You don’t need a photographer or a camera to get menu photos that sell. A recent phone, a window and an hour before service is enough. This is the routine we recommend to restaurants putting photos on their menu for the first time.
Before you start
- Shoot before service or on a quiet afternoon, when the kitchen can plate one dish at a time.
- Plate each dish exactly as a guest would get it. The photo is a promise.
- Wipe your phone’s lens. Most blurry, hazy food photos are a smudged lens.
- Pick one table near a window and shoot every dish there, so the whole menu looks consistent.
Light
- Use daylight from a window, with the window beside the plate rather than behind you.
- Turn off the flash and the overhead lights. Mixed light turns food yellow or green.
- Avoid direct sun. If the light makes hard shadows, hang a white napkin or baking paper over the window.
- Hold a white menu card or plate on the dark side of the dish to lift the shadows.
Angle
| Dish | Best angle |
|---|---|
| Pizza, salads, bowls, platters | Straight down, from above |
| Burgers, sandwiches, cakes, stacked dishes | Low, from the side |
| Most plated mains | About 45 degrees, the way a seated guest sees it |
| Drinks | Side on, at the height of the glass |
Framing and styling
- Fill the frame with the food. A menu photo is small on a phone, so get close.
- Leave a little space around the plate if you plan to crop it square.
- Use a plain background: a clean table, a board or a linen napkin. Remove salt shakers, receipts and phones.
- Wipe the rim of the plate, add fresh garnish last, and shoot straight away, before sauces set and greens wilt.
- Turn on the camera grid and keep the edges of the table level.
Editing
- Crop every photo to the same shape. Square works well on a phone menu.
- Brighten a little and straighten if needed. Your phone’s built-in editor is enough.
- Don’t push the colours or use filters. The dish that arrives should match the photo.
- Name files after the dish, so they are easy to match to menu items.
Where to start
You don’t need every dish on day one. Start with your best sellers and the dishes you most want to sell, then add the rest as you go. A menu with photos on its top ten dishes already helps guests choose.