Everybody needs to eat!
So next time you search “what to eat?” on Google, realize what factors help you decide where to eat. With multiple restaurants and different options it is tough, but most of the time the deciding factors is the images on the restaurant’s Yelp page. Think about it, have you ever seen a commercial on television of a sexy looking burger, just to be disappointed to get a sloppily thrown together sandwich when you receive your order. Everybody has experienced this anticlimactic reveal, but more importantly, people have been attracted to beautiful food.
Food photography is nothing new. Documenting food has shaped culture by carry recipes through generations. Now food photography is a customers first interaction with a restaurant, even before trying the actual food, so why not make a proper first impression.
Here are a few tips to help with your restaurant's photography, and get more people through your doors.
1: Lighting
Get to the best lighting in your restaurant. Next to a window or directly under a lighting fixture, will provide the best lighting situation for your food. This is the first step, because if you do not have good lighting, it is difficult to properly shoot and photograph your food.
2: Setting
Work with your settings: pull up chairs, show hands interacting with your food, stage your food in threes. A cocktail is just a cocktail, but a cocktail in the hand is a good time. Make sure your customer knows how they are suppose to interact with their food, show hands holding your food.
Stage your food with the triangle principle: main course and two sides. Triangles are the strongest shape in geometry; this is also true when it comes to photography. This rule guarantees that your customer will see a dynamic picture without overflowing them with information. Today we are flooded with information with our technology, so its refreshing to have control over our food. Using the triangle principle is the best way to display the right amount of your dishes.
This leads us to the next tip.
3: Remove Clutter
Every restaurant has salt shakers, napkins, and menus. Remove them from your restaurant photography. If it is not food it does not need to be in the image. Unless salt shakers and the physical appearance of your menu are the reasons people are coming to your restaurant, then help your food look beautiful by taking them out of the shot.
4: Camera
Use a good Camera!
What is the point of taking the time to set up the perfect shot if your camera is going to make your food look like a grainy found footage horror movie? Find a good camera to take the perfect shot of your perfectly set up food.
Finding the perfect camera is difficult so leave that leads us to the next tip: leave it to the professionals.
5: Hire a Food Photographer
A food photographer knows all of these tips and more. Hire a professional food photographer for the best results.
We have identified how much value a good food photography adds to your restaurant so let the professionals at Deep Ellum Consulting help your business.
6: Balance
Make sure you get a good mix of table aerial shots and portrait style photographs. You need a good mix of photos that can be used with different social channels. We used Yelp earlier as an example but other social media sites are important to have full coverage of your menu items. Instagram in specific is crucial for a restaurant to have a proper social media presence. Look out for our next blog on the relationship with food and Instagram.
These tips are here to help your restaurant have a presence on social media. Food photography is starting to be taken more seriously. Restaurant owners and managers need to take that first step to give their restaurant an advantage in the digital world. With all this said, food is fun, so make sure your food photography experience is too!
Get into contact with a professional food photographer at Deep Ellum Consulting.