Cao's friend, Lin Yiying, a professional photographer, enjoys Cao's cooking and always encourages him to take more photos of his dishes.

"He has a good taste in food, and he is quite observant, which makes his photos of food come across in his own style, not commercialized, but with a feeling of warmth," Lin says.

According to Lin, Cao has taken many online and offline photographing courses to improve his photos.

Cao thinks the fashion shows he watched and magazines he read also helped him in improving his appreciation of beauty which was reflected in his food photos.

From 2016 to 2019, Cao was responsible for the marketing operation of a restaurant in Beijing, during which he spent a lot of time in the kitchen to observe how the chef works.

At the end of 2019, Cao decided to quit and become a freelance photographer, focusing on food and still life.

"Running a restaurant was quite exhausting, because you are always busy and have only a little time for yourself, especially on weekends and holidays," Cao recalls. "I like cooking, but during the years operating the restaurant, I had no time for cooking. Usually, the chefs will only need the photo of a complete finished dish to put on the menu, but I like to know the whole process of making the dish," Cao says.