---
name: whatsuppiyush/ai-food-photography
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/whatsuppiyush-ai-food-photography@2/SKILL.md
source_sha256: 013a8ed940e8
---

# AI Food Photography

Food photography is a genre with its own rules: it is mostly about light, styling and angle. This guide covers the 12 approaches that actually sell food, from the dark-and-moody restaurant look to the bright-and-airy brunch look to the overhead flat-lay. Copy a prompt, swap in your dish, and you have a menu hero, a delivery-app thumbnail or a recipe-blog shot. Model-agnostic across Midjourney, GPT Image, Flux and Nano Banana.

Works in: Midjourney, GPT Image, Flux, Nano Banana, Stable Diffusion.

## How to use this skill

When the user asks for an image prompt in this style, compose one using the formulas and vocabulary below. Fill each slot with a concrete choice, then return the finished prompt. Prefer naming a real camera/lens, a light, and a colour or film treatment, which is what makes the output read as a real photograph rather than an AI render.

## Formulas

**The food formula**
```
[dish], food photography, [lighting style], [angle], [freshness cue], appetising, sharp focus
```
The lighting style does most of the work: 'dark moody side light' vs 'bright airy natural light'. The freshness cue (steam, splash, condensation) is what makes it look real rather than plastic.

## Worked prompt examples

_The restaurant look_
```
A rustic bowl of pasta, food photography, dark moody dramatic side light, deep shadows, rustic table, steam, appetising, sharp focus
```

_Dark & moody_
```
A rustic bowl of pasta, dark moody food photography, dramatic single side light, deep shadows, rustic table
```

_Bright & airy_
```
A stack of pancakes with berries and syrup, bright and airy food photography, soft natural window light, white marble
```

_Overhead flat-lay_
```
A colourful grain bowl, overhead flat-lay food photography, styled ingredients around it, soft even light
```

## Vocabulary

### 12 food-photography styles

**The three core looks**
- **Dark & moody**: Hard side light, deep shadows. Premium, restaurant, cookbook.
- **Bright & airy**: Soft window light, white surface. Fresh, healthy, brunch.
- **Overhead flat-lay**: Shot from directly above with props. Social, recipe blog.

**Setting & mood**
- **Rustic**: Wood table, warm light. Homely and artisan.
- **Fine dining**: Minimal elegant plating on white. Upscale menu.
- **Marble editorial**: White marble, soft daylight. Magazine editorial.
- **Street food**: Market bokeh at night, candid, vibrant.
- **Pastel & cute**: Soft pastels, playful styling. Cafe, dessert, kids.
- **Dark luxury**: Gold accents, dramatic rim light. High-end.

**Appetite cues**
- **Steam / hot**: Visible steam signals a hot, fresh-cooked dish.
- **Splash / fresh**: A water splash on ingredients reads as fresh and vibrant.
- **Macro texture**: Extreme close-up on texture and detail. Very appetising.


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From **God of Skills**: a curated, hand-tested directory of AI skills, prompts, templates and image style guides.
Source: https://godofskills.com/playbooks/ai-food-photography?ref=claude-skill