Restaurant food photography, from the phone in your pocket

Food photography for restaurants: the rules that matter

• Use daylight. Turn off the overhead lights and shoot next to a window, with the light coming from the side or slightly behind the dish.
• Get close. The food should fill most of the frame. Guests are deciding what to eat, not admiring your table.
• Keep the background quiet. A plain table, a wooden board or a clean counter. Move the salt, the menus and the phone charger out of shot.
• Shoot it hot. Steam, melted cheese and crisp greens last a minute or two. Have the phone ready before the plate leaves the pass.
• Stay real. Shoot the portion and plating guests actually get, so the photo builds trust instead of complaints.

When to hire a restaurant photographer

A professional restaurant photographer is worth it for a new opening, a full menu relaunch, a website hero image or a press kit, when you want lighting, styling and dozens of finished shots in one session. Ask for a shot list based on your menu, usage rights for web, social and print, and edited files delivered at full size.

For everything after that, like a new special, a seasonal dish or this week's posts, phone photos taken during service keep your menu photos current without booking a shoot every time.

Do restaurant menus with photos sell more?

On an online ordering menu, a photo is often the deciding factor for a guest scrolling on a phone, so every dish you want to sell should have one. On a printed table menu, photos work best used sparingly: a few hero dishes, rather than a picture next to every item.