Chiara Gavioli, food photographer

Chiara Gavioli

Born and raised in Milan, I eventually moved to the Mantuan countryside for love. First for my husband, and later, for the much more affordable price per square meter.

I was a medical student until I realized I preferred noodles and my 50mm lens to mucopolysaccharidosis.

Today, my pantry is never without miso and tahini, and my only creed is Umami.

My superpower? Answering the questions nobody asks and pairing ingredients nobody knows.

In 2021, Forbes named me one of the Top 20 Italian Food Influencers.

While I'm based in the heart of Mantuan countryside, I frequently travel across Northern Italy. I work primarily remotely with clients worldwide, but I'm always available to jump on a plane for larger, on-site projects.

Experience

8+ Years

Based in

Mantua, Italy

Recipes developed

600+

What we can do together

My specialty is creating visual synesthesia.

We eat with our eyes first, and in the digital and print world, sight is all we have. My mission is to bridge that gap—transforming images into aromas and flavors.

I specialize in food photography and styling, ranging from minimalist product shots to vibrant lifestyle scenes. I offer an end-to-end service, from recipe development to final delivery, ensuring every project aligns with your brand's unique values.

Whether it's for digital platforms (social media, websites, ads) or print (magazines, cookbooks, menus), I provide high-impact visuals, stop-motion animation, and tailored copywriting. I can manage an entire project from concept to completion or integrate into your existing team, collaborating with my network of specialists—from videographers and graphic designers to SEO experts.

Services

  • Content Creation | Text and photos
  • Ghost Food Photography | Still life, products, editorials (web and print)
  • Props & Food Styling | Photos and videos for photographers and videographers
  • Stop-motion Reels | With original music
  • Recipe Development | With a focus on healthy and international recipes
  • Sponsorship | Instagram/website for brand awareness
  • Licensing | Existing photos
  • Social Media Management | Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest
  • Mentorship | Portfolio review and consulting for food photographers

Selected collaborations

Brands and companies I've had the pleasure of working with

Client and collaboration logos

FAQ

Yes, it's my core business which I've consolidated over the past 8 years, reaching a deep and vertical level of expertise and a recognizable personal style. However, I also work in product photography and hospitality photography, as these disciplines intertwine and require a very similar visual sensitivity.

I can manage the entire production independently to ensure a coherent and original visual narrative to tell your story, but I can also collaborate as a photographer with external stylists or put my experience in cooking and styling at the service of other photographer colleagues.

I have a prop collection personally curated over the years: a collection of unique pieces ranging from the finest Italian ceramists to objects found during my travels in France and Japan. For special set design needs, I also handle prop hunting, directly managing the rental or purchase of specific pieces.

Timelines vary depending on the scope and complexity of the project. For large-scale productions involving travel or team coordination, I recommend at least a two-month lead time. For studio-based sessions, booking at least three weeks in advance ensures a smooth and efficient workflow. On a tight deadline? Reach out anyway. We can assess the project's feasibility together; please note that a rush fee will apply for expedited delivery.

Every project has its own timeline, and meeting your deadlines is a priority whenever possible. For standard studio sessions, you can typically expect your edited photos within 10 business days. For larger-scale productions, we will establish a tailored delivery schedule during the initial planning phase to ensure everything aligns with your launch dates.

Every project comes with a tailored usage license designed around your specific needs. By default, my packages include web and organic social media rights within your country for two years. If you require more—such as paid advertising (Meta, Google), print materials, or extended durations—we can easily integrate specific rights. While total, perpetual, and worldwide buyouts are available, they represent a significant investment that rarely proves truly necessary: part of my role is to help you optimize costs by calibrating the license to your actual usage. Please note that, per standard legal practice, intellectual property and moral rights remain with the author.

For all commissioned projects, every image is created exclusively for you and will never be resold to third parties. For images selected from my existing stock archive, exclusivity is not guaranteed by default, however I offer the option to secure exclusive rights for specific regions or timeframes for an additional fee, preventing your competitors from using the same visuals.

Absolutely. While I have a distinct photographic style, my priority is ensuring the imagery speaks with your brand's unique voice. Every detail—from the quality of light to the curated color palette—is meticulously studied to integrate seamlessly with your existing identity. I place my creativity and experience at the service of your story to build a visual language that is both striking and unmistakably yours.

Free reshoots are not included in my standard packages. My workflow is designed to eliminate the need for reworks through a meticulous pre-production phase: a clear, comprehensive brief and shared planning are the best ways to ensure we are perfectly aligned on the final result. Should a new session be requested due to changes in the originally agreed-upon brief, the reshoot will be quoted as a percentage of the initial fee.

I deliver exclusively fully-processed and post-produced images. I view digital processing, color grading, and retouching as inseparable parts of my creative process; they are the final, essential steps in defining the visual language that strengthens your brand identity. Unprocessed RAW files are not provided under any circumstances. However, if your project has specific technical requirements, I can provide high-resolution, post-produced files in TIFF format upon request.

Education

  • Basic and Style Workshop Dazzero by Monique D'Anna
  • Advanced RAW Development Workshop Dazzero by Monique D'Anna
  • Artificial Light Workshop Dazzero Bright by Monique D'Anna and Fabio Porta
  • Editorial Food Photography Workshop by Valentina Solfrini
  • Advanced Foodtographyschool by Sarah Fennel
  • Restaurant Foodtographyschool by Sarah Fennel
  • Composition Essentials by Rachel Korinek
  • FoodWriting by Mariachiara Montera
  • Food in Motion by Joanie Simon

Publications

  • A Tavola
  • Vegetariani in Cucina
  • ChicStyle Magazine
  • Fior Fiore in Cucina
  • Travel with Gusto