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Writer's pictureBrent MacGillivray

Food Photography, the other Porn


Cooking food and presenting it beautifully is an act of servitude. It is a way of expressing affection through a gift [...] That we should aspire to produce perfectly finished and presented food is a symbol of a willing and enjoyable participation in servicing others. Food pornography exactly sustains these meanings relating to the preparation of food. The kinds of picture used always repress the process of production of a meal. They are always beautifully lit, often touched up.


Food porn (or foodporn) is a glamourized visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, blogs, cooking shows, and other visual media. Its origins come from a restaurant review e-commerce platform called Foodporn. Food porn often takes the form of food photography with styling that presents food provocatively, in a similar way to glamour photography or pornographic photography.


The proper term for Food Porn is actually food styling, and is a very important marketing tool for restaurants wanting to showcase there cuisine. Unlike the big corporate fast food demigods, accuracy in presentation is very important.


Food Photography and Food Styling create a visual appeal for consumers. In order to attract, persuade, and ultimately convert potential customers into purchasing food from your business, the products must first and foremost be displayed in an attractive and appetizing manner.


In today’s hyper-competitive marketplace, it is no longer enough for a business to rely solely on the quality of its products. For educated consumers, quality and freshness is a given. This has forced food and beverage businesses to engage in visual marketing strategies as a means of differentiating themselves. Having great, mouthwatering pictures on your menu and social media gives you a guaranteed edge over your competitors. It should always be part of your marketing strategy to highlight the quality of your food through photos and advertisements.


Food Styling is responsible for making your campaigns taste great. A food stylist is to food photography, what a fashion stylist is to fashion photography. They help create stunning food pictures by arranging the scene in a visually appealing way that makes the food look even more desirable! Everything from buying the groceries, needed materials, plating and setting the food on the scene, and ultimately styling it to make it look perfect, a food stylist plays a very important role in a photoshoot. In conjunction with the food photographer, they work together to create and capture enticing and aesthetically beautiful food images for magazines, cookbooks, social media, menus, websites, or any other media your product may live on.


Now it's time for some of my recent food porn, Enjoy!



Cheers, and have yourself a great weekend!

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