In today’s marketplace where consumers are bombarded with images, brands need more than just good photos to stand out, capture attention, and build real connections. For food and CPG (consumer packaged goods) brands, CPG food photography isn’t just about high-resolution product images—it’s about creating visuals that align with your brand’s story, strategy, and goals.
The Right Food Photographer Can Do More Than Just Take Photos — They Elevate Your Brand.
You will need to think through your uses, and an experienced food photographer can ask the right questions to ensure that you are not forgetting a key image. Even with a style guide and a clear sense of what you want the images to look like, your shot list should include a range of images.
A photographer who understands your brand’s goals and offers multiple skills will take your brand further than you may have imagined. Ideally, your product photographer will be able to shoot both your e-commerce and your styled stock photography. Bonus points if your photographer understands graphic design so that there is a place for text in advertisements. Recipe Development and Stop Motion or Short Form Video are also valuable assets to have if your budget has room to add those items as well.
Types of CPG Food Photography That Help Your Brand Stand Out
White Background Images: High-Quality Product Photos for E-Commerce Success
Do you really need boring white-background photography for e-commerce? Yes, some online marketplaces and e-commerce sites require these. While others don’t require them, having clear, well-lit product images on a solid background is essential for e-commerce success. These images instill confidence and trust as shoppers view the images which showcase the product and nutrition labels. Professional CPG food photography can be the difference between being scrolled past or added to a customer’s cart.
Lifestyle Product Photography: Makes a Personal Connection with Your Brand
While white-background shots have their place, consumers crave a story. That’s where lifestyle product photography comes in—transforming your product from something static to something relatable. I specialize in creating lifestyle photography for CPG food brands that showcase the product and how it might be used. Lifestyle images invite viewers to picture a product as part of their own lives. This is where you can set your product apart from the rest with styling that aligns with your brand’s style and aesthetic.
These images are ideal for websites, social media, and advertising. In some cases, photos of the product are also used for packaging too. I like to talk through a brand’s strategy to understand the uses they anticipate. That way, I can deliver images that are appropriate for each instance (from images for social media feeds to vertical shots for app landing pages and stories, to wide images for web banners and billboards.
Recipe Development: Shows Off Versatility and Boosts SEO
Consumers often want to know how to use a product. With recipe development as part of my services, I help showcase a cpg product’s full potential by creating original recipes that highlight its versatility. Not only does this drive sales by inspiring customers to try new uses, but it also positions a brand as a source of valuable content.
These recipes don’t just add value for customers—they can drive more traffic to websites and improve SEO. By hosting these recipes on a blog or sharing them across social media, additional opportunities for a product to be discovered online are created. Each recipe post is an additional pathway to a website, helping to build brand awareness and attract new audiences who are searching for culinary inspiration.
Tell Your Brand Story Through Professional CPG Food Photography
Your brand visuals should work together to create a clear, compelling story—and that starts with intentional, professional CPG food photography. From product shots to lifestyle images (and recipes, when it makes sense), the right mix of content builds trust, reinforces your brand identity, and helps you show up with consistency wherever your customers are.
Let’s Elevate Your Brand Together
If you’re a food brand looking for a product photographer who is equipped to create compelling images which will help you tell your product’s story across multiple platforms, let’s connect.
With a blend of technical skill, creative styling, a background in graphic design, and recipe development, I’m here to help with images and content that will help set your brand apart and drive sales. Contact me today to discuss how I can help elevate your brand with images that convert and content that connects.
I’ve worked with over 200 food and CPG brands to create images that connect and convert. View my product photography portfolio to explore some of the brands and see some of that storytelling in action.
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