5 TIPS TO

IMPROVE YOUR
RESTAURANT
PHOTOGRAPHY

by Kimberly Espinel
 INTRODUCTION
Have you been approached to capture a restaurant
menu? Or perhaps you work for a cafe and feel ready
to shoot those new pastries for the website? Maybe
you've been doing restaurant photography for
sometime, but want to up your game?

No matter where you're at, I'd love to share some

restaurant food photography tips with you; my aim is
to empower you to step into your shoot with
confidence and nail each and every image you take!

You got this!

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Kimberly

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 1. PREPARE A MOODBOARD
Like any shoot, it is vital that you have an in depth
chat with your client to ensure you capture photos
they will be truly happy with! Based on your
discussion with them, study their menu then prepare
and present your moodboard, so you can iron out any
misunderstanding and ensure you nail the brief on
the day!
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 2. CHECK THE LIGHT!
On location shoots mean that you have to look into
whether you can work with natural light at the venue
and capture the shots your client dreams of.

If you can, I recommend visiting the restaurant/cafe a

few days before the shoot, to check out if using
natural light is indeed possible. Going to the venue
prior to the shoot also allows you to ensure there
aren't any other lighting issues to be mindful of.

If using natural light isn't an option, see if there is

sufficient space for your artificial lighting set up!
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TOP TIP! If the venue is a little further afield and I

cannot visit prior to the shoot, I ask clients to send
me mobile phone video recordings of the space to
assess the light available on site.

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 3. BACKDROPS & PROPS
Do you need to bring any props or backdrops, or
will all items be served on the restaurant's own
(branded) plates?

If the latter, check that plates, bowls and cups

aren't too shiny (and if they are, flag this with the
client!). If the client prefers the former, discuss the
look and vibe they're after and prop source
accordingly.

Next check if the restaurant wants you to use their

tables as backdrops or if there's some creative
freedom to use custom food photography
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backdrops too?

TOP TIP! Some restaurants have gorgeous feature

walls or stunning interiors which can all work as
great backdrops for straight on shots!

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 4. FOCUS ON LOGISTICS
This is alllllll the stuff we often forget to think
about, but when carefully considered, will make our
shoot day run super smoothly.

This includes:

TIMING - clarifying travel time to the venue

(will you encounter traffic)
PARKING- parking availability and restrictions
SPACE - will you be given a dedicated and quiet
shooting area or will you need to navigate the
shoot in the presence of diners
CHEF'S AVAILABILITY - are you shooting during
their lunch service or on a day where the
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chef(s) are free and available to prepare all the

dishes you need to capture
IMAGE DIMENSIONS -portrait, square,
landscape which format is needed
GEAR - what is needed on the day.

Anything else you can think of?

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 5. VARIETY MATTERS
Unless your client specifically asked for one type of
shot only, be sure to capture different images from
different angles., in lots of different ways.

For example, show close up, single dishes (or drinks)

as well as large table scapes.

lnclude some shots of hands, the bartender in action

and/or a chef's portrait. Maybe capture the
restaurant's exterior, beautiful interior details or
diners enjoying a meal.

It's always better to get more shots than too little

and offer your client as much choice as possible!
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Wishing you so much success!

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 CHECKLIST
HAVE YOU GOT YOUR SHOOTLIST AND
MOODBOARD?
NOTES:

PACKED ALL YOUR BACKDROPS & PROPS?

NOTES:
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GET ALL YOUR REQUIRED GEAR READY?

NOTES:

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 CHECKLIST
MADE YOUR TRAVEL & PARKING
ARRANGEMENTS?

IRONED OUT LOGISTICS?

NOTES:
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ANYTHING ELSE?

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