Your Guide to Food Styling Courses
Photographer Kate Grewal, Food Stylist Diana Jeffra
No matter how passionate you are about starting your journey as a food stylist, entering the industry still feels intimidating to newcomers. This is especially true for those who are pivoting careers. If you are a brand-new or inexperienced food stylist looking for some guidance, it might be time to invest in food styling courses.
Choosing a course can be overwhelming, but our guide is here to help. Find out what you need to know about educating yourself in the industry, what the best food styling courses are, and more below!
Are Food Styling Courses Really Necessary?
Beginners may wonder if investing in a food styling course is necessary. While you can get by on free tutorials and inexpensive books, your progress may be slower than if you invest in professional courses immediately.
Dedication to your craft requires a deep commitment.
Part of that commitment is investing in quality tools and resources. Books and free tutorials are best used to supplement professional food styling education.
Benefits of Food Styling Courses
If you’re still skeptical about whether you need food styling courses, check out these benefits:
Photo Credit: Kate Grewal, Food Stylist Diana Jeffra
1. Food Styling Courses Save Time
Learning on your own often requires trial and error. Trial and error, while excellent teachers, are also time-consuming. You can save time by learning tips, tricks, and techniques in a course that has been specifically designed to be beginner and user-friendly.
2. Food Styling Courses Offer Unique Insight
Every food stylist is unique, and that’s a good thing!
You don’t want to be like every other stylist out there. Your distinctive approach to managing your business and your unique artistic talents hold inherent value. Whether your strength lies in making hyper-detailed packaging or fixing up food for casual but appealing lifestyle images, no one can do things exactly like you. That being said, learning from other unique individuals can offer insight and ideas to incorporate into your own techniques. While you don’t want to be a copycat of anybody, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t gather inspiration from others.
3. Food Courses Can Offer Help In Niche Areas
Sometimes, you may need information about a specific niche of food styling. Maybe you’re confident about styling burgers and fries, but your self-assurance wanes when it comes to drinks. Food styling courses are like sampler platters. They offer various informational tidbits, and you can select the specific ones you need at the moment. As your needs shift with each job, you can “sample” a different video to gain a new skill.
Best Food Styling Courses
Hopefully, you now feel confident that food styling courses are right for you. The next step is choosing the right course to learn food styling. While which products constitute the best food styling courses is subjective, the Culina Creative team favors two. Suzy Eaton’s and Lola Faura’s online food styling courses are great for beginners.
______________
Suzy Eaton’s Course
Suzy Eaton has been in the food styling business for almost twenty years. She’s worked alongside celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Sunny Anderson, both popular TV chefs who have impacted the industry and inspired many foodies globally. With experience like that, you know she can be trusted! We like Suzy Eaton’s course for a few reasons:
It is affordable. Some new food stylists may not have the money to invest in expensive courses, so this is a major plus.
Eaton’s course covers all of the basics. There is not enough information to overwhelm newbies, but there is also no shortage of tips and tricks for getting started as a stylist.
Eaton gives a good overview of tools beginners can use for food styling. This can be helpful for new stylists who still need to complete their toolbox.
Visit the Culina Creative shop for professional styling tools!
The bottom line? Eaton’s wisdom and well-produced videos are a wonderful foundation for beginners. Her course is perfect for those who want to stay within a budget while still gaining valuable insight.
Photo Courtesy of suzyeatondesigns.com
______________
Lola Faura’s Course
Food Stylist: Lola Faura
Lola Faura is an award-winning food stylist whose company nets six figures yearly. Numbers like that should assure you that Faura’s industry techniques work.
Here’s what we love about her 12-week course:
You can chat with Faura as you complete the course. Some people learn better by working one-on-one with a teacher rather than watching prerecorded lectures. By purchasing Faura’s course, you also get access to personal time with her.
Faura covers more than the basics. While Faura does cover the basics of food styling, she doesn’t stop there. Alongside tips and tricks for making gorgeous food for the camera, She also offers guidance on building a portfolio and working with clients.
You get lifetime access to resources. Once you finish the course, your access doesn’t end. You can go back through the lessons whenever you need them. Additionally, you will be added to a Facebook and WhatsApp group that allows you to ask questions long after completing the video lessons and assignments.
Faura’s course is a big investment. It will cost 2,500 euros or 2,698.44 US dollars. However, the quality of the course and its value make it well worth the money. Use affiliate discount code Diana500 for 500 euros off!
Photo Courtesy of www.foodanddrinkstyling.com
Other Options for Food Styling Courses
Maybe your budget doesn’t allow for either Eaton or Faura’s courses right now, or you are not sure you are fully invested in becoming a food stylist. If that’s the case, there are cheaper options out there. Udemy offers an array of inexpensive online courses, and there are always free YouTube tutorials and books. (Two books we recommend are The Food Stylist’s Handbook: Hundreds of Media Styling Tips, Tricks, and Secrets for Chefs, Artists, Bloggers, and Food Lovers.) and Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food for the Camera
These are all valid options. However, please note that you may not be able to glean all the information you need to become a professional if you choose not to invest in high-quality courses.
We highly recommend checking out Eaton or Faura’s class if you are dedicated to becoming a sought-after food stylist.
Add Culina Creative to Your List of Resources!
Can’t wait to learn food styling techniques? The team at Culina Creative has a passion for creating helpful content for aspiring food stylists. While we still recommend investing in online courses, we are here to help you too. You’ll find great tips and tricks across our blog and social media accounts. Follow Culina Creative owner Diana Jeffra on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok today!
Photographer: Kate Grewal, Food Stylist Diana Jeffra