Food photography has become more and more popular in recent years. Being among one of the most booming career options in Da Nang, food photography has gained its popularity in the food business and hospitality industry. It helps the food industry in marketing, branding and gaining new customers. The profession has become quite familiar among young people who see a career in styling and presenting dishes in front of the camera using various techniques. Professional photography is a must for the food industry as it helps the business to attract its potential customers, create a brand image, and help increase sales.

Truong Cong Khoa (first, left) and members of the Food Photography Group take a souvenir photo with their partners.

As a food photographer, you are going to need to be skilled in a number of different areas. You are also going to need to have lots of creativity and a good eye for style.  By specializing in sub niches within food photography and developing a confident, personal style, photographers can stand out from the crowd and offer clients a level of artistic touch and quality that may be hard to find in stock images.

An attractive career option for young people

23 year-old Luong Phuc Tho, a student of the Da Nang-based Duy Tan Private University, said that he has been working as a food photographer for nearly 2 years as he are very passionate about photography. Currently, he is working as a behind the scenes photographer and a photographer assistant in a commercial studio in Da Nang specializing in food and beverage photography.

“Photography is my passion, the more I delve into profession , the more I feel that I am suitable for this job. For me, food photography is not easy as it requires more than showing up and taking photos. There’s a lot of prep work and post-production that go into the creation of wonderful images,” Tho remarked.

25 year-old Le Duong Hoang Anh, the owner of a food photography company located in Chinh Gian Ward, Thanh Khe District remarked that advertising photography is frequently used to highlight food products in the field of food photography. Food photos are needed everywhere, and this photography area is booming. It is a well-known fact that great food photography is what attracts the customers and increases sales.  These photos are used not only for menu and social media but also for food packaging. Visualization becomes the most vital part of a food photographer, as it helps the businesses in creating marketing strategies, be it a social media post, an advertising campaign, or the launch of a food journal. 

Hoang Anh said that he started his food photography business in early 2020 after earning a graphic design degree from the FPT Polytechnic College of Da Nang, and his company now has 13 staff members.

Besides, the company also cooperates with many big and small brands in Da Nang and Quang Nam Province to shoot food and beverage photography in addition to photographing events and creating stunning photos used in an advertisement. According to Hoang Anh, grouping customers have specific requirements for products and services as their requirements can be as simple or as complex as they need it to be. Normally, it takes the company between 7 days and 15 days to deliver its products to customers after receipt of order, depending on their requirements.

Professional photos are significantly different from what you do yourself: your phone camera or amateur camera won't help you achieve high-quality images. Not only knowledge about the shooting is important, but also professional photographic equipment. You need special lighting, quality lens, skills to work with them and, of course, artistic taste. Food photography has become a popular career choice for young people in Da Nang.

Food photography requires food experience, and creativity

26 year-old Truong Cong Khoa has boldly opened a commercial studio in Da Nang specializing in food and beverage photography located in  Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District despite not attending a photography course. However, Khoa's studio staff have the opportunity to cooperate with many big and small brands in the city to grow his business thanks to his ceaseless efforts to pursue photography as a hobby.

Khoa said that becoming a food photographer requires technical skills, creativity, and knowledge of the culinary world. Taking shots of food images entails lots of secrets behind those magical photos. In order to take beautiful food photography shots, Khoa's staff have experience with food that goes beyond simply eating it. It is very important to know what foods pair together, understanding how to capture food in such a way that it looks as appetizing as possible, and bringing in spices/herbs/produce that makes sense within the scene. In addition, they need to style and compose their shots to get the perfect image, which will require them to be even more diligent about utilizing design principles to compose the perfect scene. Generally, they must use good lighting, consider colour choices, frame the subjects, and work quickly to take perfect pictures of their food.

Besides, Khoa’s staff work closely with their clients in order to capture images of their food. They have to listen to client requests and capture images according to their vision. They have to work with the chefs of their clients to know how to make those foods look beautiful on a plate as well as find a way to honor the chef’s vision to create an appealing image. It is very necessary for a food photographer to know how to take a photo of the food so that it looks mouthwatering and makes the viewer want to eat it.

Having collaborated with Truong Cong Khoa's studio, Ms. Dang Thanh Ha, Brand Team Leader of the Thai Market Restaurant and Brand Marketing Specialist of The Cups Coffee, said: “Khoa studio’s staff are very creative, and they also know how to meet and satisfy their customer’s needs in order to create tasty and mouthwatering images of dishes that make the viewer want to eat them. Their food photos are used in all related works , including on menus and advertising.”

Truong Cong Khoa advised young people to develop an understanding of photography and understand how cameras work in addition to strengthening their knowledge of food before jumping into capturing jaw-dropping photos of food

According to Khoa, food photography requires creativity while a food photographer also needs to adapt to changing photography trends and client demands. Currently, Khoa is continuing to learn photography to improve his skills in order to open up a window of opportunity for him to stand out in a crowded niche.

Reporting by MAI LY – Translating by H.L