Do Food Photographers get to eat their work?

I’ve never really done much food photography, and snaps of my food have mostly been limited to quick Instagrams of meals in restaurants. I’m never happy with the result – mine always seem badly lit, grainy, and because they are taken with the iPhone’s built-in wide-angle lens, everything on the table ends up looking a bit distorted.

Today I thought I would enter the Quaker Oats #ShowUsYourOats competition for a bit of fun, and went about it with a more professional approach. I found myself really enjoying the process of styling the food, as well as sorting out the light and other technical and creative aspects of the image.

The best part was, I got to eat my work at the end! I wonder if all food photographers get to devour what they shoot, or at least sample it.