The Invitation
As a food photographer in Dubai, Tom was invited by Unilever Food Solutions and Zomato as a guest speaker for the Middle East's first Food Photography Seminar, hosted under Unilever's Smart Kitchen program. The room was filled with chefs, executive chefs, and F&B management representing hotels and restaurants from across the region — the people who decide, every day, how their food looks to the world.
Rather than a one-way lecture, the session was built around a simple idea: food photography isn't reserved for professionals with studio lighting. With the right technique, a chef with a smartphone can shoot a dish that sells.
What Tom Presented
The talk covered how to shoot professional-quality food photography using both mobile phones and professional cameras — framing, natural and artificial light, styling basics, and the small adjustments that separate an average plate shot from one that makes people hungry.
Attendees then put the techniques into practice, photographing dishes themselves during the session.
Judging & Awards
Tom reviewed the photographs taken by attendees during the workshop, selected the strongest entries, and presented awards and gifts to the chefs and F&B teams behind the best shots — a practical, hands-on close to the session rather than a purely theoretical one.
Photo Gallery
Unilever's Middle East's First Seminar on Professional Food Photography
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