Bhubaneswar, Dec. 28: Food photography has emerged as a new career trend among the youngsters who are turning mundane food to stunning mouth-watering dishes with their perfect details of composition, lighting and styling.

Manaswini Sahu, a food and nutrition student, has more than 7,500 followers on Instagram for her amazing presentation of Odia food.

Her pictures of the traditional kheeri, podapitha or a something as simple as the primitive kanji are enough to tickle the taste buds.

"I wish to bring to the fore the Odia food culture with the help of photography and remind the young generation about the taste of the traditional recipes and their nutritional values," Manswini said.

"The food culture and love for good food have grown like never before, and many people like me are lucky because we are living at a time when people across the globe are exploring varieties in food," she said.

"It hardly matters if you are working from the comforts of your home or from a five-star hotel kitchen, it is very encouraging to see how a simple photo can bring you admiration from all across the globe," Manaswini said.

Manaswini's dishes stood out for their simplicity and style.

"While clicking pictures of the dish, it matters how you serve them and what is in the backdrop. The use of colours in form of herbs or a simple curry leaf can make the entire picture look magical. The magic of food photography lies in styling. It is all about increasing the visual appeal quotient," she said.

The food stylist further said she had plans to host workshops to teach students on various aspects of food photography.

"There are a lot of home-makers, students and even corporate employees, who have an interest for it and are willing to learn the tricks of giving a perfect shot using the right lighting," she said.

With the boom in the food culture, new restaurants are opening almost every day. The emergence of food blogs has also brought in a lot of scope in food photography. "A good number of young men and women are taking photography training to learn new techniques and lighting effects," said Sunil Kalindi, a professional photographer.