One woman turns her hobby into an artform, and here she shows you how

Or, if you are Jane Saunders, you become so clever at capturing the beauty of fresh ingredients and tempting dishes that you turn a hobby into both an artform and a business.

Jane, 40, who lives at Hughenden Valley with her young family, explains: “I always liked to bake – I remember hounding my mother at every opportunity to let me make a cake. Once I left home I could bake whenever I liked, and now my two little girls love it too.”

Jane trained in food photography and now her images are used by magazines and restaurants, as well as winning her recognition in national competitions. We asked her for tips on how to make home foodie images more successful than simple point-and-click.

“First, make the best of your camera’s potential,” she suggests. “Read the manual and explore the best use of its features.

“Then become your own prop stylist and food stylist.” These are the experts who set up commercial food shoots. “Decide if you are looking for a plain white background, a dramatic setting, or a rustic ambience and find props to fit. You could design something as clever as a still life art installation.”

Food stylists used to use crafty tricks to make food look shiny or juicy – such as hair spray on salad leaves. Now the trend is to keep everything natural. “Set up your camera and props ready to go before you bring the chicken fresh from the oven, or the salad newly dressed,” she says. “Natural daylight gives the best results.”

Children and food are happy partners. Get a child licking a lolly, ducking for apples or decorating cupcakes and they won’t need to be nagged to pose, you can just click away. Jane’s two started putting raspberries on each fingertip one breakfast time before eating the fruit. “I didn’t have time to fetch my camera, but the next day I got the camera set up before putting out more raspberries. It resulted in a lovely photo.”

See more of Jane’s food images on her website: www.littlesugarsnaps.co.uk