Is Pretty Focused Worth It? A Food Photography Course

“I want to become a food photographer!”

That’s great! That’s the first step to your new career. Now what? Where do you go from here? You need a food photography course to give you all the ins and outs of this exciting career field. But that’s easier said than done.

If you type “food photography course” into Google, the results are more overwhelming than helpful. Do you just watch some YouTube videos for useful tips? Do you sign up for an online academy or in-person classes at your local community college? What’s the right choice?

Let’s say you’ve done your research and found Pretty Focused (I mean, you are reading this blog), but you’re not ready to commit. How do you know if Pretty Focused is worth it? Is it worth the cost, the time, the effort? 

This blog is a deep dive into the value of Pretty Focused and why taking a food photography course online is exactly what you need to succeed!

Why You Need a Food Photography Course 

But before we start comparing and contrasting Pretty Focused to other food photography courses, let’s talk about why you need a course in the first place. 

Self-Taught VS Hands-On Teaching

Reddit would have you believe you can watch a few videos on YouTube and figure it out. And while that is a good place to start, it has some significant limitations. There’s a reason why  How-To YouTube videos have comment sections filled with questions. It’s tough to learn something new without gaining feedback, being able to clarify, or having someone show you directly. 

Pretty Focused has 40+ lessons that will teach you everything from how to use your camera to how to photograph recipes, strategies for gaining clients, and portfolio work. On top of that, you’ll gain access to individualized coaching and an active community of fellow students and graduates, so you are never alone in your learning. In fact, we’re happy to say that we will hold your hand the entire time! You’ll always have answers to your questions and get feedback on your work, so you can actually make improvements. 

It’s the difference between passing a test in class and thinking, “Yes! I know this topic,” and then starting a job, doing the work, and realizing practical knowledge is everyting. Pretty Focused as a food photography course offers both!

Knowledge VS Understanding

If you’re reading this blog, it’s clear that you’ve done your research. You’re deep-diving into the world of food photography, and maybe you feel like, after all the information you’ve consumed, you want to try it on your own. You know enough to get started. But knowledge and understanding are two different things.

I felt the similarly. I was an experienced portrait and wedding photographer and figured the switch over to food blog photography would be simple. It followed all the same principles, right? Sure, just like writing a book is the same as writing a blog. They’re entirely different continents on the same world.

You’ll probably get by in the beginning, but you’ll make a ton of mistakes and go through a ton of trial and error to figure things out. It will be a lot of wasted time and effort. It took me until I started helping my friends launch their own careers in food blog photography that I realized how much I didn’t know and how much there was to learn. That’s why I created Pretty Focused.

With a food photography course like Pretty Focused, not only do you gain knowledge, but you also gain true understanding through practice and feedback. Your coaches and fellow classmates will transform a YouTube video of facts into practical applications that you can implement immediately. It makes all the difference in the world.

Pretty Focused VS Typical Food Photography Courses 

Okay, hopefully, we’ve convinced you to sign up for a food photography course. But which one? Do you sign up for Pretty Focused or one of our competitors? After all, there are a thousand people claiming they can teach you food photography. Who’s best for you?

We’ll admit straight out of the gate that everyone is unique. What works for one person might not work for another. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. All we can tell you is what makes us unique and why our students are happy they chose Pretty Focused.

Most food photography courses just offer a curriculum—a few videos, PDFs, and workbooks that you’ll use to teach yourself the ins and outs of food photography. Often, they have nonexistent communities, or communities that are more focused on competition than support. 

At Pretty Focused, we offer curriculum, coaching, and a community that supports our students during class and after graduation. We are with you all along the way! Here’s the Pretty Focused difference.

Detailed Curriculum That Requires No Experience

The Pretty Focused curriculum is divided into six easy-to-follow modules that break down food photography into easy-to-understand and follow steps. Our goal is not to overwhelm you but to guide you carefully. Here’s what you can expect.

• Module 1: We start by giving you the camera basics including lighting, aperture, ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focal plane, RAW, and so much more.
• Module 2: Next, we break down composition and styling, including movement, white space, styling props, centering, and more guidelines.
• Module 3: Then, we delve into how to photograph recipes and give you a step-by-step process and components to follow for success.
• Module 4: Finally, we teach you how to edit your photos in Lightroom, even providing a shortcut cheat sheet. But we don’t stop there.
• Module 5: Next, we move into building your business, including how to work for clients and what they expect.
• Module 6: Last, we help you set up your business with everything you need, from pricing to invoicing, contracts, questionnaires, and more.

“Everything Pretty! I have learned SOOOO much from the courses and all the coaches!! I highly recommend PF because I went from never picking up a professional camera to finishing my portfolio in less than 5 months! There is a wealth of information here!” —Brittany

Personalized Coaching Every Step of the Way

Our coaches genuinely care about our students and their success. They are incredibly knowledgeable (all being Pretty Focused graduates themselves), and are more than happy to share that knowledge with you. The course is designed so that you get regular feedback on your practice sessions, portfolio work, and more. You’ll never be without advice, answers to your questions, or help. 

“My favorite part of PF is firstly the coaches and their feedback. It comes from genuine caring, and they are all so knowledgeable.” —Kelly

Coaching provides you with relevant and timely feedback so you know you're on the right track.  We will guide you through the process of creating your business portfolio and successfully graduating from our course. This means you are never going through the course blind. Our coaches want to see you succeed as much as you do! 

A Large Community of Bloggers & Photographers to Help You Out

Above and beyond coaching, Pretty Focused is all about community. Our community is a safe and encouraging space for you to connect with other students, graduates, and coaches. It’s filled with hundreds of knowledgeable and friendly people who love food photography and want to help you succeed. They’ll be your listening ear, friend, commiserator, and so much more. We have no doubt that our community will be one of your favorite parts of Pretty Focused!

“I love the community, the coaches and so appreciate everyone who helped to provide instruction, encouragement and support on this journey.” —Risa

But it’s not just about our community of fellow students and graduates. Our food photography course also connects you to more than 1,000 food bloggers who are looking to buy exactly what you’re selling. Our exclusive Buyers Club is only for Pretty Focused grads and directly connects our graduates to potential clients. And not in a vague, impersonal way.

You’ll be able to directly ask potential clients what they are looking for, find their work requests, submit your own work for sale, and so much more. It’s an ecosystem of buyers and sellers that will help you directly translate our food photography course into a food photography career.  It’s one of the main reasons why:

• 53% of grads connected with potential clients within hours of graduating
• 70% of graduates work with multiple blog clients to sell their work
• 69% of graduates reported making $50,000+/year on average over the last three years

Going Above and Beyond Photography to Building a Business

If you attended college (or even just took a few college classes), you know that there is a significant difference between learning concepts and practical knowledge. That’s why internships are so valuable; you actually get hands-on experience that helps you build your career and practice what you’ve learned. Pretty Focused has taken that idea to heart.

“Once you graduate, Pretty Focused is like no other vocational program, even if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on classes.  Because not one of them has a Buyers Club set up with clients as soon as you graduate. That’s unheard of.” —Fabiana

Not only will Pretty Focused teach you how to take food photography photos, but we will also teach you how to make a business out of it. It’s not enough to graduate with knowledge of how to use your camera, complete recipes, and take sellable photos. Our food photography course takes you through the steps after graduation: using what you learned to make a business.

You’ll get:

• The exact strategies our graduates use to introduce themselves to clients.
• A step-by-step plan for securing new clients (even if you have no prospects).
• A guide to curating a portfolio that will wow prospective clients.
• Case studies of successful graduates and how they used the Pretty Focused system to build their businesses.
• Direct insight into setting up your business, invoicing, pricing, contracts, and more.

Is Pretty Focused Worth It? Community Reviews!

So, is Pretty Focused worth it? Don’t take our word for it. We’ve got a ton of community reviews for you to read for yourself. Here are a few.

“I went from, ‘How am I going to feed my family with a couple 100 bucks?’ to ‘Now, I've just made $1,600 in 45 minutes!’ I sold everything within 24 hours—the entire shop. In fact, most of it went within 45 minutes and I had paid off the Pretty Focused course. Every time something would sell, I would take a screenshot and send it to my husband. I choke up thinking about it right now … I literally struggled until the day I graduated Pretty Focused. It was life-changing for me!” —Lindsay (a homeschool mom turned food photographer)

“I was expecting it to be like the other courses I’ve taken, but I didn’t realize the level of involvement from the coaches. And to me, the course is worth it just for that. I have never taken a course with that much guidance. It was almost mind-boggling to me. I could not believe how the coaches devoted so much time to giving feedback and answering questions. It was just so invaluable to me and anyone wanting to learn. I learned the most in the feedback process. And that’s in addition to just being in the amazing Pretty Focused community on Facebook, where I could ask questions and not be judged. It blew my mind how supportive everyone is.” — Courtney (an archeologist who followed her dream into food photography)

“One thing I love about Pretty Focused is that people are willing to share; people are willing to give advice. They’re not holding back. Instead, they’re very giving and willing to share their knowledge. I really appreciate that….I would encourage potential students and new students to watch everything that is offered. Take all the boot camps. Invest in your business. Take in all of that education. Because that will help you along the way…I wasn’t an overnight success. My portfolio didn’t sell out the hour after I graduated, but it was a normal path…and I was still surprised at how quickly I started selling products. I’ve exceeded my expectations. My goal for this year is to make well over $50,000 in income.”—Robin (a serial entrepreneur who embraced food photography)

If that’s not enough to get you started, Pretty Focused offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no reason not to try it out today. What do you have to lose?

Results shared in this blog post are self-reported by our graduates and not a guarantee of income.