Dark Mood Photography for Culinary Projects
A course by Dácil FernándezFood Photographer and Stylist
A course by Dácil Fernández, Food Photographer and Stylist
Create delicious images of food for Instagram and turn them into dark and moody works of art in Lightroom
How we present food can be just as important as how we prepare it. Learn to make still life images that are full of creativity and photograph them in the favourite style of food photographer Dácil Fernández: dark mood. Her incredible images have led to collaborations with brands such as Mangaroca, DYC, Tefal, Kenwood, Nescafé, Paulaner, Bulldog, and Lidl, among others.
In this course, learn how to create dark mood photographs. Dácil teaches you her entire creative process—from the initial idea to the final shoot—and shows you how to intensify the style by editing your work in Lightroom and other mobile apps.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 29 downloads
Color in food photography
7 minutes, 25 seconds
How to visualize your ideas
11 minutes, 46 seconds
Photo props, props and backgrounds
8 minutes, 3 seconds
Organization on set
4 minutes, 17 seconds
Composing our photo: frontal plane 1
13 minutes, 32 seconds
Composing our photo: zenith plane
18 minutes, 41 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by getting to know your teacher, Dácil Fernández. She introduces herself and tells you how she became a food photographer before talking about her creative influences and what the course entails.
Go over the basic concepts of the dark mood style and learn how to master natural light. Deepen your knowledge of food photography by looking at color, types of shots, and the compositional rules.
Next, Dácil explains her creative process. Get straight into the storytelling concept for your photos, searching for reference material to create your mood board and the first sketches.
Explore some of the essentials you need for your set, learn how to create some homemade props, set everything up, decide on the background, and look at how to compose the two scenes for the final project.
Dácil goes on to show you how to edit your images in Lightroom and how to develop the dark mood style even further with mobile apps like VSCO, Snapseed, and TouchRetouch.
Finally, get some great tips on creating a powerful and cohesive Instagram feed where your works of food art are the real stars of the show.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create two dark mood photographs that tell a story—one frontal shot and one overhead shot—and edit them.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who wants to discover and learn the dark mood style of food photography; the course is for amateurs and professionals alike who wish to expand their knowledge.
Requirements and materials
No previous experience is needed, just the desire to broaden your skill set.
In terms of materials, you need a digital camera or a phone, Lightroom installed on your computer, and some mobile apps like VSCO, Snapseed, TouchRetouch, Planoly, Pinterest, Canva, and of course, Instagram. You also need some props to decorate your scenes, a photographic backdrop, and the food or ingredients you're going to use to create your visual story.
Reviews
- 8 days ago
Muy buen curso, lo que más me gustó es lo que aprendí de composición, ella muy clara, un mensaje muy optimista, lo recomiendo
- 20 days ago
The course is great for photographer starting in food photography. Very highly recommended course
- 8 months ago
Very clear and very easy to understand. An eye-opening course for beginners.
- 11 months ago
Gracias por el curso, está muy bien explicado.
- 11 months ago
Thank you for the course, I really liked it
She has worked with Mangaroca, DYC, Tefal, Kenwood, Nescafé, Paulaner, Bulldog, and Lidl, among others. All these big-name brands found their way to her through her main showcase: Instagram.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Preparing our canvas
- What is Dark Mood photography
- Natural light: understand it to master it
- Color in food photography
- Frame orientation, camera angles, and composition
- U3
Shaping the project
- The creative process
- Storytelling: let's tell a story
- How to visualize your ideas
- Photo props, props and backgrounds
- U4
On set: the moment of the shot
- Organization on set
- Composing our photo: frontal plane 1
- Composing our photo: frontal shot 2
- Composing our photo: zenith plane
- U5
Do magic and share it
- The Dark Mood style in Lightroom editing
- Editing apps on your mobile phone
- A homogeneous and impressive feed on Instagram
- FP
Final project
- Dark Mood Photography for Culinary Projects
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Dark mood food photography is defined by intense use of light and shadow, creating dramatic and mysterious atmospheres. Unlike brighter styles, it highlights textures and dark colors, drawing inspiration from the chiaroscuro technique of classical painting.
The course is designed for intermediate level, ideal if you already have basic photography knowledge. You don’t need to be an expert, but it’s helpful to understand fundamental camera handling and composition concepts.
You’ll need a camera (DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone), access to natural light, some culinary props, dark backgrounds, and editing tools like Lightroom or mobile apps. Professional gear isn’t required.
You’ll learn to control natural light using sheer curtains, reflectors, and foam boards to create chiaroscuro effects, drama, and texture, plus how to pick the best time of day for your shots.
The course teaches how to adjust contrast, exposure, color balance, and saturation in Lightroom and apps like Snapseed or VSCO, achieving painterly atmospheres, color harmony, and detail emphasis.
You’ll learn to arrange still lifes, select props and backgrounds, apply composition rules (like the rule of thirds, negative space, and overhead angles), and create visually appealing scenes.
You’ll discover visual editing strategies, color palette selection, and element repetition to build cohesion and a professional visual identity for your food Instagram feed.