20 No-Cook Foods Part 2

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Are you a new food photographer and want to learn how to build an epic portfolio? In this two-part food photography tutorial, I offer you my pro portfolio tips and show you my list of 20 no-cook foods for non-cooks. As a beginner, food photography and food styling can seem daunting, especially if you are not a cook. However, food photography can be fun when you know what to photograph.

No-cook foods are a great portfolio builder, even for pro food photographers. By the end of this two-part series, my food photography tips and tricks will give uncooked foods new meaning.

Make sure you read part one first if you haven’t already.

Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls

Smoothies and smoothie bowls are excellent to photograph because you have so many options. They can be in a bowl, in a cup, and they can be garnished. There are so many ways you can dress up this simple food. They also give you the opportunity to add a lot of color to your photo.

Chips, Salsas, and Dips

You cannot go wrong with chips and salsa because it is colorful, looks beautiful, and there is no cooking involved. You can set up the shot by buying fresh tomatoes, mangoes, or any other ingredients that are in the salsa.

Cured Meats

I love using cured meats on cheeseboards because they are delicious. For me, a good cheeseboard has a variety of salty, sweet, sour, and sticky.

Sushi and Poke Bowls

Sushi and poke bowls make very cool photos because they are colorful. You can make them very quickly in your kitchen if you have the right ingredients. You do have to remember to try to keep all of your ingredients fresh and cool.

Tacos and Wraps

Tacos and wraps and great no-cook foods to photograph because you can make a variety of them to add to your portfolio.

Spices

I love using spices because they are so easy, festive, and make great little additions to any photoshoot. If you are looking for something to add more visual interest, I would add whole spices. Some suggestions are cinnamon, cloves, peppercorn, cardamom. They all look so good in a photo.

Seeds, Nuts, and Nut Butter

Photographing seeds, nuts, and nut butters is fun because they add a lot of texture to a photo. Nut butters add a lot of specular highlights.

Dressings, Condiments, and Sauces

I love photographing dressings, condiments, and sauces because you can easily buy them in a store and you can use them in a number of ways. They work especially well if you are photographing a salad.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruit is great to shoot because they offer a lot of visual interest to a photograph. You can shoot them dry or gloss them up with a little oil.

Pickled Produce

Pickled produce is fun to photograph because you can use it in many different ways. Whether it’s actual pickles or pickled vegetables, it’s an excellent subject matter to shoot alone or with other subjects.

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That wraps up my top 20 no-cook foods. If I happened to miss anything, please make sure you put it in the comments below. I love finding out new, innovative ideas, and I’m sure everyone else appreciates it as well.

If you liked the video at the beginning of this post, make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I share more food photography tips.

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