Does this sound like you?
You just cut the ribbon on your brand new, beautifully designed restaurant. You’ve poured your heart and soul into developing a mouthwatering menu and stunning ambience. You can’t wait to start getting the word out and filling your dream location up with happy customers, but anytime you try and take a picture of your gorgeous food your iphone just isn't doing it justice.
Or maybe…
You’ve been in the restaurant business for 20 years. Your multiple locations are each celebrated hits and packed every night. You know how to bring customers in and have them leave satisfied, but you are itching to add some new menu items and want to promote them on social media. You want to showcase professional imagery that matches your experience and quality.
Maybe you aren’t in the restaurant industry, but you love cooking! You just started a food blog sharing your mom’s tried and true family favorite recipes. You can recreate them from memory, and are looking for somebody that can perfectly capture that special dish and make it shine!
If you relate to any of these scenarios, or are in the food industry in any way, it’s likely that at some point (if you haven’t already) you will need to hire a food photographer! And a good one too! It’s time to start your search for a photographer that will make your food look as good as it tastes, but where do you even start?
Luckily for you, I am a professional food photographer based in Utah, and I would love to share some quick tips for when you are looking to hire a food photographer! I hope these are helpful in guiding you in your search and help you feel reassured that the right fit is out there!
How to find your dream team:
Alright, I know you know how to Google stuff! It’s likely how you found this blog! If you can search it, you can find it. Make sure to put in key words like your location, style of work you are looking for, and check out a few different pages.
Word of mouth is another great way to connect with photographers. Ask your friends in the industry if they have worked with somebody and how their experience was.
Instagram and other social media platforms are great because they usually have quick and easy to process visual representations of a photographers work. Don’t be afraid to lurk on their business page or website and see if their images align with what you’re looking for! (And don’t be afraid to contact them! It never hurts to ask.) However, DMs can sometimes get lost so I recommend emailing or contacting through their website if possible!
What to look for
Style
The biggest thing I would suggest when it comes to choosing your photographer is their style. If you like it, that’s a good bet they align with your brand! But beyond personal preference, think about their design choices and how they make you feel. For example:
Lighting: Does this photographer use natural or artificial light? Does it feel even and soft, or bright and exciting? Are there lots of shadows? Do they use sparkly highlights?
Colors: Are the colors generally bright and saturated, or more muted and calm? Does this photographer like to play with color? Usually food photographers are very drawn to the colors of food and will try and make them play a key role in the image!
Composition: Do they tend to shoot a lot of close-up detail shots? Shots that include people? Are the majority of the images in this photographers portfolio clean, minimalistic shots or do they have a lot of extra elements added in? Do the images feel balanced and harmonious?
If you are still figuring out what you gravitate towards, try going on Pinterest and pinning images of food photography you like. You will start to notice patterns and can start trying to find a photographer that reminds you of that style!
Skill
Can this photographer accomplish what you are hoping? Do they have the experience and portfolio to showcase achieving some of the more challenging shots like: groups of people, macro shots, dripping sauces, or styled beverages? Check out their website and especially see if they have good reviews!
Location
This is a big one. Sometimes you can work remotely with a photographer, especially if you are a blogger! You can send recipes and they can create them in their home or studio space, photograph them, and send you the images! But maybe you prefer to have a little more involvement on shoot days.
If you are a restaurant you should most likely book a photographer that is local to your state or region. While it is possible to fly out a photographer for a shoot, you’ll save a lot of money if your photographer is within driving distance.
If you are a brand that has packaged foods that are available to ship or purchase in grocery stores, you can consider both local and remote photographers based on shipping cost and the ease of access they have to your product!
Personality
You want to work with someone who is enjoyable to be around! My best advice for this is schedule a quick video call with your potential photographer and see how you feel talking with them! They might be extroverted, introverted, assertive, passive, talkative, quiet, or anything in between! Gauge if you think you’ll be a good fit and most of all pay attention to if they are respectful, professional, and pleasant. Every interaction with them, from the first email or consultation, to the shoot, and delivery of your images and invoice should go smoothly and make things as easy as possible for you!
A good food photographer will always strive to solve your problems (even before you notice them) and address your common pain points. If you feel comfortable and well taken care of even before the shoot that is a huge green flag that things will go well!
Price
Okay time to address the big question. You are a business owner, and I totally relate! Every cost should be an investment that is carefully measured. While numbers do matter, I would encourage you to consider all of the above factors like style and location first and then look for a photographer that can offer what you are looking for within your budget.
Think of the return on investment that you will receive from investing in quality photos! Your customers are much more likely to trust you and purchase from your restaurant, follow your blog, or obsess over your product if you have beautiful images that reflect all of the hard work and thought you have already put in.
You might notice that a lot of photographers don't list their prices on their website. What's up with that? Since every project is unique and varies in scope, the photographer likely wants to hear the following from you before providing a detail quote:
What is the intended image use (web, social media, menus, print, tv, etc!)
How many items? The amount of dishes or products you would like photographed
Amount of images you would like in return
Approximate time spent shooting
Will there be involved retouching and editing needed?
Where would you like to shoot?
When do you need the project done by?
What style or inspiration do you have for this shoot?
Among other key questions that determine the "scope" of the project! Don't be alarmed if a photographer doesn't offer a number right away, they are just trying to price as fairly as possible!
Also, if you have a budget in mind it is totally okay to volunteer that to the photographer. They can tell you exactly what they can make happen for that price!
Here's an example:
Julie is a chef who wants photos of 10 custom recipes for her portfolio. Her budget is $500 max. She reaches out to a food photographer who charges $1500 for a full day of shooting. They determine that they can shoot for 2 hours together and move from there to approximate how many recipes she can showcase in that time.
Photoshoot day!
What can you do to have a smooth and successful photoshoot? Your photographer should walk you through what to expect, but here are a few tips:
Consider hiring a food stylist to help your dishes look like art! Some photographers double as stylists, or you might feel comfortable doing it yourself, but a food stylist is a professional who knows all the tips and tricks to make food look as beautiful on camera as it tastes.
Plan to shoot at a time when your restaurant is less busy. If your photographer is confident with artificial light, they should be able to shoot any time of day and control the light to create the desired mood.
Prep food on a schedule and go 1-2 dishes at a time. Food looks best when it is fresh, so be prepared to have things ready to shoot according to your designated schedule. Bring out anything that will melt, dry out, or crust over last, and anything that can hold it's shape longer first–especially if you have group shots in mind!
Have a shot list! Knowing what shots you would like to absolutely capture is key to an efficient shoot that covers all of your bases. Be as specific as you'd like! (For example: gnocchi from above, the side, and macro detail shot.)
Have fun! Photoshoots can be an adaptive, collaborative, creative process. Have fun, relax, and let your photographer take a few creative liberties for unique shots that you might not have ever expected! :)
Image delivery
The day you get your gallery of stunning images is going to be so much fun!
Most photographers will deliver using an online gallery service or cloud platform. Make sure you ask what their standard turnaround time for editing is and discuss timelines before booking your project! Enjoy your stunning new photos and don't forget to post them and implement them into your business. Your investment will mean nothing if you don't use them! I will be writing another blog post soon with ideas of how to get the most out of your images, so stay tuned for that.
With all that in mind, here is an example of what it looks like if you hire me!
Style: I generally tend to prefer images that have a harsher light source with lots of funky shadows, brighter colors, and a variety of compositions. With that being said, I can adapt my style to feel moodier or more natural upon request to match your brand! I use artificial light to control the image mood, and shoot a wide variety of framings from wide to close-up!
Skill: I have been doing photography full-time for 1 year at this point, and have been in business for 5. I graduated with a BFA in photography and have all of the skills to execute your shoot! I offer food styling services, prop styling, lighting, and detailed photoshop post production. I can both shoot food and portraits, in studio or on location! Oh, and I also do stop motion and video which is such a fun add-on for any shoot!
Location: I am based in Provo, Utah and available for travel or remote shoots! Utah is a great place to hire a food photographer from because the market is not as saturated as New York or LA. My cost of living is also lower so my rates are generally very affordable to most clients!
Personality: I am outgoing, friendly, direct, sometimes a little goofy, and overall strive for to be professional and have quick communication! If you would like me to be, I am super happy to help with planning the shoot from start to end, and have a very quick turnaround time of 1.5 weeks, with optional rush delivery! On-set I am assertive and constantly working through how to get the most quality images in the time we have.
Price: My rates are usually based off an hourly rate spent on set and usually range from $500-5000. Project cost could be lower or higher dependent on several factors I outlined! Inquire today to see if we would be a good fit and what we can accomplish with your budget.
Here's me styling a group shot of products for Mexican snack shop Fruiteria! (I'm very focused looking at my laptop displaying the live image XD)
Other amazingly talented Utah-based food photographers to check out!
Michele Lee: https://michelelee.co/portfolio
Sheena Bates: https://www.sheenabates.com/
Thank you for taking time to read and I hope this was helpful to you as you look for a food photographer! I love the culinary world and the joy food brings. Thank you for putting good food into the world, it truly deserves to be documented, shared, and celebrated artfully!
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