The process of food photography begins with the purchase of the food and ingredients. Only the most visually perfect foodstuffs are acceptable and multiple backup or test items are usually needed. As a result, purchase of the food and ingredients is a very time-consuming process. The best-looking of the purchased items is selected and marked as the “hero”, i.e., the item that will be featured in the photograph.During the setup and for test shoots, it is represented by a cardboard stand-in.

The actual photography can take place in a studio under controlled lighting conditions, or under natural light.The light, background and setting is carefully prepared so as to present the food in as attractive a way as possible without distracting from it. The color and texture of the background is selected so as to effectively complement that of the food and to assist with its lighting.

Styled food is usually marked as inedible and discarded after the shoot, because it may have been handled or treated in ways that make it unsafe for consumption.