Food Styling for Photography

image courtesy Diana Kuan
C56c6628 seeable

Taught by Diana Kuan

Diana Kuan is a food writer and photographer based in Brooklyn. She is the author of Red Hot Kitchen, on cooking with Asian hot sauces, and The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, on Chinese food and culture in America. Her work has also appeared in Food & Wine, Time Out New York, and The Boston Globe, among other publications. In addition to writing and photography, Diana has taught cooking classes for the past 10 years in both Beijing and New York. Her favorite foods are dumplings, ramen, and tacos, usually with hot sauce on the side.

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Learn how to style mouth-watering food for photography in this 2-hour workshop! 

Whether you’re a blogger, chef, aspiring professional photographer, or are simply seeking to improve your existing skills, this class will give you many tips and tricks to make your food look amazing on camera.  

You'll learn: 
  • How to choose props and backgrounds that compliment your food
  • Compositional and lighting techniques, with an emphasis on working in small spaces
  • How to create a food styling toolbox with simple objects around the house
  • How to do prep shots vs finished plate shots and complex vs. minimalist scenes
  • Ways to add a human touch to your photos
  • Tips for working with tricky foods 
  • How to find your voice and develop your own style
  • And more!

This class will include both demos and hands-on exercises that teach how to use light, shapes, colors, and textures to create powerful and engaging food stories.

We'll touch on a few aspects of photography, but the emphasis of the class will be on the styling of the food. A camera is not necessary but feel free to bring one to class if you'd like to record the scenes we create. (If you are not already familiar with the mechanisms of your particular camera please bring the manual as well).  

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