Art is expressed in many forms: paintings and sculptures, photography and music, and literature and dance. The dictionary definition of “Arts” is “the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.” A strong case can be made that food should be applied to this category as well. After all, the creative skill of cooking and the emotional power of eating is something that we experience every day. Perhaps of all “Arts,” it is food that is enjoyed the most. And by everyone.
When we take food and add photography into the mix – we then have a powerful combination. Snapping gorgeous food photos, whether for IG posts or to memorialize a truly fantastic meal, is a study of art in which we can all indulge. Enter Joanie Simon.
Simon has shot magazine covers and recipes in cookbooks, website banners, and social media content. She collaborates with companies that have an exciting vision, and she brings that vision to life. An educator at heart, in 2017, she started sharing videos on YouTube about how to capture food in photos. The channel, The Bite Shot, quickly took off. From there, she expanded her visual career, which is on display in her book Picture Perfect Food, one of the top guides for those wishing to know how to best hone food photography skills. In the book, Simon walks readers through each element of a masterful food photo in chapters devoted to “Camera Settings,” “Light and Shadow,” “Story,” “Props Styling,” “Composition,” “Food Styling,” and “Finding Inspiration.” She teaches how to find the best light and how to delve into the shadows to create a moody and mesmerizing atmosphere. Composition, color theory, and visual weights are explained along with essential tricks of the trade.
