Profesyonel Yemek Fotoğrafçılığının Gizemi: Teknikten Estetiğe Bir Araştırma (The Mystery of Professional Food Photography: A Journey from Technique to Aesthetics)

Abstract

This study aims to address the technical and aesthetic elements of professional food photography in an integrated manner within the framework of visual narrative theory. Based on the fact that visual images have the potential to create an emotion, association and cultural context in the viewer beyond simply presenting a meal, the visual language of food photographs has been examined. The main objective of the study is to analyze how this visual language is constructed and how it affects the viewer's perception of food. This study indicates that food photography, a discipline where gastronomy and visual arts meet, should be evaluated not only as a visual presentation but also as a narrative form that carries meaning and emotion. Elements such as color palettes, lighting arrangements, background compositions, camera angles, use of geometric patterns and background preferences in the photographs constitute both the aesthetic and technical aspects of this narrative. With these aspects, the study is important in terms of presenting an original approach to analyzing how visual language shapes food perception. Content analysis technique was used as a qualitative method in the study. While the research universe consists of food photographs, the sample consists of 20 professional food photographs taken by the authors of the study. The photographs in the sample were systematically analyzed under thematic headings, and the narrative layers and emotional effects carried by each image were analyzed. The study provides an in-depth look at the role of visual narrative in food culture and provides a theoretical basis for future research.