Food Photography Techniques for Advertising
A course by Alfonso AcedoPhotographer and Food Stylist
A course by Alfonso Acedo, Photographer and Food Stylist
Discover lighting and digital retouching tips for food styling
Every art form has its tricks of the trade, but none quite like that of food photography. Alfonso Acedo—photographer and food stylist—knows all the techniques and secrets to whet the appetite and quench the thirst of consumers with just one photo. This is why brands such as Kellogg's and Calvé, as well as a range of restaurants, rely on his attention to culinary detail in his photographs.
In this course, learn how to enhance the aesthetic of food and drinks in a photograph by way of great lighting, digital retouching, and food styling.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 11 downloads
Mount set
15 minutes, 51 seconds
Beer and product preparation 1
18 minutes, 36 seconds
Beer and product preparation 2
14 minutes, 37 seconds
Beer, light and photograph 1
18 minutes, 10 seconds
Beer, light and photograph 2
15 minutes, 39 seconds
Sandwich materials
8 minutes, 36 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know Alfonso Acedo, how he got started in the world of food photography, and his main references in the sector. He introduces you to the course's project: taking photographs for a menu board.
The first photo session is all about capturing drinks. He explains what equipment you need, the material he uses, and the different ways to apply the chilled effect on a bottle of beer.
Learn how to assemble a lighting setup with two flashes; one creating a backlight to illuminate the liquid and one front flash to give the bottle a side glow.
Continue with the food photo session, which in this case features a sandwich. Learn how to "cast" the products to get a mouth-watering line-up and look at how to position each element on the set to make it as appetizing as possible. Alfonso explains how to assemble another lighting setup with two flashes and a reflector, ideal for emphasizing the glare and the outline of your sandwich, as well as food in general.
After the sessions, move on to digital retouching using Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. Select two photos from the drinks shoot and look at how to combine them so that the beer has the perfect body and head. Make tweaks to the droplets and the label, then create a background.
Repeat the process with a photo of the sandwich and learn all the secrets to retouching the little imperfections until you've got the ideal version of your product.
To finish, integrate both images into the design of a generic menu board.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a menu board using all the food and drinks styling techniques learned throughout the course.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Photographers who would like to get started in the world of food photography.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you need basic knowledge of digital photography, a good command of studio lighting or flashes, and experience with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
As for materials, you need an SLR camera, studio lighting equipment (or at least two flashes), a computer with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom installed, and some kitchen utensils.
Reviews
- javosanvalPLUS4 months ago
Buen curso para los que no sabemos nada de fotografia.
- 4 months ago
100% recomendado, excelente curso
- roberto82PLUS10 months ago
Un curso ideal para el que le guste la fotografía gastronómica. Todo muy bien explicado y sin prisas
- giulombardo_ctPLUS11 months ago
Il corso è molto valido. Ci vorrebbe solamente una integrazione con le nuove versioni di Photoshop che renderebbero più snello il lavoro.
- 11 months ago
excelente curso
He now has many years' experience in photography under his belt and has worked for restaurants and brands such as Ligeresa, Kellogg's, Calvé, and many more.
Content
- U1
Presentation
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Beer
- Mount set
- Beer and product preparation 1
- Beer and product preparation 2
- Beer, light and photograph 1
- Beer, light and photograph 2
- U3
The sandwich
- Sandwich materials
- Sandwich assembly
- Sandwich, illuminate and photograph
- U4
Postproduction
- Touch up drink 1
- Touch up drink 2
- Touch up drink 3
- Touch up food 1
- Touch up food 2
- Touch up food 3
- Integrate items into the menu board
- FP
Final project
- Tricks for gastronomic photography
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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FAQs
You’ll master advanced editing techniques in Lightroom and Photoshop for product and food photography, including color correction, blemish removal, realistic droplet simulation, and professional image composition for menus and advertising.
Yes, this course is designed for those with basic photography and editing skills who want to deepen their knowledge of advanced digital retouching and composition for products and food.
Basic photography knowledge and introductory experience with Lightroom and Photoshop are recommended to get the most out of this course.
You’ll need a digital camera, access to Lightroom and Photoshop, and a computer capable of handling RAW files and advanced image editing.
The course teaches you how to identify and remove chromatic aberrations using Lightroom’s specific tools and Photoshop’s selective adjustments.
You’ll learn how to prepare bottles, create condensation effects, and simulate droplets using accessible materials and digital tools.
Yes, the course covers using the pen tool and layer masks in Photoshop to achieve precise, professional cutouts.