21 Sumptuous Food Photography Ideas

Beautiful food photography is rife throughout Photocrowd. We present some of the best food pictures from our photographers

'Good Morning' by David Hare, exposure unknown

Where food photography used to be the preserve of a handful of advertising specialists with access to studio time and lighting equipment, the world of social media - Instagram in particular - has thrown the genre into the hands of countless photographers keen to share with the world their breakfast, lunch and dinner.

However, as you can see from this selection of images taken by Photocrowd photographers, food photography is so much more than a quick smartphone snapshot. As with any genre of photography, there is real artistry involved. Food photography can represent itself in a variety of guises. Some of the food photography ideas below are straightforward and shot under natural light, some are more technical and employ the use of lighting and flash, while others are bordering on the surreal.

If you're looking to shoot food photography, always make sure your ingredients are fresh, keep your composition simple, pay close attention to presentation, keep your working space and props nice and clean, and think hard about what kind of light will best represent the subject. For example, natural light will work well with hearty rustic dishes, whereas good clean artificial light will work well with subjects such as desserts and drinks.

If you'd like some food photography ideas, check out the 21 examples below and maybe even enter Rocky Nook's Fine Food competition

'Cakes and Coffee' by Sigita Playdon, Canon EOS 6D, 35mm, 1/500sec at f/2.5, ISO 250

'Berries' by Muhammad Al-Qatam, Nikon D810, 70-200mm, 1/250sec at f/13, ISO 64

'Lunch' by Lesley Adams, Nikon D3200, 18-55mm, 1/100sec at f/5, ISO 200

'Mille Feuille' by Lize Hill, Sony SLT-A58, 18-270mm, 1/80sec at f/7.1, ISO 2500

'Dessert?' by Ben A, Canon EOS 600D, 17-50mm, 7/10sec at f/11, ISO 100

'Gold Rush III' by Elena Paraskeva, Nikon D810, 85mm, 1/200sec at f/13, ISO 100

'Cherry' by Phil Thorogood, exposure unknown

'Spaghetti Twist' by Allan Copson, Olympus E-M5 Mark II, 14-150mm, 1/13sec at f/5, ISO 200

'Riot of Spices 1' by Anita Gránicz, Sony ILCE-5000, 16-50mm, 1/30sec at f/5.6, ISO 400

'Russian National Soup – Okroshka' by Ruslan Komarov, exposure

'Honey Drenched' by Greg Vivash, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, 100mm, 1/125sec at f/20, ISO 100

'Cheesy' by Adam Sargent, exposure unknown

'Balancing Act' by Rachel, Canon EOS 1300D, 105mm, 1/6sec at f/4.5, ISO 100

'One' by Nick Pandev, exposure unknown

'Citrus' by Charlotte Douglas, Nikon D7200, 105mm, 1/60sec at f/11, ISO 100

'Spices by Chia, Canon EOS 500D, 25mm, 1/15sec at f/16, ISO 1600

'Fine Dessert' by Dirk Vonten, Nikon D7000, 34mm, 1/800sec at f/10, ISO 200

'Cupcake' by Hussain Almubarak, Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 24-105mm, 1/125sec at f/8, ISO 250

'Boiling Hot, by Phil Thorogood, exposure unknown

'Untitled' by Magda Moiola, Nikon D80, 105mm, 1/2sec at f/14, ISO 100