photographing brown food
(and making it look good!)
what do fried food, meat, and most beans & Legumes have in common?
They can be super tasty but they're not the most...photogenic. And yet those are things that food photographers have to shoot pretty regularly.
So, what do you do? How do you make brown, blah food look beautiful AND delicious?
get instant access for $37
Brown food is the great equalizer — it humbles even experienced photographers. Steak, chocolate, roasted anything... it all wants to look flat, muddy, and unappetizing on camera. Most people respond by adding more light or more props, and it still doesn't work.
In just under an hour, I'm sharing exactly how I approach brown food so it looks rich instead of flat, dimensional instead of dull.
Here's what's covered:
➡️ How to introduce freshness so the dish doesn't read as heavy or lifeless
➡️ Why texture is doing most of the work in a brown food photo — and how to bring it out
➡️ How to think about color in a way that makes your subject the shining star of the image
➡️ How to use story to give the image a reason to hold someone's attention
By the end, you'll have a real framework for shooting brown food ...and making it beautiful!
"Is there a more challenging trouble spot than photographing brown food? Clare’s mini class on photographing brown food was very helpful with suggestions from someone obviously very acquainted with the challenge – and overcoming it! I’ve applied the tools a number of times since, and shortly after taking the course, took a brown palette image that remains one of my all-time favorite food photos."
-Wes A.
@whaphotos
what's inside
• A focused video lesson, in just under an hour
• 4 real shoot demonstrations
• Summary slides to reference any time
• Practice prompts to apply what you've learned
• Lifetime access
"This class on photographing brown food has been particularly impactful for me because I primarily photograph cakes and cupcakes for my work. I had been so frustrated with my lighting and constantly found myself with brown-looking “lumps” of food instead of beautiful, appetizing images. In this class, Clare gave me the skills and knowledge to approach these foods with confidence and dramatically improve my work. I’m so grateful!"
-Erica
@erica.klock
Right now, brown food probably makes you nervous. You see it on the shot list and already know you'll be fighting it — extra light, extra props, extra time in editing just to make it look halfway decent.
This class helps that feeling go away. You'll walk into a brown food shoot the same way you'd walk into any other one: knowing exactly where to start, because you understand what the dish actually needs instead of throwing fixes at it and hoping.
That's the real win here — not a few new tricks, but one less thing standing between you and a shoot you can actually enjoy.
your instructor
Hi, I’m Clare Barboza—professional photographer for over 25 years, with the last 15 focused on food.
I’m also the co-owner of Poppy Bee Surfaces (and yep, every single photo on this site? I took it).
Over the years, I’ve shot more than three dozen cookbooks and collaborated with brands, chefs, farms, and restaurants across the country.
Since 2008, I’ve been leading photography workshops, and they’ve become one of the most meaningful parts of my work.
Helping others uncover their creative voice—and actually trust it—isn’t just something I love; it feels like a big part of why I do what I do.
