Food Photography for Restaurant Owners. Easy Tricks to Great Food Pics!

Food Photography for Restaurant Owners. Easy Tricks to Great Food Pics!



As the owner of a restaurant on a perpetual shoestring

budget, I’ve had to fill a lot of roles (Jack of all trades- master of none!). For

the small business owner, calling in the pros for everything you need just gets

too expensive.







So, one thing that I’ve learned to do for myself is my own

food photography, for menus, promos and adverts.







I’ve written this hub primarily for owners of food related

business, to pass on what I’ve learned. Here are 8 tips for taking great food

shots. Hopefully I can inspire you to start taking your own food pics and to

start saving a little money for your own bottom line!







I don’t consider myself a great photographer (very much a

point and shoot man), but I have learned (after taking some terribly inedible

looking shots along the way) how to present food in a good light (pun

intended).







Here are my top 8 tips for taking food pictures that’ll look

as good as your food tastes! Food Photography Tips







Use natural

light – time your photo shoot for the late afternoon to take advantage of

those lovely angular rays of sunshine and set your food up in front of

your largest sunniest picture window. I’ve tried taken food pics at night

and they never look very appetizing. Use

super close ups – get within inches of the food, and take pics from all

angles. I’m partial to side views (where my camera is inches away and just

above the side of the plate) but you never know what’s going to look best

until you get to the editing phase. Take

loads of shots - why not, digital film is cheap! Work

quickly – Have everything ready for the shoot before you get the food

ready. You don’t want your lovely lettuce to start wilting while you set up

your tripod! Think

about your background – make sure that what shows behind the food is clean,

attractive and doesn’t distract from the picture’s focus. Style

it up – You’re not (necessarily) going to eat this food, so feel free to

poke around in it (fluffing up salads, wiping sauces, etc.) to perk it up

and to keep it looking beautiful. Use

props – we serve big platters of food, so I like to use props to give the

picture a visual context (a bottle of soda, beside the plate, for example)

– so that people know just how big that platter of ribs I’m advertising

is! Other props, such as utensils, or a vase of flowers, can add visual

interest to a picture. Make

it shiny – this is a tip I got from a pro, and it really helps to make

food look appetizing. Take a little spray oil and mist whatever you’re

shooting to give it a sheen – really looks great in a picture. Related articles: learn digital photography cool photo effects online