Shadows & Spices: Behind the Scenes

Chef tossing ingredients in a blazing wok, orange flames leaping upward in a dark kitchen, captured mid-motion for a light-painting effect

Flame Photography Techniques: Light Painting with Kitchen Flames – A Midnight Photographer’s Technical Guide

By Sarah Teh - October 22, 2025

There is a raw, untamed energy in a kitchen at full tilt. For those of us who practice food photography, the most captivating element is often the most dangerous: fire. A burst of flame from a wok or the steady burn of candles on a dining table is more than just part of the cooking…

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Top-down view of a rugged canvas camera bag mid-shoot, revealing a DSLR camera, a half-eaten granola bar, and a clear water bottle—fuel for a food photographer on the move. Scattered nearby are a second DSLR, lens cap, and a 32GB SanDisk SD card, capturing the raw essentials of a shoot day diet: hydration, quick calories, and gear that never rests.

The Food Photographer Diet: What I Eat While Shooting Everyone Else’s Food

By Sarah Teh - October 8, 2025

I once spent four hours on a food shoot for a twelve-course tasting menu. Each plate was a colorful masterpiece, carefully created through deliberate styling and composition. The client wanted photos that told a story. It was a symphony of culinary art that required all my attention and skills. What did I have for dinner…

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