WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE ARRIVE AT A RESTAURANT PHOTOSHOOT?
If I’m totally honest, there are many things that have to be achieved during a restaurant photoshoot, far too many to include in a blog post, so I’m just going to touch on a few of the main things. To cover everything in detail would probably require writing a book. Now that’s a thought. But maybe one for the future. For now, let’s just stick to the basics, but without discounting them in any way as they are important.
One of the obvious considerations is the food that we need to shoot. Of course, we do need to get set up to begin the shoot, but before we start doing that there are a couple of key things that we need to achieve first. By the time we arrive at the restaurant, we will have planned out the project in advance with the restaurant representative. We’ll know what they like and don’t like in terms of image styling and composition, as well as having finalized a shot list with them.
Yes, the food is important, but the initial challenge for any restauranteur is to encourage potential customers to walk through their door. So before embarking on the food shots, it can be worth dedicating a little time to analyze the environment and figure out what could be good vignettes, scenarios, or settings that may entice potential customers to know more about the restaurant as a whole, as well as its menu. Photography is generally concerned with answering questions for the image viewer, but when shooting for restaurants the opposite can apply, as it can be wiser to create the image in such a way that it asks questions of the viewer. We want to encourage the viewer to want to know more about the restaurant and answer our questions. That’s something that builds a degree of intrigue into each shot. Our goal is to show the viewer hints of various areas of the restaurant and make them want to visit so they can see more, fill in the blanks and answer their questions about what the restaurant actually looks like.
The next task is to sit down with the restauranteur and the chef to find out what is really important to them and what message they want to impart. Sure, they want customers to purchase their food, but if their food is important to them then we need to understand what their desired brand messaging is and what makes them want to do what they do. Perhaps their brand focuses on their use of only the freshest ingredients, their creation of unique sauces that they make every day, or their being particular about how they craft their food. Whatever it is, as photographers we need to understand that story.
The third and equally critical step, and the one that precedes setting up the shoot is to explain to the chef how we need them to plate their dishes for the photoshoot. Plating a meal for a lens rather than a diner is very different. If the chef already possesses experience working with a photographer, then they will likely already be accustomed to doing this, but if not, then this is an opportunity to explain our photographic approach. A diner tends to look down at the plate, whereas the lens will look at the food from a far lower angle to make it look more heroic and display the ingredients at their best. Once the chef understands this, we’ll suggest the stock pot trick, which is where they take a stock pot, turn it upside down, place the plate on the upturned stock pot, and then build the meals from there. This ensures that while plating the meal, the chef views the food at eye level and from a similar angle from which the camera will view it.
Once we are all on the same page then it’s time to crack on with the shoot. The time available for shooting in any restaurant varies, and often we need to cease operations while they deal with the lunch crowd. Because our operation is very stop-start in nature, lighting may well be changing throughout the day, especially from late fall onwards, so we may have to supplement natural light with artificial light. This is where a preparation day can be invaluable as amongst other things, it provides an opportunity for us to identify where the power outlets are and plan the lighting. Because the restaurant’s priority is to their customers, we can end up working some strange hours, but that is part of the fun of the job.
There are many tasks that must be completed during a shoot day, not least leaving the restaurant with all the frames captured that are needed to create the restaurant’s images. But it’s not simply a case of having any old meal delivered and taking a photograph. The shoot requires very careful planning, preparation, and guidance to get everyone involved on the same page and fully understanding the needs and expectations. I hope that shines some light on the initial phase of a restaurant photoshoot, and if you would like to discuss restaurant photography further, then feel free to reach out to us.
True Images Photography provides professional beverage and food commercial photography that gets your business noticed. Feel free to book a free 30-minute consultation here.
Do look around the rest of the blog here for more helpful posts, and if you have any questions please reach out. I’m happy to advise. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn where I always answer messages with a detailed reply.