Food stylist vs food photographer

The differences between food stylists and food photographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a food photographer has an average salary of $75,634, which is higher than the $36,910 average annual salary of a food stylist.

The top three skills for a food stylist include culinary, photo shoots and food preparation. The most important skills for a food photographer are adobe photoshop, photo shoots, and adobe lightroom.

Food stylist vs food photographer overview

	Food Stylist	Food Photographer
Yearly salary	$36,910	$75,634
Hourly rate	$17.75	$36.36
Growth rate	14%	9%
Number of jobs	64,591	49,662
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	23	39
Years of experience	-	2

Food stylist vs food photographer salary

Food stylists and food photographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Stylist	Food Photographer
Average salary	$36,910	$75,634
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $51,000	Between $21,000 And $263,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between food stylist and food photographer education

There are a few differences between a food stylist and a food photographer in terms of educational background:

	Food Stylist	Food Photographer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Culinary Arts	Photography
Most common college	-	Harvard University

Food stylist vs food photographer demographics

Here are the differences between food stylists' and food photographers' demographics:

	Food Stylist	Food Photographer
Average age	23	39
Gender ratio	Male, 31.6% Female, 68.4%	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.0% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	11%

Differences between food stylist and food photographer duties and responsibilities

Food stylist example responsibilities.

Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.
Evaluate and present current culinary trends to cookbook editorial teams.
Establish culinary recipe execution and appealing product presentation for hundreds of recipes
Note allergies and special accommodations on receipts to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.
Appoint to serve guests of honor, and handle all special guest requests regarding food allergies and dietary restrictions

Food photographer example responsibilities.

Manage assistants and stylist teams to ensure timely completion of brand-appropriate studio photography.
Generate engaging lifestyle, editorial, celebrity, and model images in fast-pace, fully-digital production studio.
Photograph and process event coverage and holiday pictures with Santa.

Food stylist vs food photographer skills

Common food stylist skills

Culinary, 31%
Photo Shoots, 20%
Food Preparation, 20%
Recipe Development, 10%
Test Kitchen, 7%
Food Safety, 6%

Common food photographer skills

Adobe Photoshop, 58%
Photo Shoots, 30%
Adobe Lightroom, 12%

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Food Preparation and Restaurant Industry
Food Stylist
Food Stylist vs Food Photographer

Updated January 8, 2025

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