Great Food Photography Uses Intense Light to Show Food’s Unique Charm

Nov 26, 2024

Ken Klein

On the left, a hand sprinkles powdered sugar on a cake on a stand, surrounded by glasses and an orange. On the right, a close-up of a burger with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, cheese, and sauces.

Everyone has an intimate relationship with food. The job of food photographers, says an award-winning pro, is to create images that connect food’s personality to people who consume it.

Andrew Burkle, lead creative and partner at Cleveland-based BurkleHagen Studio, shares behind-the-scenes strategies for effective food photography and meeting clients’ expectations.

A man with short, curly hair and a beard is wearing a black shirt. He looks directly at the camera against a plain, warm-toned background. — Andrew Burkle

BurkleHagen is a high-end commercial 6,000-square-foot studio specializing in food photography and videography. Clients include Burger King, Nestle, Popeyes, Olive Garden, Doritos, Marriott, Hormel Foods, and Outback Steakhouse. The studio creates advertising assets for print, web, social, and broadcast media.

“Food is tied inextricably to culture. Shooting food is an active still life,” says Burkle, founder and chief of photography at the studio since 2014.

A marble cake garnished with lime and apple slices sits on a glass cake stand. A hand dusts it with sugar. A bottle pours liquid into a nearby glass. An orange and strawberries are on the marble surface, creating a vibrant still life scene. — Chocolate orange espresso cake | Photo by Andrew Burkle. Food stylist: Laura Goble. Talent: Alana Maura.

Lighting

In food photography, the contrast quality of light is more intense compared to other genres, such as lifestyle or portraits.

“I need to light the food in a way to accent the parts of the item that is most appealing. We use backlighting and hard light to give shape and dimension to these small objects,” Burkle says.

Close-up of a juicy cheeseburger with melted cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, ketchup, and mayo in a bun. The vibrant colors and textures highlight the freshness of the ingredients. — Classic cheeseburger | Photo by Andrew Burkle. Food stylist: Claire Vredevoogd.

If done well, lighting can invoke emotions as well as a sense of place, time of day, and mood.

“The goal for us,” says Burkle, “is to take the viewer somewhere else, and not just seen as an item shot in a studio with strobes. We have dozens of strobe heads and plenty of different modifiers to help shape the light. We use flags and scrims to create drama in the image and focus your attention on the subject.”

The Important Role of Food Stylists

The challenge in food photography, says Burkle, is to invoke human emotion when shooting still life.

“The answer is in the details,” he says. “We need to have a great food stylist who can build the product with personality. The set and props need to convey a feeling, or sense of place.”

“Food stylists are our resident experts. If you wanted to be a successful fashion photographer, you’d need to know current and historical trends in fashion. Shooting food is the same way. Food stylists know how to properly prepare food and properly present it. They are also partners in problem solving; food stylists create the subjects which we shoot. Trust, skill, preparation and experience that food stylist bring to set cannot be compromised at our studio, it is that important.”

A woman with curly hair, wearing a checkered outfit and gold jewelry, smiles while holding a cocktail glass. She sits at a red tiled table with other glasses in front of her against a colorful background. — Classic portrait lighting on the talent and hard backlighting for the cocktail. | Photo by Andrew Burkle. Food stylist: Ryan Morrow. Hair and makeup: Liz Cook. Wardrobe: Magan Mclaughlin.

Equipment

BurkleHagen uses Fujifilm GFX100 II medium format cameras, Sony a1 and a7R V mirrorless 35mm cameras.

A professional camera mounted on a dolly in a studio setting, focused on a small monitor displaying a live feed of a chair in front of a pink backdrop. Various cables and filming equipment surround the setup. — Red V-Raptor on a Dana dolly with a live feed of the set

“For motion, we shoot with a Red V-Raptor. For still lighting we use Profoto strobes, and for motion we use Aperture LED lights. We have a wide range of lenses, but each camera system has at least one dedicated macro lens which is best for shooting food,” Burkle says.

A woman stands in a photography studio, posing with a burger. She is surrounded by professional lighting equipment, including softboxes and reflectors. A photographer is capturing the scene. The setting is industrial and creative. — Behind the scenes of an internal portfolio shoot. Andrew Burkle records a video with the Red V-Raptor.

Do Photographers Taste-Test Food?

Absolutely! “Being well versed with the product is a must.”

We often have long conversations with clients about how the product came to be and who is the target audience,” Burkle explains. This knowledge, along with taste-testing, helps shape food styling and lighting.

A vibrant display of various Asian dishes on a pink table. Plates are filled with pickles, kimchi, vegetables, spices, and garnishes. Red chopsticks and glasses add color and texture to the rich culinary spread. — Overhead shot of Korean Banchan and side dishes served with rice. | Photo by Andrew Burkle. Food stylist: Claire Vredevoogd.

Credentials

BurkleHagen has been honored by local, regional, and national ADDY Awards, plus recognition from American Photographic Artists (APA), Communication Arts, KelbyOne, and PDN.

In 2008, Burkle won College Photographer of the Year in the illustration category. He earned a degree in commercial photography from the School of Visual Communication at Ohio University.

About the author: Ken Klein lives in Silver Spring, Maryland; he is retired after a career in politics, lobbying, and media including The Associated Press and Gannett in Florida. Klein is an alumnus of Ohio University and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Scripps College of Communication. Professionally, he has worked for Fort Myers News-Press (Gannett), The Associated Press (Tallahassee), Senator Bob Graham, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA).