People are visual beings. Our behaviour is in reaction to what we see. Which is ­­why food photography is an important part of marketing in the hospitality industry. It will trigger the actions of your customers and will heighten sales out of gluttony, temptation or need. But really, that’s advertising in a nutshell.

Investing in good photography is an important aspect to your brand aesthetic, but can be tough if you have a very strict budget. So let’s look into some pointers to make your food photography stand out, while help your business’ brand thrive. Join me in taking a look at a series of photography tips and pointers in this 2 part series!

My first experience of food photography was when I was working for an organization and was told they wanted food picture on the new menus we were rolling out. The brief was as follows: “We are trying to be ‘transparent’ so we want to have food photos that are actually served at the restaurant, not stock photography. As well maintain brand recognition, but we don’t have budget for a food photographer.”

Does this sound familiar?

My best and really only solution was to roll up my sleeves and take it on myself. I read as much as I could on food photography and tried to take some awesome pictures with the resources I had. Ha! Boy, was it a task. In the process I formed a high respect for food photography after that experience. I have been in a few photo-shoots since then and would love to give you a breakdown of what I have learnt about food photography in the process.

1. Where & When to use Photography

The irony of food photography on menus baffles me. High-end restaurants generally do not use photos whereas low-end restaurants use photos. Of course this varies depending on the brand. The reason why I say it is ironic is that good food photography can become very costly. With smaller budgets, restaurant owners generally try to take it on themselves and most of the time it comes up short. So be sure it is done tastefully if you want to take on the job.

If you find you have fast turnover of menus but still want visual appeal, I do highly suggest illustrations as they generally do not form expectation but add a creative touch. Or just leave out visuals all together and use the words on your menu to heighten your dishes qualities.

2. Consistency

This is a general rule of brand design. If some of the photos look like they were taken on a good lighting day, some were taken in the back kitchen after hours and some in low res with filters — it honestly just goes down hill from there. If you are doing the photos yourself, try to have your shots taken in one photo session so the lighting is consistent and the shots look like they are part of the same menu. This does take planning in foo production and food styling and may help if you know the exact placement on the menu layout. Giving the photographer an idea of what angles to showcase the dish best.

If you are a restaurant that has menu boards and printed or digital menus, be sure the photos are the same on all mediums.

3. Textures & Lighting

When you do set up a photo shoot, texture and lighting is very important. When I say textures I mean the background to highlight the food or the food itself. Along with the plates or the tables your showcasing the food on, try to incorporate what is actually used at your restaurant. It shows consistency of the brand.

You also want to be sure your lighting is good. If you have the option, get lighting umbrellas or set up your food in a light box. If you want to try it out yourself; watch this food photography tutorial for some great pointers.

As mentioned in this article, natural lighting is very important and can come in handy if you do not have the right lighting equipment.

Italio has a great example of using their bold red (even though they are paper) dishes to showcase their food.

4. Classification of Your Restaurant

The classifications of your restaurant will generally determine your menu design and they way you use photography. The fast-casual restaurant has become the newest class of restaurant, along with classics like fine dining, fast food, casual dining and others. They all have various ways to showcase their menu. As mentioned above upscale restaurants have a tendency to only use text and veto photos on their menus all together. Whereas the other three are more prone to use photos.

Fast-causal can go one way or another. Frequently displayed on menu boards, the photos are sparse but of good quality which resembles the fast-casual ideal, but limiting the amount of photos brings in a classy and value based appeal. One thing for sure is to make sure the photos are in line with your brand persona and recognition.

5. Use Sparingly & Strategically

Some menus will have a photo for each dish, which can work for some places, although it can disrupt the ability to strategically sell high profit items. So take (at most) two dishes from each section that you want to showcase and use the photo to highlight the dish, you will generally find a spike in sales with the photographed item.

If you have a multiple page menu it is best to use no more than two photos per layout. Like the Boston Pizza Menu (one of my favourite menu designs ever!) there is contrast between a full page image and additional smaller (secondary) items on the opposite page, but no more than two. I love this menu because it also has a lot of negative space leading the reader to read and observe the menu in a particular order.

There you have it!  I hope that some of these tips have helped make the art of restaurant marketing through photography less daunting. Stay tuned for our next instalment, where we'll show you the next five tips to have in your toolbox!