You're about to spend $1,500 on a food photography session and you haven't planned which dishes to shoot or what you'll use the photos for. I've coordinated food photography for dozens of restaurants, and poor planning is why most shoots produce beautiful images that never get used. Here's how to do it right.
Start by listing exactly where you need photos before the shoot happens. Website homepage, menu pages, social media, Google Business Profile, print menus, delivery apps—each platform has different image requirements and aspect ratios. Shooting without a plan means you'll get gorgeous 16:9 horizontal shots when you needed square crops for Instagram. Know your needs first, plan compositions second.
Choose eight to twelve dishes maximum for a half-day shoot. Restaurants always want to photograph everything, but rushing through twenty dishes produces mediocre results. Better to have excellent photos of your ten most popular or photogenic items than rushed snapshots of your entire menu. Focus on signature dishes, bestsellers, and items that visually represent your cuisine style.
Prepare dishes at full quality with your actual kitchen staff, not special styled versions. The biggest mistake is making "extra perfect" versions that don't match what customers actually receive. Portion sizes should be exactly what you serve. Garnishes should be your standard presentation. When customers order that dish and it looks different from the photo, you've created disappointment and potential negative reviews.
Natural lighting is ideal but requires scheduling around the sun. Late morning or early afternoon gives the best natural light through windows. If you're shooting during dinner service for atmospheric restaurant shots, bring additional lighting because food looks terrible under standard restaurant ambient lighting. Talk to your photographer about timing based on the type of shots you need.
Props and backgrounds matter more than restaurants realize. Your table surfaces, plates, and silverware are in every shot. If your tables are worn or your plates are mismatched, that shows in professional photos. Consider bringing in neutral backgrounds—wood boards, marble slabs, simple linens—that let the food be the focus without distraction.
Shoot variations of each dish for different uses. Get a tight close-up for menu thumbnails, a medium shot showing the full plate, and a wider shot with context like wine glasses or table settings. You might need vertical crops for mobile menus and horizontal for your website banner. Capture multiple angles and framings so you have options for different platforms.
Include people eating and enjoying food if you'll use photos for marketing. Images of beautifully plated food work for menus, but social media and advertising benefit from showing happy customers, chefs preparing dishes, or hands reaching for shared plates. These contextual shots make your restaurant feel alive and social rather than just a food factory.
Clear your kitchen and dining area completely before the shoot. Background clutter ruins otherwise perfect food photos. Dirty plates, random equipment, staff walking by—all of this distracts from the subject. Block off the shooting area, brief staff to avoid the space during the shoot, and create a clean environment where the photographer can work without interruptions.
Have backup dishes ready in case something doesn't photograph well. Not every dish that tastes amazing looks amazing in photos. If your famous stew photographs as brown mush no matter how the photographer styles it, move on to something more photogenic. Don't waste shoot time trying to make unphotogenic food work—have alternatives ready.
Review images during the shoot, not a week later. Most photographers will show you images on the camera or a laptop during the session. This is when you catch issues like missing garnishes, wrong plates, or compositions that don't work. Reshooting costs extra if you discover problems after the photographer leaves.
Get the rights to use photos everywhere without restriction. Your contract should specify unlimited use across all platforms, forever. Paying extra licensing fees every time you want to use an image on a new platform is expensive and annoying. Own the photos outright for any purpose related to your restaurant marketing.
Planning an effective food photography session while managing daily restaurant operations is why most shoots get scheduled last-minute without proper preparation. RestaurantDestinations.com directories ensure your restaurant has professional, up-to-date visual content that showcases your food effectively, without requiring you to coordinate photographers, style dishes, and manage all the details that make shoots successful.
Quick Action Checklist
Before Booking:
- List all places you need photos (website, social, menus, Google)
- Identify 8-12 dishes to photograph (bestsellers + signature items)
- Check photographer's portfolio for food experience
- Confirm usage rights are unlimited and unrestricted
Week Before Shoot:
- Schedule during late morning/early afternoon for natural light
- Clean props (plates, silverware, table surfaces)
- Buy or borrow neutral backgrounds if needed
- Brief kitchen staff on timing and which dishes to prepare
Day of Shoot:
- Clear shooting area completely of clutter
- Prepare dishes at actual serving size/presentation
- Have backup dishes ready
- Shoot multiple angles (close-up, medium, wide)
- Review images during session before photographer leaves
- Get vertical and horizontal versions for different platforms