Megan chats with Emma Dunham about weaving emotion, story, and simple styling into your food photography so your images connect deeply with your audience and inspire action.

Emma Dunham is an award-winning food photographer, author, and founder of The Food Photography Academy. She helps bloggers, photographers, content creators, and food professionals shoot, style, and curate scroll-stopping images that elevate their brand and support their business goals. Through commercial work, creative retreats, and training thousands online, she has built a business around bridging the gap between brilliant storytelling and the visuals to match.

Photography is one of the most powerful tools in a food blogger’s business. In this episode, you’ll learn why your camera gear matters less than you think and how to create images that spark emotion and stop the scroll. Emma shares pitfalls to avoid, the three essential angles to use, and the must-have items to keep in your kit bag.

Key points discussed include:

Lead with emotion: Decide the scene and feeling you want your photo to evoke before you pick up the camera.

Find your golden thread: Create consistent style cues across seasons so your brand is instantly recognizable.

Avoid yellow food tones: Cool down your white balance for fresh, appetizing images.

Light simply: A window and foil are often all you need for professional lighting.

Know your hero: Make your main dish bigger, brighter, bolder, and clearer than anything else in the frame.

Practice relentlessly: Building sets and compositions gets faster and easier with repetition.

Build a kit bag: Stock up on paintbrushes, tweezers, cotton swabs, and fake ice for quick fixes.

Use color harmony: A simple color wheel can unlock bold pairings that elevate your brand.

Connect with Emma Dunham

Website | Instagram