Are you in the restaurant or cafe trade and looking to promote your business? You’ll know by now that social media shares, likes and follows are the new word-of-mouth promotion you need to get customers through your door. And to get you noticed on social media, you need nothing less than amazing visual content. To ensure your culinary creations stand out on social media, utilizing an image size reducer can be a game-changer, allowing you to maintain the visual appeal of your dishes while ensuring the files are optimized for quick loading, giving you an edge in the competitive digital landscape.
Now, nearly all of us own a smartphone with a decent camera. It would be easy and tempting to take a shortcut and take your own photos of the dishes on your menu. However, we’re going to argue here that, unless you have some professional know-how, this is likely to be a mistake. You only need to take a quick scroll of the social media of your competitors to know that there’s some fierce competition out there for the best looking profiles.
If you’ve already had a go, you’ll know that getting a great snap of your dishes is harder than it looks. Often, food loses its vibrancy and luster in photos. In short, it’s difficult to make it look appealing — unless you are a professional photographer, of course.
Here’s how the professionals make food photography look easy.
1. They have the right equipment
Smartphone cameras have revolutionized the way most of us take photos. But not for professionals. There’s a reason they’ll still turn up with a digital SLR camera because they’re better.
A professional photographer will be equipped with a variety of lenses for their SLR. These can capture a wider variety of shots. They’re of a better quality than a smartphone lens, too, which means they capture clearer shots and more vivid colors. Digital SLR cameras are better equipped to cope with low light conditions as well.
Many food photographers prefer working with natural light. This is notoriously unpredictable, however, which is why they’ll also bring a range of lighting equipment with them to a shoot to cover all eventualities.
A professional photographer will also be equipped with tripods. These are absolute essentials for all still life photography, including food, to avoid wobble and get the perfect crystal clear image.
One other item often overlooked by novices is a cleaning kit. Professional photographers carry this with them everywhere to ensure their lenses are immaculate. Without spotless, scratch-free lenses, the perfect shot will always elude you.
It’s not just about the camera. Professional food photographers will also have a range of tried-and-tested backgrounds and props designed to bring your food to life.
There’s nothing to stop you from picking up this kit yourself, of course, other than a serious investment in time and money to seek the best, professional standard pieces.
2. They have a professional knowledge of design principles
There’s no substitute for the years of training and experience that gives professional photographers their edge.
Professionals often have a certain style that they prefer. Look over their portfolio and you will quickly notice key themes or details across their work. However, regardless of this, they will be trained in a range of styles. Food photography may be their niche, but they will always have a grounding in the key design principles that guide all photographers, regardless of their specialization.
Professional photographers train on how to compose images carefully and methodically to create striking results. Your images need to evoke the desire to eat and inspire people to walk through your door. Creating an image that can do this is a painstaking process. Every detail must be thoughtfully considered — from the background to the lighting, props and finishing touches that’ll appear alongside your dish. Food photography isn’t just a case of point and shoot; it’s an art.
3. They have insights into how images will help you build a brand
A good professional will know exactly how to take photos that go above and beyond the dish presented. They can tell a story about what your restaurant or cafe is all about.
If you are just starting out, their images will really help you build your brand. And if you are already established with a brand identity already carved out, they’ll follow your design principles and make sure your images are perfectly on-brand. It doesn’t matter whether you aim for cozy cafe vibes or an ultra-modern, edgy look, your photographer will help you achieve it.
A good photographer will engage with you and your brand and make sure that collaboration is key. They’ll know how to achieve an image that combines everything you want as well as everything your social media followers (or potential followers) want.
Professional photographers know exactly what works and what doesn’t in food photography and they can save you a lot of time and effort towards fulfilling your brand building strategy.
4. They get edited content delivered quickly
The process of creating social media images doesn’t stop at the shoot. You will need to do some post-production editing to make sure that your images are perfect and ready to go. Professionals can take advantage of the very best editing software so your images are absolutely perfect.
Time is critical in the restaurant business. If you are launching a new dish, you’ll want to shout about it quickly. Professional food photographers understand this and will offer fast turnaround times. Moreover, when you source photography from the right platform, editing using cutting-edge technology, quality control and delivery will be managed in-house, allowing you to simply enjoy the images you want without the stress.
Finding a Pro Food Photographer Made Easy
With so many photographers offering their services today, finding the right one for your food business can be tricky and time-consuming. Avoid costly errors by looking for a photography service platform that already does the screening and vetting for you. Such a platform can match you with the best local commercial photographer according to your niche and needs, and provide you with the support you need every step of the way — from booking to shoot to timely delivery of the content.
During the photography session day, all you have to do is to make sure that the food you want to showcase is fresh and ready to go for the shoot. Your photographer can explain exactly how and when to prepare the dishes for optimal results.
You’ll have your images ready to go with minimal effort from you in no time at all.
Using a professional food photographer is the way forward if you need high-quality images that are guaranteed to make an impact on social media, as well as your website and all publicity materials.
Considering all the four advantages of hiring a pro food photographer explored here, opting for amateur smartphone images is a mistake you can’t afford to make.
AUTHOR BIO
Thomas Olsson is Head of Marketing at Flashy, a photo-tech startup that provides on-demand commercial photography services and photoshoot solutions at scale for businesses and enterprises. Flashy has thousands of high-quality photographers in every GCC country and guarantees delivery of edited content in 24 hours.
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