Top 3 Food Photographers in Singapore (2023)

We eat with our eyes first, right? No matter if it’s appetizing appetizers or decadent desserts, food photography will make any plate pop off the page. But sometimes, snapping a picture with your smartphone just isn’t enough. Luckily, there are a ton of talented professional food photographers in Singapore.  

Looking for Food Photographers in Singapore?

ShutterTurf is a great way to find vetted food photographers in Singapore.The platform also allows for easy communication, booking and finalising details of the photoshoot. Use ShutterTurf to find the perfect food photographer for your next project in Singapore. ​

Briefly let us know your photoshoot details and we will connect you with the most appropriate photographer.

Alinea Collective

First on our list are Brayden Lim and Almanda Teo. Co-founders of Alinea Collective, Brayden is a professional food photographer and videographer while Almanda is a food stylist. 

With their eye for detail and experience combined, they are a dynamic duo in the food photography industry. They share the skill for conceptualizing and arranging a meal until the shot is visual perfection. For four years, these two have been heavily involved in commercial and campaign work for many high-profile clients, like GrabFood Asia, Pizza Hut, and Marriott International. 

Their eye-catching work has been featured in numerous advertisements, such as food packaging and printed publications. 

Easel n Glass

Himani is one of the notable food photographers in Singapore. She has an artistic background, and her talents lie in her creativity, knowledge of colors, and ability to understand the chef’s visions and translate them into styled food photography.

Her style can be Simple, Classy, Elaborate, Playful, Storytelling, or Dark, depending on the client’s vision. Whatever the style may be, she takes time to style and frame the shot perfectly where the food always remains the center of focus.

Her clients include several top restaurants and cafes in Singapore such as Punjab Grill at MBS, Sameza Rice, Caro’s Patisserie, Kebab Faktory, Spice Adda (where she has worked with a Michelin star chef) & Podi & Poriyal, Screening Room, Maziga, Prime Society @ Demspey, Beirut Grill, Anjappar and We Desi Bistro to name a few in the food industry.

Click here to book a food photographer in Singapore

Digital Negative

In 2014, Chris and his team started a commercial photography studio that pursues more than just beautiful images. They became one of the versatile food photographers in Singapore.

They create visuals that reflect their client’s brand values and purpose. Because business isn’t just defined by what it sells, but the story it tells of a better world that people want to be a part of.

Chris’ photography tells stories by weaving together the art of photography and the science of selling. Chris always ensures that he understands both the project’s requirements and restraints. It helps to create value beyond a photoshoot. He and his team provide visual assets of a person or product.

Also, they integrate commercial photography seamlessly into your overall marketing efforts, so you can focus on what truly matters: delivering on your brand promise.

Click here to book a food photographer in Singapore

How will professional food photography help in marketing your business? 

People start consuming food even before it touches their palette. The look, the aroma, and the desire to taste add to the fun. Food pictures taken by professional food photographers appeal to this desire of your potential consumers. It catches them off guard and makes them want to savor the delicacy; they are the best appetizers.

Of course, you can click these pictures yourself but consider this. Can you style food as well as a professional photographer? Do you pay attention to detail and position the elements? Can the pictures clicked by you trigger impulse buying?

If your answer to these questions is ‘no’, then you definitely need a food photographer.

With these many businesses coming up every day, people have become picky about their preferred food places. Keep in mind that they will look you up on the internet before ordering. So, you need your marketing to be the most appealing, and a professional food photographer is a way to go.

Besides this, you must understand that you are building a brand through your website, menu, and social media pages. These photos add a visual element to your brand personality and remember that they do judge a book by its cover.

So, make sure that those photos look good enough to represent your brand. Trust us on one thing. Although professional food photography costs more, the returns are amazing.

Floating Food Photography

Floating food photography is a popular technique in food photography. It is used to show the food floating in the air along with its surroundings. The food is usually placed on a transparent glass or plastic sheet which is floating above the background. The glass sheet is usually attached to a sheet of styrofoam. This creates a pleasing effect of food floating in the air. The photographer can get very close to the food, achieving a sense of realism and depth. The food and the glass sheet can be lit differently, providing a seamless and realistic effect.

Today, most food bloggers and Instagrammers use floating food photography to give different dimensions to their food. Several bloggers and Instagrammers use acrylic rods to keep their food floating off the table. The rods are inserted into the food to avoid the food touching the table or floor. Food items that can be used to create floating food photography include fruits, vegetables, pretzels, flowers, cakes, doughnuts, etc.

Food Styling in Singapore

While many food photographers are noted for food styling in Singapore, you can also hire a professional food stylist for this.

Food stylists are professionals with a knack for making food look appealing, appetizing, and desirable. They work closely with chefs and photographers to prepare the food and make it photograph-ready. Food stylists in Singapore are generally involved in everything around a photoshoot, be it buying ingredients, cooking, plating, or arranging other accessories for the pictures. 

Remember that their job is to make food appetizing even if it’s not edible. Therefore, their equipment includes glue, toothpicks, dye, and even motor oil for desirable effects. Food stylists understand different tips and tricks to make food look appealing. For instance, they often undercook meat because it shrivels up on cooking and doesn’t capture well in the camera. Its golden brown shade is the courtesy of bronze paint or a hairdryer. Also, many times glue is used instead of milk in pictures of breakfast cereal. 

Besides all this, food stylists in Singapore also experiment with different colors and textures to ensure a proper balance of elements in pictures. They understand the usage of complementary colors and sharp contrasting shades to evoke different reactions. They also take charge of arranging other elements like table cloth, napkin, fruit pieces, and cookie crumbles around the plate. 

You can tell them about your brand values and requirements, and they will work accordingly. Since professional food stylists are great at their job, you can hire them for food styling in Singapore.

Creative Food Photography

Creative food photography is one of the most peculiar branches of photography, not because it is different from other types of photography but because of its uniqueness in portraying different aspects of life with food. It is an art form that combines food styling, lighting, composition, props, and textures to create a distinctive photograph that captures the viewer’s imagination. A creative photographer does not only capture raw ingredients or dishes; they also include how people react to these dishes.

Creative food photography can be used in cookbooks, magazines, books, advertising, packaging, social media, and other forms of media to highlight the visual appeal of food. Food photographers use different props, lighting, and composition to best capture the appealing colors, textures, and shapes of food to create an appealing photograph.

Important questions to ask when shortlisting a food photographer in Singapore

Since food photography is essential to your F&B business, it cannot be taken lightly. It would be best to find the right fit from among the numerous food photographers in Singapore, and the best way to do this is by asking the right questions. Their answers will help determine how good they are for you.

1. How to choose the food that needs to be photographed? Your website, social media handles, and menus provide you with limited space to convert viewers into potential customers. Also, you are building your brand in the process. So, put the picture of your most beautiful and relevant food items up there. Ask your photographer about their insights, and their answer will tell you how well their experiences suit your brand. 
2. How many photos do you take for each food item? Asking this gives you an estimate of how much time the photographer took in capturing the pictures that adorn their portfolio. While it generally takes time to capture the perfect shot, you need to decide how much you are ready to devote. You need to also make sure that your photographer is not the kind who gets restless and doesn’t experiment for better angles. So, make sure that your photographer takes enough photos of each food item without losing their patience.
3. What are your payment policies? What are the payments entitled to? While making sure that the photographer’s services are in your budget, ask them about their hourly rates. Also, see that they provide all the services you require, like retouching photos and videography at the time of cooking. Don’t forget to ask them for a detailed bill. The manner and mode of payment should suit you. 
4. Is there any cancellation and refund policy? Before booking any service, one should always ask about cancellation and refund policy. Something urgent can come upon the date of the shoot or there can be an unfixable emergency with your food, and you might have to cancel. It may also happen that you meet a better photographer and decide to go with them. 
5. How long will it take for the photos to be delivered? You might want to update the pictures on your website, social media handles, and menus as soon as possible. So, ask your potential candidate for food photography sg how much time it will take for them to be delivered. All the printing, retouching, and editing usually take around a week.
6. What’s the location of the food photoshoot in Singapore? You don’t need to photograph food in a studio or garden. You can go to any beautiful spot for a food photoshoot in Singapore with your photographer and get it done. Besides acquainting you with such spots, asking this question will give you an idea of the number of clients they have worked with. 
7. When’s the best time to prepare the food before the photoshoot? Food is best photographed just after serving on the plate. Some items like fries and burgers need to be captured within a few minutes of preparation else they might get soggy. Cappuccino starts losing its froth bubbles once out in the open. So, ask your potential photographer when you should prepare the food for a good food photography sg. 

Price and packages for food photography in Singapore

Depending on what studio you decide to work with and the size of the project, prices will vary. A few pictures used for advertising purposes is much different than photographing an entire menu. Before you contact a professional, determine how many photos you will need. 

Some photographers provide individual packages for catalogs, full online menus, takeout menus, and print advertisements. However, there are photography studios who will create a tailor-made package for a client based on their specifications. 

On average, food and beverage photoshoot could cost about $100 to $400 per hour. And typically, a session lasts about two to three hours. In total, professional food photography can cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on the photographer you go with. For an additional fee, some studios offer photo retouching and editing services as well. 

In addition to the photo packages offered on ShutterTurf’s website, we’ve also compiled a list of some of the remarkable food photographers in Singapore.  

How to prepare for a Food photography photoshoot?

The beauty of a photoshoot lies in its preparation period. We strongly advise not directly to jump into the shoot with your photographer; rather, take some time out, plan, and prepare well for it.

• Think: Remember that the pictures captured by one of the best food photographers in Singapore won’t only be converting your leads into customers but also be building your brand image. So, be sure of what you want here. Research thoroughly on the web, talk to your colleagues and decide what kind of pictures you want of the food and during the meal preparation. Make sure that these convey your ideas and vision to the world.
• Plan the Background: Just like both protagonists and the plot make a good movie, the background of your picture is as important as the plate of food. Select the right location for food photography sg and think of a suitable backdrop to work on. Usually, plain white cloth pieces or wooden tables become good props as light background and negative space enhance the quality of food pictures.
• Communicate: Now that you have your ideas ready, talk to your photographers about them. Communicate your requirements and expectations openly, hear their opinions, and decide on a plan of action. Ensure that both of you are on the same page regarding food choices, color schemes, and photo ideas. 
• Get ready: Once you are done with planning, make a list of all the things you will need and get them from the store. See that you have everything in one place. Account for small items like table napkins also. This will make sure that you don’t miss anything on the day of the shoot. 
• Organize: Have everything organized on the day of the shoot. The props, the ingredients, and the cooked food items should be ready before you start preparing and styling food for your pictures. Remember that you have no time to rush and arrange things on that day.
•  Be flexible: Once you start shooting, you may realize that things are not proceeding as per your plan. Your expectations will change; the things you found good a few days back won’t be attractive anymore. So, what do you do now? Just don’t panic; your photographer will manage everything with creativity and improvisation. Keep some extra ingredients, food items, props, etc., handy for the day, and everything will fall into place.

Mistakes to avoid in Food photography

· Not capturing fresh food: Freshness enhances not only taste but also the visual quality of food. So, if you want to get good food pictures, use fresh ingredients and photograph freshly cooked food.

• Putting too much food on the plate: Over-served plates kill the hunger and do not attract customers. So, if you want to reap the benefits of good food photography sg, minimalism is the way to go.
• Having a too catchy background: Catchy and/or chaotic backgrounds distract people from the served plate. So, try to keep plain light backgrounds in all your food pictures.
• Delaying photography: Food starts losing its freshness as soon as it is plated. So, don’t waste time in unnecessary shenanigans; ask the photographer to start clicking pictures quickly.
• Planning less: Don’t wait for the D-day to start planning the shoot. Talk to your photographer, plan, and be ready a few days before the shoot is scheduled.
• Sticking too much to the plan: Remember that plans are only supposed to guide you; you need not stick to every word of it. So, don’t panic if things don’t proceed as you expected them to. Just stay calm and improvise.
• Not developing your brand style: As stated before, these food pictures will help in your professional branding. See that it is done in style! Outline your vision, select your brand colors, and make sure that the food pictures go with them. 

Smartphone Food Photography, if you are on a budget

If you are on a budget and cannot afford to hire professional food photographers in Singapore, smartphone photography is just the right option for you. Nowadays, many phones have excellent inbuilt cameras. Coupled with the numerous editing applications out there, smartphone photography is at par with professional food photography sg. 

Just download the right applications, prepare well, and level up your photography game with this article. You are good to go! 

Conclusion

Whether you need photos for a small take-out menu or the entire menu on your restaurant’s website, consider hiring a food photographer. By collaborating with an experienced professional, you will have delicious-looking pictures of the food served at your establishment that will draw in potential customers. And an increase in customers means an increase in earnings, making food photography a wise investment for businesses in the food and beverage industry.

Anyone of the skilled food photographers in Singapore mentioned on our list will create a visual feast with their crave-worthy images.

Additional Photographers in Singapore

FAQ’s