Food Also 'Looks Better in Photos'... Tteokgalbi and Hot Dogs Lined Up Outside Photo Studios

Increased Online Sales Lead to One-Month Wait
Reservations Required from Product Planning Stage

CJ and SPC Establish Specialized Departments
Food Industry Expands Hiring of Food Stylists

Photo of the collaboration between Charida Studio and CJ CheilJedang's 'Gourmet Crispy Hot Dog'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Manager A, who works at a major domestic food company, recently broke into a sweat. When inquiring at a ‘food styling’ specialized studio to shoot promotional photos for a new product launch, he was told that the earliest available shooting date was at least two weeks later. Manager A said, "I inquired in advance to meet the product launch schedule, but I was surprised to hear that the earliest possible date was two weeks later," adding, "As online food sales have increased recently, it has become necessary to book famous food specialty studios a month in advance."

Highly Sought-After Food Styling Studios

According to the food industry on the 23rd, competition for reservations at food styling studios specializing in food photography is intensifying. This is due to a significant increase in online food orders caused by COVID-19. Online, a single appetizing photo is more important than explanations. Therefore, food companies are increasingly visiting specialized studios that use various props to express the characteristics and taste of their products.

A food industry official said, "For famous studios, it has become difficult to secure a spot without booking from the product planning stage," adding, "Usually, about 10 photos are taken, and the cost has risen to around 5 million won."

Representative food styling studios include ‘Charida Studio’ and ‘K-One Studio.’ These studios are famous for styling flagship products of leading domestic food companies such as CJ CheilJedang and SPC Group.

They do not simply take product photos but create scenes such as dropping broth from a ladle from a height to highlight the rich soup of broth products, or applying cooking oil and using camera shutters to emphasize the glossiness to express the tender texture of grilled short rib patties. Sometimes, with an artistic touch, they depict a small doll shaped like a person farming on instant rice to create a unique visual expression.

A representative from Charida Studio said, "Requests have increased two to three times compared to before COVID-19, and reservations are delayed by about two weeks to a month," adding, "Recently, inquiries for shooting home meal replacements (HMR) and meal kits have increased significantly."

Hiring Food Stylists

CJ CheilJedang upgraded its ‘eDesign’ department, responsible for product design and related tasks, from a ‘part’ under the marketing department to a ‘team’ in January last year, and has been steadily expanding recruitment of professional photographers and food stylists. SPC Group has been operating an in-house studio since 2019, hiring professional personnel such as photographers and web designers.

Separately, they operate design centers to strengthen product images. Other major food companies are also hiring related personnel by running in-house studios or forming dedicated photo and video teams to collaborate with external studios.

Since COVID-19, with the increase in HMR and meal kit products, changes have also occurred in product photography. In the past, efforts were made to emphasize product names or make products look abundant. However, recently, it has become important to show the completed cooking state of HMR and meal kit products so that consumers can better imagine the taste.

A food industry official explained, "Recently, it has become important to attract consumers’ attention with photos that highlight the product’s characteristics," adding, "In a situation where new products are launched daily, whether consumers are induced to purchase by imagining the taste through photos and videos can determine the product’s sales performance."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.