Restaurant menu photography guidelines

If possible, set up the food on a table with indirect, natural sunlight coming from a window. Natural lighting can make food look fresh and appetizing! However, be careful to avoid very bright, direct sunlight as it can cast harsh shadows.

It’s up to you if you’d like to shoot your dishes top-down or at a 45-degree angle. Top-down angles are better for plates of food or bowls, so that the customer can clearly see the ingredients or items; 45-degree angles (shot from the side) are better for burgers, sandwiches, or taller items.

In the case of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, and burritos, it can be helpful to cut the item and stack the 2 halves so that the customer can see what’s inside.

Even the most delicious dish can sometimes look a bit bland or flat. Wherever possible, add a garnish to create a splash of color. Just be sure your photo is still a true representation of the dish.

Food that’s been sitting around can start looking limp and lifeless after just a few minutes. Once food is plated by you or your chef, photograph it as quickly as possible.

Your style is part of what makes your restaurant special. Try to capture the essence of your location by using a variety of surfaces, plateware, glassware, napkins, and silverware. However, remember that the food is still the focus.

This is a nice top-down shot. It’s got great color and the focus is on the food. The napkin, silverware, and flatbread add context and give a flavor to the restaurant.

Here is a good example of cropping, and zooming in on the dish. This salad would look too small if the camera were zoomed out to incorporate the entire plate. Zooming in shows off the crisp texture of the salad as well.

This shot of the sandwich is nice because it’s possible to see the ingredients inside. It can be good to give customers an idea of what they’re getting by positioning burgers, sandwiches, and wraps with a view of what they can expect inside.

Like sandwiches, burritos are some of the most difficult dishes to shoot. It can be helpful to slice them in half and experiment with arrangement, showing off the ingredients inside.

The chopsticks in this shot give customers an idea of the size of the salad. Customers can easily see that it’s a rather small starter or side dish. If they’re hungry, they might opt to order more.

Don’t get too close where it’s impossible to tell what the ingredients and portion size are.

Don’t shoot food under bad fluorescent lighting. Please find an indirect natural light source.

Be mindful of your camera angles; from this angle it’s very hard to see the ingredients and get a sense for the portion size.