Food photography has traditionally been a difficult task, attempted by the very few. In the past, professional food photographers invested heavily in specialty studio settings, lights and photographic techniques, aided by highly skilled food stylists whose job it was to create the illusion of tempting lusciousness out of subjects that were often the very opposite.

All of this painstaking labor has been upended by the smartphone era and the age of the Foodie Selfie, in which amateur shutterbugs document their every meal, add a few filter effects, and upload and share the results over social media. We’ve all been treated — at least virtually — to mouthwatering platters, befores-and-afters, food action shots — the list goes on.

In this spirit, the organizers of the CULINARY 2015 exhibition, opening next week at the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv, invited some of Israel’s leading photographers to participate in Culinary Doc, a gallery show about — what else? — food.

In the hands of professionals, the subject is, by turns, dramatic, sensual contemplative, philosophical, dramatic and, of course, delicious.

Photo by Dan Peretz

Photo by Nelli Sheffer

Photo by Ben Uster

Photo by Avi Weisman

Photo by Avi Ganor

Many more works can be seen at the online gallery on Facebook.Definitely worth checking out.

In a “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” move, Carmel Wineries last months launched Foodography, a photo project appealing directly to the Foodie Selfie crowd. Foodography brought gourmands together with the award winning cuisine of Chef Meir Adoni ‘s restaurant Catit in Tel Aviv, and a set of plates designed with smartphone holders.

The result: amateur food photography of the highest level.

CULINARY 2015 and Culinary Doc run June 8-9, 2015 at the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv. For more information and amazing photos, visit the event website and Facebook page. For more about Foodography, visit the website (in Hebrew only). Reservations are currently being taken for the next event (cost NIS 599). Space is limited.