Food is on the tip of everyone’s tongue these days. Where to indulge in the best flavours, food provenance and where to get the freshest ingredients. Simultaneously, food photography has a community of Instagram devotees who have fallen deeply in love with the colour, shape and form of platter-to-plate aesthetics.

Julie Haines, from Willow Creative, has been zooming in for many years on the power of food to visually seduce the viewer and is a regular Frankly Frankston photography contributor. We chat about the rise of food photography and the importance of getting it right.  After all, we eat with our eyes first - don’t we?

“Instagram has allowed businesses and solo operators to promote their product visually, spontaneously and consistently. I first dabbled in food photography 10 years ago when I took the 30-day raw food challenge and created a blog to stay committed to the program.  I was determined to upload beautiful photos.  I absolutely love being creative and food photography gives me that outlet on a daily basis.”

So how do you get your food shots looking as sleek as the professionals while holding true to individual style and the hero of the visual?

“Light is very important while shooting food. It needs to be soft and natural and abundant. You’ve got to move, too. Walk around the subject and take shots continually. Always take too many – you can discard but can’t always go back to take more. Move back and take wide shots; take close-ups. Experiment. Use the environment you have. Represent the place where the dish has been created by using props or an eye catcher in the background – and have fun. People can see when you’re having fun.”

To view Julie’s world of mouthwatering food, see @willowcreative on Insta and enjoy.