Food Photography Workshops and Seminars for 2018
Welcome to the Food Photography Workshops 2018 Directory. This list is meant to be the most complete listing of food photography seminars and workshops in the world. If you conduct a food photography workshop or know of one I’ve missed, please email me and let me know. I’ll be glad to add it to our directory. (This is a work in progress)
This directory does not include online courses. There are plenty of those out there, but if you want to have someone you can actually talk to while you’re learning, then you’ll probably want to attend a real food photography workshop.
What to look for in a food photography workshop or seminar
When researching and selecting a food photography seminar or workshop to attend, you may want to consider the following issues.
The Instructor – It’s important that you have an instructor that know’s his or her subject. Do they shoot the kind of food photography you want to learn about? Do they shoot for advertising or have an editorial style? The best way to tell is to look at their food photography portfolio, which is usually on their webpage. Make sure they know what they’re doing and that you admire their work.
Topics Covered – Some workshops cover or concentrate on specific aspects of the food photography industry. Some may cover “natural light” and totally ignore “artificial light” while others may concentrate mostly on food styling. It’s important to understand what all will be covered at the seminar so you are going to be the most out of your time there.
Skill Level – It’s important that you find a food photography workshop that suits your needs. If you attend a workshop where you learn nothing new, it’s a waste of your time. That can be equally true for information that is above your level or below your level. If you’re new to photography in general, then take a course geared toward novices. If you already have a good understanding of photography and photographic lighting, then you’ll want to find a workshop to fit your level of expertize.
Schedule Compatibility – We all have only so much vacation time to devote to educational purposes, so it’s important the seminar be available on dates that end up not being in your “busy season”.
Cost – The cost of the seminar is always a factor. You never want to spend more than you have to. If you’re someone just getting into food photography as a hobby or maybe someone interested in starting a blog, then the cost will definitely be an issue. And don’t forget to figure travel and lodging costs too.
If you’re a professional looking to expand the services you offer, then the cost is less of an issue. For one thing, the cost should be tax-deductable and you will be able to recuperate those expenses by billing on your first food photography shoot.
Food Photography Workshops 2018 Listings
Here are all the food photography workshops and seminars that I could locate on the net. If you know of any that I’ve missed or you offer such a service, please let us know and we’ll be glad to add you to this Directory.
Advanced Food Photography Workshop 2018
When? Customized to fit your schedule
Where? Pittsburgh, PA USA
Subjects Covered:
- Understanding photographic lighting as it applies to food
- Lighting for shape, texture, and separation
- Creating drama through low-key lighting
- Creating that “light and airy” feel with photographic lights
- Creating “something special”
- Professional food photography lighting tools
- Professional food photography tricks
Optional subjects covered by request
- The business of food photography
- Composition
- Propping
- Food Styling
- Finding clients
- Working with clients
Cost – $1350.00 for one day, $2100.00 for two days, or $2600.00 for three-day seminar
The “Advanced Food Photography Workshop 2018” is a one-on-one workshop, custom designed to each student’s specific needs as a food photographer. While useful to a novice food photographer, this seminar is best suited to intermediate and advanced shooters, ones that can turn around and start billing clients because of the knowledge they bring back from this seminar.
Michael Ray is a long-time, well-establish advertising food photographer. He has shot for some of the nations biggest brands and his work has appeared in countless magazines. His greatest strength as a food photographer is his ability to create dynamic effects through artificial light. If you’re interested learning to master food photography lighting, this is the seminar for you.
If you should decide on the three-day workshop, the third day will be devoted putting your newly learned skills to use by creating images for your portfolio and your website.
Ful-Filled Food Photography Workshop
When? March 8-11 2018
Where? San Francisco CA USA
Subjects Covered:
- The fundamentals
- Finding your light
- Composition
- Storytelling and the human element
- Food Styling and props
- Editing and finding your style
- Building your brand
- Marketing and client work
Cost – $975.00
Comments – This seems like a workshop geared toward entry to intermediate food photographers interested in the editorial food photography market. It’s nice to see the business side of food photography covered because it’s a lot more profitable if you actually have clients paying you. If you’re interested, you can visit their website at Ful-Filled Food Photography Workshop
Natural Light Food Photography Workshop by Clare Barboza
When? February 10, 2018 – July 14, 2018 – November 3, 2018
Where? Seattle, WA USA
Subjects Covered:
- natural light
- composition
- exposure
Cost – $250.00
Comments – This seems to be a 5-hour seminar geared toward the relative newbie food photographer. Many editorial food photographers use natural light exclusively, but this approach drastically limits the places and times of day you can shoot. You will be able to transfer much of what you’ve learned toward artificial lighting, but if you are interested in getting into “advertising food photography”, you will probably need to take a photographic lighting course too. You can learn more about Clare’s workshops here.
Food styling and Photography Workshop by Clare Barboza and Becky Selengut
When? February 11, 2018 – July 15, 2018 – November 4, 2018
Where? Seattle, WA USA
Subjects Covered:
- food styling
- prop styling
- Natural light photography
Cost – $300.00
Comments – This seems to be in introductory class on food and prop styling made to compliment the “Natural Light Food Photography Workshop” given the day before this workshop. Someone interested in both natural light food photography and food styling can do both seminars in a single weekend. You can learn more about her workshops here.
Photo Manhattan Food Photography Courses
When? Feb 05-Feb 19, , March 9-16, April 25-May 9, (once a week for three weeks) May 17 (all in one, 6hr. day)
Where? New, NY USA
Subjects Covered:
- Lighting
- Color
- Composition
- Perspective
- “The perfect course for business owners and bloggers”. (In their description)
Comments: They offer three, two-hour seminars or customizable time schedules and they seem to be geared toward food bloggers. The seminars seem to be offered once a week, so if you’re coming in from out of the city, you’ll need to stay for three weeks. I guess that this would be considered more of a class and less of a seminar or workshop, but they did have reviews that rated them very highly. You can learn more about their food photography classes here.
