6 Food Photographers You Should be Following on Instagram

At its best, Instagram helps us discover people and places we might never get to know otherwise. Here, TPG Contributor Adam Erace shares the users that should be filling your feed.

Twenty years ago, 'food photographer' wasn't a job. Sure, there were pictures of food in magazines and newspapers, but by and large they were taken by regular photographers, not ones with any special designation. Today, that couldn't be further from the truth as food and restaurants have become so central to our pop culture and social lives. As a result, photographers have responded to the zeitgeist to capture each dish, often better than we can on our iPhones. Here are six you should follow immediately on Instagram.

@danielkrieger >> Name: Daniel Krieger >> Followers: 153,000 >> Lives: Brooklyn >> Known for: being one of New York's most in-demand food photographers; honest shots of restaurant characters, from chefs to pit masters to diner waitresses >> How he got started: "Photographing for small local publications and honed my craft until I eventually moved up to larger [ones]." >> Where you can find his work: The New York Times, Eater, Punch >> Last trip: Colombia, "doing photography for their restaurants and tourism board." >> Next trip: "I'm doing some work in Nantucket and will probably make a stop in Martha's Vineyard."

@dennistheprescott >> Name: Dennis Prescott >> Followers: 302,000 >> Lives: Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada >> Known for: Overhead spreads of burgers, barbecues, sushi and more, rendering in bright lighting and saturated colors >> How he got started: "I started photographing food with my iPhone several years ago as a way to remember the recipes I was learning as a self-taught cook." >> Where you can find his work: Food & Wine's FWx brand, Frigidaire "and a long list of campaign partners on Instagram." >> Last trip: "Traveling around Kenya, cooking with families and photographing the local food culture as part of the Hunger Free initiative. >> Next trip: Somaliland, an autonomous region of Somalia.

@NealSantos >> Name: Neal Santos >> Followers: 49,700 >> Lives: Philadelphia >> Known for: intense, vivid pictures of restaurants, plants and urban farm milieu, with a smattering of Santos and his partner's adorable pack of rescue dogs >> How he got started: "The initial dive into food photography is two-fold: from my interest in growing vegetables in a highly urban area and photographing food reviews for the Philadelphia City Paper." >> Where you can find his work: Lucky Peach, Saveur, Food & Wine >> Last trip: Haiti, "where I spent time visiting orphanages through rural areas on behalf of a non-profit business." >> Next trip: Road-tripping through New England. "I imagine lots of ice cream, lobster rolls, camping, visiting farms, bike rides and hopefully swimming in a lake or watering hole."

@andreagentl >> Name: Andrea Gentl; along with her husband, Martin Hyers, she makes up the photography duo Gentl & Hyers >> Followers: 60,900 >> Known for: Rich, deep, dark photos that reveal razor-sharp details; the Hartwood Tulum cookbook >> Lives: New York City and upstate in Delaware County, New York >> How she got started: "I was obsessed with cookbooks and food magazines as a kid. I grew up cooking so when I started [doing] photography, food seemed like a natural path. I love travel, and it really inspires everything I do. I love exploring a new place and food culture is always a part of that exploration." >> Where you can find her work: Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, Gather Journal, Anthropologie >> Last trip: The Q'eros Nation, high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. "We taught a travel photography workshop. It was a life-changing expedition." >> Next trip: Oaxaca.

@lucialitman >> Name: Lucy Litman >> Followers: 31,900 >> Lives: San Francisco >> Known for: Vibrant, poppy shots of raw ingredients and composites with things like Scrabble tiles and Pantone paint swatches >> How she got started: "I grew up growing vegetables with my Grandpa and was always fascinated by the process of farming. I find food, especially food that comes from plants, to be beautiful and knew that I always wanted to work with it and make it the star of my art and photography." >> Where you can find her work: Design Milk, Civil Eats "and I regularly photograph for Allbirds, the company I work for. We make shoes from premium natural materials." >> Last trip: Big Sur, "my favorite place in the US. I love that there's no cell phone reception and you can truly relax." >> Next trip: "I'm actually headed back home to Minnesota, where I grew up, for the annual State Fair. My mom and I have a tradition and go every year, mainly to eat cheese curds and onion rings."

@ulteriorepicure >> Name: Bonjwing Lee >> Followers: 21,800 >> Lives: Kansas City >> Known for: Overhead shots of food in far-flung destinations >> How he got started: "In law school, I missed using my creative faculties so I started documenting what I ate by photographing it and writing about it on my blog, The Ulterior Epicure, which I wrote anonymously for seven years. I never imagined it would lead to my current career as a photographer and writer." >> Where you can find his work: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, bluestem cookbook >> Last trip: Australia >> Next trip: "I have a photo shoot in Paris, followed by a Friends of Lysverket weekend in Bergen, Norway. While in Europe, I'm going to take advantage of the exchange rate and also stop in London and Copenhagen, two of my favorite cities."

Who are your favorite foodies to follow on Instagram? Let us know, below.

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