Food Photography in Montreal & Toronto
Commercial food photography for food brands, restaurants, chefs and agencies — crafted to highlight food appeal, texture, color and appetite.
Commercial Food Photographer
I create commercial food photography for food brands, restaurants, chefs and agencies looking for images that make products look desirable, appetizing and ready to be used across campaigns, menus, social media, packaging and editorial content.
My approach to food photography comes from advertising. Every shooting starts with a clear visual direction: what product needs to stand out, what kind of appetite appeal we want to create, what mood the image should communicate, and how lighting, color, props, styling and composition can work together to make the food feel fresh, natural and visually compelling.
I am based in Montreal and available for food photography projects in Toronto and across Canada.
A food photography approach built around appetite appeal
Food photography is not only about making food look beautiful. It is about making people feel something: freshness, warmth, texture, flavor, quality, comfort, indulgence or desire.
For each shooting, I work through a process of preproduction, production and postproduction. Together with trusted food styling and production partners, we define the art direction, the main products to highlight, the type of lighting, the visual mood, the props, the surfaces, the shadows and the overall warmth or contrast of the image.
Some projects call for a premium and polished look. Others need to feel more natural, accessible, colorful or editorial. The goal is always the same: to create images that feel attractive, intentional and useful for the brand.
Food photography for brands, restaurants, chefs and agencies
I work with food photography projects for:
- Food brands
- Restaurants
- Chefs
- Advertising agencies
- Product launches
- Campaigns
- Social media content
- Menus
- Editorial content
- Packaging and brand assets
My work is especially useful for brands that need more than a simple product photo. I help create images with a clear visual intention, designed to communicate appetite, product quality and brand personality.
13+ years photographing food products
For more than 13 years, I have worked with Mac Pollo, one of the leading food brands in Colombia, creating photography for raw products, cooked food presentations and campaign assets.
This long-term experience has allowed me to understand how food photography works in real commercial contexts: how to make a product stand out, how to create appetite appeal, how to support a campaign idea visually, and how to produce images that can work across different brand and marketing channels.
Art direction, production and postproduction
A strong food image depends on the decisions made before the camera is even set up. That is why each project includes a preproduction process where we define the visual intention of the shooting.
Depending on the project, this may include:
- Product selection
- Art direction
- Food styling coordination
- Lighting direction
- Props and surface selection
- Composition references
- Production planning
- Photography
- Color, contrast and tone adjustments
- Final image delivery
Postproduction is kept as natural as possible. The goal is not to over-retouch the food, but to preserve the product’s real texture and appeal while refining color, balance, contrast and tone.
Photography, advertising and brand experience
My work as a photographer is deeply connected to my experience in advertising, marketing and digital strategy.
I have worked at Aguayo since 2009 and currently (since 2021) serve as CEO of the company. Aguayo is a 35-year-old company specialized in advertising, marketing, CX and technology. This background has given me the opportunity to work with different types of brands, campaigns and business challenges, understanding not only how an image should look, but how it can support a commercial objective.
That experience shapes the way I approach food photography: with attention to visual quality, brand intention and the role each image needs to play in a campaign, a menu, a social media strategy or a product launch.
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer food photography in Montreal and Toronto?
Yes. I am based in Montreal and available for food photography projects in Toronto and other cities in Canada.
What type of food photography do you do?
I work on commercial food photography for brands, restaurants, chefs and agencies. This includes product photography, prepared food, campaign images, menu photography, editorial content and social media assets.
Do you provide food styling?
I work with trusted food styling and production partners depending on the needs of each project. The styling approach is defined during preproduction according to the product, the brand and the intended use of the images.
Can the photos be used for advertising and social media?
Yes. The images can be planned and produced for campaigns, social media, menus, packaging, editorial content, digital advertising and other brand applications.
What is your retouching style?
I keep retouching natural. Most of the postproduction work focuses on color, contrast, tone and balance, while preserving the real texture and appeal of the product.
Do you also produce video or social media content?
Yes. I have trusted partners for video, campaign production and social media content when a project requires additional formats beyond photography.
Book a food photography session
If you are a food brand, restaurant, chef or agency looking for commercial food photography in Montreal or Toronto, I would be happy to talk about your project.
Juan Aguayo
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