Just about anyone can pull out their phone and take a photo of their meal, but it takes the right gear, composition, lighting and skill to create a truly scroll-stopping food photo or video. This week we feature a group of food and drink photographers who are capturing cuisine in the most compelling way possible. See how some of these photographers like to get up close in the details of a meal or beverage with a lens like the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G, or how they capture the depth of a dish or drink using a versatile lens like the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. Feast your eyes on their delicious food photos and videos below, then give their accounts a follow. For the chance to have your account featured on AlphaUniverse.com, tag your Sony photography posts with #BeAlpha. Don't forget to follow @sonyalpha for your daily dose of Sony photo inspiration. 

This week we feature a group of food photographers using their Sony Alpha gear to creatively capture cuisine.

Jessica Hirsch – @cheatdayeats

Jessica Hirsch’s dynamic food photos and videos have attracted over 488K followers on her Instagram. The Alpha Collective member, known as @cheatdayeats on the platform, posts quick recipe videos and photos of dishes from some of her favorite places. Often using the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master or Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G, her work homes in on the gooiest, creamiest, most decadent aspects of every dish – increasing their appeal AND our appetites! She filmed the video of delicious mochi donuts in her post below using the Sony Alpha 7S III and the 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master. Follow Hirsch for more flavorful photos and videos, and check back to AlphaUniverse.com on Monday for Hirsch’s What’s In My Bag article to see a full look at the latest gear in her kit.

James Tran – @jtran_photos

James Tran is a Sony photographer and videographer specializing in food and beverage. He often captures images for bars and restaurants, and you’ll find a variety of videos, up-close photos and overhead images of full table settings throughout his Instagram feed. His techniques for styling and lighting the dishes help bring them to life, instantly making you want to know (and taste) more. He took this tasty image below with the Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens.

Purvi Shah – @iampurvishah

Purvi is a food, product and lifestyle photographer. Her images typically include an element of motion, often making a splash off your screen like in the drink images from her post below. She captured these with her typical combination for this type of photography, the Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G. She captured it using both artificial and natural light because nothing can beat hard light and shadows for her. Keep up with her account for more behind-the-scenes on how she sets up her shots so perfectly. 

Kristin Atwood – @chefstudiokrissy

Kristin Atwood is a chef-turned filmmaker and an Alpha Female+ grant winner. She’s also the founder of the James Beard and multi Webby nominated Chef Studio, an independent production company where food meets film. On her Instagram you’ll find photos and videos from her work along with behind the scenes, and you can catch her full videos on her Chef Studio YouTube Channel. Just look at these hexagonal lemon cheesecakes and the way she cinematically captures their creation...yum! 

See more about how Kristin makes her stunning food and cooking films for her Chef Studio channel on YouTube in this behind the scenes video:

Nia – @butfirstsalt

Nia is a Netherlands-based food and product photographer. She likes to incorporate “a little magic” to make the food or product in her photographs stand out. Sometimes that means adding the perfect dramatic lighting or capturing the perfect coffee drip, and sometimes it’s deconstructing the elements of the dish or incorporating a little levitation to her food styling. She created this deconstructed floating sandwich image using her Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens.

Lauren Short – @lauren.c.short 

Lauren Short is a food photographer, educator and YouTuber. On her Instagram you will not only find beautiful food and beverage photography, you will also find educational videos that help teach you how she captured it. From properly styling and lighting the food, to correctly composing your frame and finding the right angles – she has a wide array of behind-the-scenes for creatively capturing cuisine. She also shares many of her food photography techniques on her YouTube Channel. She took this mouth-watering pancake photo using the Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens.

Dolphia N. Arnstein – @dolphia.n.arnstein

Dolphia Nandi is a designer, camera artist and previous winner of an Alpha Female+ grant. She beautifully styles Indian-inspired dishes and then photographs them for clients, social media and more. Her photography contains the perfect combination of artistic and technical skill to create an eye-pleasing result every time. You’ll see these colorful spreads throughout her Instagram, often along with her food tips and recipes.

Michael – @yukilovesfood

Michael is a lover of food and posts many photos of his favorite dishes on his Instagram account. He uses the Sony Alpha 7 III and a combination of the Sony 90mm f/2.8 Macro G lens or 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master lens to fully capture each meal or beverage. Also, coffee lovers beware, Michael’s setup is one you’ll envy! He has an incredible espresso machine and has perfected the art of the espresso shot. “I look for uniform, dark, tiger stripes, and an even drip that’s almost honey-like while avoiding things like channeling & blonding.” He captured these stunning details with the 90mm f/2.8 Macro G attached to his Alpha 7 III.

Prachi Palwe – @palwes_kitchen

Prachi Palwe is a food and product photographer and recipe developer. On her Instagram account you’ll find bold food displays, behind-the-scenes videos, how-tos and more. The wide variety of content, from close-ups to overheads and photos and videos, makes her Instagram an intriguing one to follow. She captured this image of a steaming hot modak served with ghee using her Sony Alpha 7 III and Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 G Master lens.