The 8 Best Food Photographers in Syracuse

Ready to dive into the delicious work of the top Syracuse food photographers? If you’re not from around here, you may not know of Syracuse, New York’s thriving food scene, offering a diverse fare to satisfy a wide variety of tastes and budgets. Foodies love Syracuse, and that means the city’s talented creative professionals have plenty of mouth-watering dishes to shoot.

We at Peerspace have rounded up some of the finest Syracuse food photographers working today, whose backgrounds and styles are as diverse as Syracuse’s cuisine. 

1. Derek Pfohl

Bringing years of experience to the table, working both in the restaurant industry and photographing brands, freelance photographer Derek Pfohl’s food images are striking visual magnets. That his work has appeared in Food & Wine, The New York Times, and other publications should come as no surprise to anyone who’s glimpsed his stuff. His seemingly minimalistic sensibilities often find him getting up close to the dishes he’s capturing, bringing your attention immediately to the subject, with just enough environmental cues to anchor the image to reality. That’s if he wants to.

His portfolio also shows us a few images that demonstrate his skill at creatively manufacturing graphically slick advertising-caliber food photos, drawing your attention with their visual impact. Pfohl’s place among the top Syracuse food photographers is unquestionable.

2. Annie Sageer

Anyone who follows the popular food blog Ciao Chow Bambina will likely notice two things: its incredible content of Italian and Italian-inspired dishes and recipes and the superb photographs accompanying each post. Annie Sageer is the site’s culinary talent, and she also happens to be a professional food photographer. If limited to a two-word description of her photos, we would choose, “beautifully comfortable.”

You can’t help but have a sense of familiarity from her images, with their naturally-lit look and clean, pleasant cast, the dishes typically presented within a humble old-world country kitchen-style setting. If they bring back warm, happy memories of wonderful home-cooked meals in grandma’s kitchen, bingo! “This is about creating beautiful images,” says Sageer. “This is personal.” And how right she is.

3. Michael Massenzio

For a more journalistic approach to good food photography, take a look at portrait photographer Michael Massenzio’s work. In a series of photographs and short essays he called “Syracuse Cucinas,” Massenzio explored various Syracuse restaurants and eateries and documented each’s staff at work, in their kitchens. It allows us a glimpse into the very hectic world behind the scenes that give us the food we happily consume.

Impressively, Massenzio says he used available light (and two cameras) in an effort to be less intrusive, which did present a problem in the often dim lighting conditions. But as we can see, not only did he manage, he succeeded at capturing both appetizing visuals of the finished products and the regular intensity of the effort it takes to deliver those to us.

4. Sarah Fredenburg

It’s difficult not to notice branding photographer Sarah Fredenburg’s fun and peppy personality oozing onto her images. Regardless of what photo project she’s working on, whether it’s personal branding, books, art, etc., her personality shines through. Of course, her style and energy attract clients to whom that appeals, so to expect anything else would just be silly. It’s no different with her food photography branding work.

We’re presented with a delightful selection of very bright, clean, and ultra-colorful images that just pop off the page and the screen. Her food work we’ve seen — cakes and pastries — has mostly been studio shots. Their plain solid color backgrounds are composed simply, but all achieve their objective: grabbing and holding onto your attention.

5. Lara Enders

Go to a bookstore. Proceed to the cookbooks section. Pick out a contemporary bestseller, which will probably be an expensive one in a larger format printed on more expensive glossy paper. Check out its pictures. They’ll probably look exactly like the pictures that Lara Enders takes.

Now a pro food photographer and stylist, she impressively got her start as a food blogger. Finding inspiration in the photographs of other food bloggers she followed, she decided to do what she could to try and make her own pictures better. And boy, did she!

Her saga becomes even more amazing when, as you go through her @foodlaraloves Instagram album, you realize that many of the photos are actual dishes she ordered to eat! The lady just seems to have an instinct and the sensibilities to work in natural light, a common trait you’ll notice throughout her outstanding work.

6. Rick Needle

Some images we see simply leave no doubt that the person behind the camera is a professional, and then some — such as Rick Needle’s work. An advertising and wedding photographer for over two decades, Needle shoots pretty much everything. He also brings the same very pro slick creative skillset to every project, with a heavy emphasis on creative.

His food photography is no exception. Some shots are clearly professionally engineered advertising images unless you suspend disbelief and throw out any sense. His other more “real” food shots are excellent examples of the amusing observation that food we get from restaurants never looks like they do in their pictures. But if that perfect advertising shot is what you want among Syracuse food photographers, Needle’s your guy.

7. Yohance Bailey

Amid weddings, portraits, events, and other regular pro photographer service staples, food photography does not appear once on Yohance Bailey’s website. But poking around Instagram, we came across Bailey’s separate album devoted entirely to his food photos. And we’re glad we did!

We can only assume it’s a new addition to his list of services, but judging from the quality of his work, he’s not a newcomer to taking spectacular food shots. Equally adept at shooting flat overheads and frontal angles, getting up nice and close to his subjects, Bailey consistently delivers sharp, colorful images with a snappy, energetic feel, regardless of the dish itself. You can sense his enthusiasm for the subject matter really shows through his work. That’s a heck of a package with his obvious talent and technical abilities!

8. Christin Sterbank

We think one of the biggest positive trends in food photography is amateur food bloggers. They’re usually untrained photographers, just doing what they’re passionate about. Some reveal a natural talent and instinct for really good photography. Like Christin Sterbank, who has a day job, but whose work with her “hobby” blog we feel puts her among the ranks of notable Syracuse food photographers.

What we find particularly appealing about her images are her compositions. There’s little, if any, attempt to mask that she’s capturing reality. It’s the food she actually ordered in a restaurant and will actually be eating soon after she clicks that shutter. She consistently angles her images creatively. It’s a subtle but visually powerful touch and no doubt part of her blog’s appeal to her many followers.

Serving up fresh, delicious photography in Syracuse

For our money, Syracuse is a hidden cultural gem. Setting aside all the other positive aspects about the city, it’s home to wonderful museums, events (hello, Great New York State Fair!), and shows.

And, of course, food. We’re crazy about the work these talented Syracuse food photographers are doing, capturing the creativity and attention to detail in these beautiful dishes for restaurants, ad agencies, publications, and the simple joy of it.

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