At the end of November 2020, I styled and took my first-ever food photograph. If someone had told me then that within my first year I’d bring in over $7,000 from food photography, I would have been stunned. Yet here I am—one year later—and that goal was not only met, it was surpassed.
The revenue came from three main streams—ranked from highest to lowest income:
- Recipe photography
- Brand photography
- Sponsored content
Before diving into the numbers, however, I need to share something essential.
Charging from the start
From day one, I charged for my food photography—even though I’d only been at it for a month. I did not accept free products or “exposure” in lieu of payment. If I had gone down that route, I wouldn’t have built a foundation of paying clients and reliable income. If you’re thinking you can’t charge because you’re “just starting,” or “not good enough yet,” I’m begging you to discard that mindset. Your work has value. Don’t sell yourself short.
Recipe Photography – Primary Income Source
This was my biggest earner in year one. The workflow here: I take an existing recipe from another food blogger, recreate it in my home studio, shoot both the process and the final dish. Many bloggers hire me when they need refreshed photography for old recipes. In this first year, I completed 17 recipe-shoots and earned over $5,000 from this category alone. That’s a high volume of shoots—but it showed that consistency adds up.
Brand Photography – Second Income Line
Next came brand photography. I love this work because it involves partnering with food brands and producing content that gets real commercial use—on their websites, social media, marketing campaigns. The workflow: the brand sends products, I photograph them in my home studio, and they pay for commercial-use images. Because of that usage, the rates are higher—for example, in this year I did 2 brand shoots and earned about $1,650. If you do brand photography, know you’re operating in the commercial licensing space—so set your pricing accordingly.
Sponsored Content – Supplemental Income
Finally, sponsored content. I took my first such deal in January 2021, just two months after starting food photography. At that time, I had fewer than 500 Instagram followers—but I still got paid. That first deal earned a few hundred dollars. By August when I had around 1,500 followers, I charged several hundred dollars for a sponsored post. As a note for later readers: by early 2022, when I had ~5K followers, I charged over $1,600 for a sponsored post. The takeaway: even with a smaller audience, you can charge if you position yourself correctly. In my first year there were 2 sponsored posts earning just over $300 total—not huge compared to the other streams, but meaningful.
The Big Picture & Reflection
Putting all three categories together, my first-year revenue from food photography exceeded $7,000. Back in October I had a goal of $5,000 and was at about $3,500—but I ended the year well above the target. I share this not to brag, but to show it’s possible. If you are under-charging (say under $400 per job), it’s time to reassess. The food photography industry is real. You can make money in it—even at the beginning—if you treat it as a business and value your work.
Additional Revenue Streams to Consider
Beyond those three income paths, there are many other possibilities:
- Ad revenue: Display ads on your blog. Many networks require large traffic (50k + monthly sessions) to make this viable—which I didn’t have yet.
- Affiliate income: Promoting products and earning commission from sales. I don’t use this heavily, since my audience is still modest and I only promote things I genuinely use.
- Recipe development: Instead of just photographing other people’s recipes, you create them for brands or bloggers. I haven’t pursued this yet, because my passion lies more in photography than recipe creation—but for someone who enjoys it, it’s a great option.
Looking Forward to Year Two
Hitting over $7,000 proved to me that I can pursue food photography as a career. And the best part? This is just the beginning. For year two I’m aiming high—triple or even quadruple what I made in the first year. I plan to focus more on brand partnerships because that work is both fulfilling and higher paying.
If you’re just starting out too: what are your goals for next year? Whether you aim to shoot your first paid job, raise your prices, or land a commercial brand deal—share it. I’d love to know what you’re working toward and support your journey.
I hope this rewrite gives you a high-quality blog-style piece that retains the author’s voice, is accessible to your audience, and supports your goals as a fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogger looking to branch into photography or creative income streams.
