Are You Hungry?
This is the base question when evaluating your images of food. I see too many examples of Instagram shots taken using cell phones and illuminated with atrocious ‘available’ light, subsequently used on websites to promote restaurants.
People shop with their eyes! Using second-rate images will keep customers away!
Even menu photography needs the touch of someone who knows what they are doing. Simple lighting, with attention to detail in plating and styling the dish, will pay off in increased food orders. Keep it simple.
Studies have shown that sales increase for items that are properly illustrated.
Showcase several dishes as a header for your online menu or social media page.
The hungrier your potential clients are . . .
Enough said!
What’s Next?
Food and beverage photography adapts well to styling. Beyond a simple menu, we have recipe development, cookbooks, advertising, both print and online, and editorial photography for magazine or newspaper articles.
In the styling, we look for simplicity and gentle impact.
For a food service establishment, the goal is less illustrative and more to set a mood or feeling about the restaurant or bar.
For a bar, we might try for quiet and relaxed.
For a bakery, clean and fresh.
Dispell some myths
I hate to waste food! Everything I photograph is lovingly crafted, presented with an inordinate attention to detail, and eaten when we are finished!
Sometimes we do use pins and toothpicks to keep items in place.
If you are looking for food photography, please contact me to discuss your requirements before you try DIY.