Creative Food Academy

Beginners food photography crash course

Inside Creative Food Academy, you'll join Em, a self-taught food photographer with a decade of experience and features in renowned publications like Forbes, The Times, Vogue & GQ. 

You'll learn the essentials of capturing food and drinks, both on your camera and smartphone. From mastering your camera settings, working with natural light, composition to editing, this course offers everything you need to get started. 

Being a self-taught photographer, Em teaches this course in a way she would have loved to learn when she got started - simple, visual and not too technical.

Access 8 modules, a 27-page practice workbook, a settings & exposure triangle cheat sheet, an in-depth 33-page Lightroom training document & 10 photography presets.

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Who is the course for?

Restaurant owners

Running a restaurant today means standing out in a crowded market. The digital space asks for a strong presence, yet creating engaging marketing content. Continuously investing budget for photography without a guaranteed return can feel like constant pressure. You want the ability to create it in-house: building an online presence that saves budget over time while giving a clear, honest first impression of the experience you offer.

F&B brand owners

Bringing a food brand to market means showing its quality clearly. When the visuals fall short, the product can lose impact and the brand value fades with it. You want images that truly reflect the standard of your brand - strong, consistent visuals that represent the product properly and draw more customers to it.

Marketing managers

The pressure to deliver strong marketing is constant, while digital trends move quickly. Tight budgets often mean relying on stock imagery or outside agencies, making it difficult to keep visuals fresh and consistent. You want the ability to produce compelling content in-house - giving your brand a steady flow of strong visuals without depending on external resources.

Food influencers

In a crowded creator landscape, standing out takes more than posting regularly. A consistent style & good quality images help your content cut through, attract brand collaborations, and build a more engaged audience.

Chefs & Hobbyists

You’re passionate about cooking and want to share it visually, but technical language and complicated setups feel intimidating. You want a simple, straightforward approach to food photography that lets you capture your dishes beautifully - no prior experience required.

8 modules

27-page workbook

33-page Lightroom training

10 photography presets

settings cheat sheet

8 modules 27-page workbook 33-page Lightroom training 10 photography presets settings cheat sheet

Food Photography can be challenging for many different reasons:

  • Lighting: Capturing the right balance and quality of light to make food look inviting and natural is difficult. Food photography often requires understanding subtle differences in lighting to enhance textures and colors without creating unwanted shadows or highlights.

  • Styling and Composition: Creating a visually compelling image that tells a story requires skills in arranging elements harmoniously, selecting the right props, and balancing the composition to draw attention to the main subject.

  • Consistency Across a Series: Maintaining a style and technical consistency across a series of photos for a project or brand can be difficult, especially when dealing with a variety of foods and settings.

  • Technical knowledge: Understanding and handling photography equipment and software effectively is essential. This includes knowledge of camera settings, equipment, and post-processing techniques to polish the final images.

This is for you if you're:

  • Continuously taking countless pictures yet never feeling fully satisfied with the outcomes.

  • Stuck on Auto and want to learn how to take control over your camera on Manual Mode.

  • Overwhelmed with the amount of information on the internet & struggle with the technical parts of photography.

Em is a self-taught food photographer, she teaches this course in a very simple, non-technical and easy-to-understand way. 

This is NOT for you if

You are already a professional food photographer: If you have extensive experience and have already mastered the skills of food photography, including advanced lighting techniques, composition, and editing, this course may cover concepts you're already familiar with. It is designed to elevate beginners to intermediate levels.

You're looking for an in-depth, long-term photography program: This crash course is designed to implement practical and actionable skills in food photography quickly. It's intensive and concise, making it less suitable for those seeking a comprehensive, deep-dive curriculum that spans several weeks or months.

You're want to learn all about artificial light: This is a beginners crash course focusing on photography managing natural light and not needing much extra equipment to get started.

  • 8 modules

  • Detailed 27-Page Practice Workbook: Follow a step-by-step shooting guide to solidify your learning and enhance your practical skills.

  • Essential Settings Cheat Sheet: This cheat sheet quickly recaps all your key settings and references the ideal settings for various shooting scenarios.

  • Lightroom: learn Lightroom with an in-depth 33-page Lightroom CC training document

  • 10 photography presets to edit your images & streamline your photography processes.

What’s included?

What You’ll Learn

Module 1: Camera Basics

Dive into the core of photography with our Camera Basics module. Here, you'll understand the essentials, allowing you to move away from auto mode. This lesson covers ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture which are the fundamental settings that give you complete manual control over your camera. It's the first step to truly understanding and mastering the art of photography.

Module 2: The Exposure Triangle

Understand the relationship between ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture, and how they influence your image's exposure. This lesson teaches you how to balance and prioritise your settings to achieve the perfect shot according to your end goal. You'll also get a cheat sheet to have at hand on any shoot.

Module 3: Recommended Equipment

Discover the essential tools you need without breaking the bank. This guide helps you build your ideal photography setup—one that's both effective and budget-friendly.

Module 4: Managing Natural Light

Discover common mistakes in lighting and how to improve it using proven techniques. Uncover techniques to manage and manipulate natural light using just 2 tools.

Module 5: Composition Techniques

Elevate your photography with 9 Composition Techniques. Learn the rules that guide the eye and engage the viewer, from the Rule of Thirds to leading lines. It's all about composition that captivates.

Module 6: Video Walk-Through

Experience a hands-on learning approach with Em's Video Demonstration. Follow a practical example of a photo shoot from conception to capturing the final shot. This visual demonstration consolidates your learning, showing you how to apply techniques in a structured, effective manner. This module also comes with a workbook of how to shoot from beginning to end.

Module 7: Editing On Lightroom CC

Unlock the post-editing power of Lightroom CC. Em takes you step-by-step through the editing process, showing you how to enhance your photos. From basic adjustments to advanced edits, transform your raw images into your own work of art.

Module 8: Shooting On Your Smartphone

In today's digital age, your smartphone is a powerful tool. The How to Shoot on Your Smartphone module teaches you to leverage your phone's camera to its fullest potential using the free Lightroom mobile app. Learn tips, tricks, and professional techniques for capturing stunning images, proving that sometimes, the best camera is the one in your pocket.

Meet Your Instructor

Hello I’m Em

Founder & Creative Director at Zodee Media & Teacher of Creative Food Academy

I'm a self-taught food photographer with over a decade of experience, featured in magazines such as Vogue, GQ, Esquire, Glamour, Forbes, The Times, and many more. 

Prior to my career in photography, I spent five years in a corporate finance environment. Driven by a passion for photography and travel, I left my job in 2017 to pursue Catch52, a food and travel blog that has earned accolades and features across several media platforms, including the BBC News, London Evening Standard, The Huffington Post, and The One Show. 

Recognising the growing demand for creative visual content, I founded Zodee Media, a creative agency aimed at assisting brands in engaging their audiences through compelling visual storytelling. Within a year, I was able to turn my passion for food photography into a full time career.

But I struggled with photography for a long time

When learning food photography, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information out there and by how technical it all was. I ended up learning most of it through my own trial and error to get familiar by simply practising on my own camera. 

As your instructor in this course, I'm here to simplify food photography so you don't have to spend the same amount of time I did trying to figure out how to get better images.

My goal is to teach it in a way that is straightforward and easy to understand. Whether you're a complete beginner or someone looking to refine your skills, this course & resources are here to equip students with the skills necessary to capture engaging visual stories, using my simple self-taught approach and insights gained from years of practical experience.

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From Our Students

  • "I’ve always taken photos with my phone/the auto mode on my camera, so I wanted to learn the basic functions of the camera to be able to shoot manually. My aim was to take more professional looking photos to work with restaurants, with a particular focus on lighting, composition and editing. The course is very clear and concise. I love that it’s super informative without being too technical. Em has many tips and tricks to help understand and remember the camera functions which makes the information stick even after several modules! I learned that you don’t need expensive gears to start taking good photos. As long as you get the settings, composition & lighting right, you can easily make a good photo (with some editing from lightroom)."

    Influencer, @chantelle_pang

  • "I work in social media and have an office camera, but I’ve never known how to go beyond the basics. I'm self-taught, and hoped this course would help me enhance my skills and take my photography to the next level. The biggest thing I learned from the course was how incredible photography can be. The camera itself has so many different settings that I would never have understood on my own. Em taught me so much about composition and adding in objects to complement the item you are shooting. The way she taught Lightroom was also incredibly helpful along with the presets, even though I have had some training on it before. The information provided in the modules were extremely relevant and useful for me. At work, I am fully responsible for menu covers, website images, banners, Deliveroo pictures, etc. So everything I learned was incredibly applicable. I already feel much more confident now that I have finished the course."

    Social Media Manager, Eataly London

  • "I loved the course! I've always had a huge interest in photography and cameras. I wanted to learn food photography for my own restaurant and hopefully be able to offer food photography for other businesses. I absolutely loved the format and the techniques of the modules. The videos are easy to follow and are extremely well made, especially with the visual references. It makes it relatable for a beginner to follow and very intuitive. I was able to grab my camera and apply the settings and actually understand why the settings need to be this way"

    Vimmy, Restaurant Owner

Before & After from our student Justine @itsnotjustcake

Available Plans

Create account > payment > immediate access

Core
£295.00
One time

Food Photography Course

✓ Unlimited lifetime access
Advanced
£395.00
One time

Food Photo Course with 1 x 60 min mentoring session

✓ Unlimited lifetime access
✓ Includes 1-hour personal feedback & consultation call.
Complete
£995.00
One time

Food Photo Course with 4 x 60 min mentoring sessions and 1 month of 1-2-1 support tailored completely to your journey and what you want to learn.

✓ Unlimited lifetime access
✓ 4 x 60 minute online mentoring sessions
✓ 1 month of whatsapp & e-mail support.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No, you don't need professional equipment to start. This course is designed to accommodate various levels, including beginners. We focus on techniques that can be applied whether you're using a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even a smartphone.

  • Absolutely. The course includes a live demonstration and a workbook for both shooting & Lightroom where you will apply what you've learned to capture & edit stunning food photographs.

  • Not at all. This course is structured to benefit everyone from complete beginners to those with some photography background looking to specialise in food photography.

  • The crash course is designed to be intensive and is spread over a few days. Each session is packed with information, practical advice, and hands-on exercises to maximise learning in a short time.

  • A camera (DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone with a good camera) is essential. For editing, we recommend having access to Adobe Lightroom CC, which comes in both free and paid versions. We'll provide a list of recommended but not mandatory tools during the course.

  • You’ll learn everything from the basics of camera settings and lighting, what equipment to use, composition techniques, and post-processing to make your food images stand out.

  • Whilst we are confident that this course is packed with value, we understand that it might not resonate with everyone. If you have any questions or concerns about the course, please e-mail hello@creativefoodacademy.com and we will work together to resolve it.