Foodtography School Review
If you are thinking about starting a food blog and want to grow your food photography skills, read my review and learn about how Foodtography School helped me turn my blog from hobby into small business!
This post is my own personal Foodtography School review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliated links.
I never thought in a million years I would be a food blogger, making a pretty decent living from cooking and baking, taking photos and then writing about my culinary creations for whomever would discover me in my small pocket of the internet. I truly love what I do, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to do what I love, teach my kids the value of home-cooked, healthy meals, and hard work.
I originally started my blog to help other people like me, who desperately needed to change their lifestyle to disclude many troublesome foods, like gluten and dairy. Healthy Little Vittles was also a way to hold myself accountable. If I kept producing content for the blog and developing new recipes, I knew that I was also staying on track and learning how to get better at making allergy-friendly, plant-based recipes.
Contrary to what maybe some people think, running a food blog and all that comes along with it, like Instagram and Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. is a LOT of HARD work! The business is always evolving and there is so much to learn- it’s really a never-ending field. We foodies wear a lot of hats. We have to know the basics of cooking, we have to learn the technical side of the biz- like SEO and image optimization, for me the snoozy side of blogging, lol. And one of the most vital parts of being a food blogger is having great photos. Listen, people aren’t going to make your recipes if they don’t LOOK appealing. We eat with our eyes first, right?
So that being said, I am learning daily how to make my photos better. I didn’t start off taking great food photos, and quite frankly, there are photos I took last month that I don’t like. The growing process will never be complete when it comes to photography. I get asked all the time, “Do you take your own photos?!” “How did you get started?!” And my answer is yes, all of the food photos are taken by me, and I really got my start from Foodtography School! So let’s dive in…
What is Foodtography School?
Foodtography School is a virtual photography school that focuses solely on food! It’s the best course to take if you want to turn your food photography into a thriving business- which is exactly what happened to me! The school was started by Sarah Crawford, a successful baking blogger at Broma Bakery who is just killing it!
About the Course:
There are 5 different courses you can take: Foodtography School, Advanced Foodtography School, iFoodtography School, Restaurant Foodtography School, and The Style/Edit. Foodtography School is a 7-10 week course depending on if you take the signature or advanced course, about 20 hours of online lessons all focusing on different elements of food photography and the business that accompanies it. There are also food photography resources like editing presets, guides, and templates (like how to reach out to brands and start making money!).
Foodtography School
In this signature course you will learn about:
– The fundamentals of food photography
– Composition
– Light
– Social media
– Marketing
– Branding
– Editing
You will also have 4 styling sessions along with an editable workbook.
If you are just starting out, I would suggest starting with the signature Foodtography School Course (the Advanced Foodtography School is more for FS alums). Here’s a deep dive into that course:
Other Courses at Foodtography School
iFoodtography School: They created iFoodtography school because food photography should be accessible to everyone (not just those with a DSLR camera!) and you can start today! Don’t wait until you’re ready or until you know how to take great photos… because we are all still learning, even the most experienced food photographers.
Restaurant Foodtography School: Restaurant Foodtography School is founded on the belief that restaurant food photography is a necessary skill to improve your portfolio, establish yourself in your community, and diversify your income. There have been a couple restaurants that I have a working relationship with here in Columbus, Ohio!
The Style/Edit School: Differentiating yourself in the food photography industry is TOUGH. Coming up with unique and alluring photographs day after day requires a lot of creativity. Then knowing how to edit those photos to perfection? Talk about pressure! This 12-month immersive course all about styling and editing. Each month you’ll receive over an hour of content in the form of a digestible styling and editing session with our founder, Sarah Crawford of Broma Bakery, taking you from start to finish on a behind the scenes food photography shoot.
Influence: Just a few years ago, you could post a beautiful photo on Instagram and get oodles of likes, tons of followers, and an engaged audience who interacted with every one of your posts. Flash forward to today and you can post that exact same photo and see half the engagement you used to get. And on top of that, now you have to, like, post videos, learn TikTok, and be on social media more than ever before… all with the hopes of maybe getting the results you used to. It’s tiring, overwhelming, and frustrating.
In the Influence course you’ll learn from Sarah on how to grow your audience, keep up with the changes, monetize your social media, and the framework for influencing as a business. You’ll learn 5 different ways influencers make money and A complete video blueprint for concepting, shooting, and editing viral videos (because videos are where it’s at!).
Do I Recommend Foodtography School?
The short answer: 100% yes. I had a very minimal background in photography- especially not in food photography.
The long answer about how Foodtography School jump-started my business:
☆ I have now been able to turn my hobby into a small business to help reach more people who need to change their lifestyle due to medical reasons or who simply seek healthier alternatives.
☆ I have written TWO recipe books being sold worldwide and was able to make extra money by doing the photography all on my own, also ensuring the book was in my style 😉
☆ I have been featured on the cover of Simply Gluten-Free Magazine the largest gluten-free magazine out there, 4 times!
☆ I was able to get into Mediavine advertising to help offset the costs of running a blog- another source of income too.
☆ I was featured on the Lauren Conrad blog and social!
☆ I continue to gain partnerships and long-term contracts with big brands like Calphalon, Bob’s Red Mill, Aldi, Vitamix, and so many more.
Now, I don’t say these things to brag… I’m sharing these things because NONE of these things would have happened if I didn’t dive in and sign up for Foodtography School. I knew that in order to grow, I needed to invest in something that would better my skills and knowledge about something that I was so passionate about, regardless of that pit in my stomach not wanting to spend that much money on my business. You guys, it has been MORE than worth it.
What Makes Foodtography School Different Than Other Food Photography Courses?
One of the biggest factors for me to actually turn my food photography into a source of income was learning some of the business behind the field. Sarah is not only savvy about the biz, but she shares that aspect of food blogging along with the food photography. I personally found this extremely helpful- I mean, I didn’t even know you could partner with brands to make some decent cash!
Connections! I also have gained some really close foodie friends who took the course with me, and guess what?! They are all killing it too! We all support each other and still talk to each other even three years later.
Exposure. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there is a HUGE Foodtography School following. Alums get their photos reshared, and get to be involved in all the happenings for life! It’s a community that keeps on giving and growing and I feel so grateful to be apart of it. Sarah has really done a phenomenal job at creating these courses and she’s so good at what she does.
Before And After
Here are just a few examples of before and after Foodtography School! Don’t laugh haha!
I would love for you to join this community with me! If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!
As an affiliate of Foodtography School, I can offer you 15% off site wide (minus payment plan and bundles)! Be sure to use code: gina at checkout!
Take a leap of faith and dive in… you won’t regret it!
Looking for more food photography related content? Check out my Food Photography Equipment post!
