As a fine art print facility that works with various clients nationwide, we have the privilege of meeting people from all different spectrums. Art collectors, interior designers, photographers – you name it. With this, we also get the chance to meet people in industries we might not have as much familiarity with. Food photography consists of capturing still life images and visually attractive photographs of, you guessed it – food! Specializing in commercial photography, the final products are often used in advertisements, cookbooks, menus, packaging or magazines.

We recently had the chance to chat with one of our clients, Francesco Tonelli, an experienced and talented food photographer from Italy. Francesco enjoys connecting with his clients and guests and introducing them into the exciting world of food. His heavy involvement in the food industry, from collaborating on cookbooks, traveling to conferences and expos, to consulting on recipes with his commercial clients, has made him one of the most prominent food photographers in the industry.

Display Your Food Photography With Clarity

Francesco was in search of a professional printing company that would be able to supply him and his clients with quality photo printing for his food photography images. He was also interested in displaying a few of his images in print, around his studio, as well.

After doing some research online, Francesco stumbled on ArtisanHD and decided to give it a shot. Francesco was pleased with how simple it was to upload his images using our online upload configure and was also very satisfied with the quality of his prints.

It is great to have a user friendly print resource, reasonably priced and quality oriented. Thank you!” – Francesco Tonelli

At ArtisanHD, we believe that the quality of your photographs should always transfer to print. Since Food Photography is such an intricate genre, the details really matter. We take printing seriously and our team only works with the finest digital press technology and color-managed production to ensure we are producing beautiful, vibrant prints for our clients.

By offering various materials and mounting options, our clients are able to bring their artwork to life with their own personal touch. Material options include HD Photographic Paper, Brushed Dibond Metal, HD Acrylic, Canvas, XL Prints and much more! 

Meet The Artist: Francesco Tonelli

Francesco Tonelli Image Food Photography ArtisanHD Blog

© Francesco Tonelli 

01. What first interested you about food photography?

I have been a chef for over 20 years in Italy, Switzerland, and France. In 1997 I moved to New York State to teach at the Culinary Institute of America. It is there that I developed a new hobby: food photography. I never took a picture in my life nor had any desire to, despite working alongside great food photographers for many years at La Cucina Italiana. But they were working with film, polaroids, light tester and large format cameras. It made the whole thing looks so mysterious and complicated.

“Fortunately, 1998 is the year that the first consumer digital camera became available and I decided to buy one.”

This would become useful for times that I felt it was necessary to document my dishes and presentation to provide my students with a visual lesson plan. I bought an Olympus D500 L and it was less than 1 Megapixel. 

The fact that I now had the ability to download the digital files directly to my computer, manipulate the images independently and could lay them all down inside my lesson plan, totally captured my interest. It soon became a hobby and I started capturing even the food I was eating at home, figuring out ways to improve the quality of the images and the light.

As a recipe developer back in Italy for La Cucina Italiana, the CIA occasionally provided me with assignments on top of my teaching schedule. I was assigned to brainstorm ideas and develop concepts and recipes for large food corporations that saw the school as a resource. It is while developing some of these new recipes that I had the idea to provide the client with a visual image of what the new preparation looked like, and it was very well received. 

“One thing leads to another and my hobby soon turned into a side job.”

I invested in better cameras, lighting, gear and started reading books about photography and about Photoshop. In 2005, after 8 years teaching at the CIA I decided to venture in the world of freelance commercial food photographers.

02. What type of equipment do you use to achieve such great results? 

Currently, I use a Nikon D850, mostly with a Zeiss 50mm or a Nikkor 85mm T/S. Profoto strobes, Lightroom and Photoshop. 90% of my work is shot in my studio right outside of NYC but occasionally I pack my gear to travel on-location shoots mostly for hotels and resorts. 

03. Do you have any tips for beginners? 

Controlling the light is very important to me. That is the single biggest improvement I did in my photography when I first began shooting

francesco tonelli image2 food photography artisanhd blog

© Francesco Tonelli

04. Which is your favorite image of yours? 

It is really difficult to say. I always struggle looking back at my work and choosing favorites. But if I were to pick one, I would probably go with this one (image to the right), because it is the very first professional image I ever shot.

05. How did you hear of Artisan?

I found your company online and decided to try out your services a few years ago. I loved how easy it was to upload and create my print. The price was reasonable and when I received the first test print I loved the quality. I then decided to order all of the prints to be displayed in my studio. I also print most of the images clients buy from me for print and display.

We’re More Than A Printer, We’re Artisan.

art photography

ArtisanHD offers the recreational artist access to the same tools, materials, and craftsmanship that professional photographers utilize to make stunning museum quality masterpieces.

From photography to fine art reproductions, our clients trust us to produce gallery-quality prints with perfect color, every time.

Get started by uploading your images HERE.