delivery companies springing up, adding some food photography to your portfolio might be an excellent idea if you are looking for extra work locally as restaurants are keen to make their meals stand out. Jobs are typically small and simple, but they can be a good way of earning a little extra cash as well as adding to your portfolio.

If you’ve any other suggestions to add to Burt’s list, be sure to leave them in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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1 Comment

Nice, I like, well done