about amanda
If you had told me years ago that a catering business, an unfinished cookbook, and a whole lot of trial and error would lead me here, I am not sure I would have believed you.
Looking back now, every messy, exhausting, beautiful step makes sense. A layoff, a divorce, three small kids, and a stubborn refusal to give up bread. That is how I accidentally built a catering business, burned out, and got talked into writing "that damn book" I never finished.
But that unfinished book led me to everything I am today! Food photography, food styling, a studio, flying all over the country for chefs and restaurants, and eventually becoming a board certified Doctor of Functional Nutrition with a clinical focus in migraine. I know, seems random, but it's all about food in this girls brain!
Food has been the thread throughout my life. I understand it all the way down, how it nourishes, how it heals, and how it makes us feel when we capture it in the perfect light. All the support I offer my clients now, is everything I wish I had been handed back then.
If you're curious...
MY STORY
I Get Where You Are,
Because I Was You
A layoff, a divorce, three small kids, and a stubborn Italian woman who refused to give up bread. That is how I accidentally built a catering business, burned out, and got talked into writing a cookbook I never finished. I call it "that damn book" now.
But that unfinished book led me to everything, food photography, a studio, flying all over the country for chefs and restaurants, and eventually becoming the confident food stylist and photographer I am today. Every tool I build for my clients is one I wish I had been handed back then.
Photo Credit: Love Shutter Photography
Me at 35 in my commercial kitchen, at my first ever professional photoshoot. This was a little red barn they turned into a kitchen, such a sweet little space for a baby entrepreneur.
Amanda Richardson, BCDFN, CFNC
Amanda Loren Richardson is the creative force behind Amanda Loren Studios, specializing in artistic food photography for cookbooks and imagery for high end food businesses, along with soulful fine art pieces. She serves cookbook authors, upscale food brands, restaurants, chefs, and collectors seeking visual work that feels as powerful as it looks. Her cookbook work spans DIY self publishing authors all the way to titles produced with SPARK Publications and international publisher Insight Editions.
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Amanda’s work has been featured in notable publications including Insight Editions, SPARK Publications, The Cookbook Creative, EBONY, Paper City, The Charlotte Observer, Travel Noire, LKN Magazine, and Ballantyne Magazine.
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As a board certified Doctor of Functional Nutrition with a clinical focus in migraine, Amanda is also the publisher of Migraine Unread, a publication rooted in the deeply personal experience of living with Hemiplegic Migraine while connecting the clinical dots most practitioners rarely see. This also helps her bring a rare depth to every plate she shoots. Known for her barefoot spirit, editorial style, and deep commitment to authentic storytelling, she crafts imagery that stirs emotion, builds connection, and elevates food far beyond trends.
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Outside of client work, Amanda donates her talents to causes close to her heart, including Fork Cancer and The Make A Wish Foundation. Through every project, Amanda Loren Studios remains rooted in artistry, service, and the belief that beautiful work should always feel real.​