But integrating visuals is not without its risks: poor quality photos will do little to boost sales, or worse, while excessively “photoshopped” pictures, or even pictures that aren’t even those of your dishes (if taken from an online image bank, for example) will merely mislead and disappoint consumers. Here are some tips before you reach for your camera.

Why take photos of your dishes?

If you are wondering what good online photos of your products will do, remember the proverb “A picture is worth a thousand words”. The human brain is more receptive to what it sees than what it reads, especially when it comes to food! But keep the following recommendations in mind:

• Don’t use poor-quality photos; they can potentially do more harm than good to your restaurant’s image and dissuade prospective customers;
• Show photos of all your dishes rather than just a few for a comprehensive, balanced overview.

The best solution: hire a professional photographer

Calling on the services of a professional photographer who specializes in food photography is the best solution, and offers a twofold advantage:

• the result is worthwhile; food photography is a specialized field, and when done properly, will go a long way to improving/safeguarding your image;
• you will gain time by not having to concern yourself with multiple shoots, finding the perfect view and lighting, sorting your photos, and so on.

However, this option can be costly, ranging from €350 all the way up to €2,000 depending on:

• the photographer;
• the length of the mission (a few hours, half a day, a full day, etc.);
• the number of dishes to shoot;
• the number of touch-ups and the amount of photo editing work;
• possible travel expenses.

You can easily find a specialized photographer by running a search on “food photographer” or “culinary photographer”, or using freelance platforms such as Upwork.com or freelancer.co.uk, or the RestoConnection magazine’s professional directory (in French).

Comparison: different photos found on the net
    

Professional culinary photo                         Professional photo                       Restaurant owner’s photo

Rules for obtaining attractive photos

If your budget doesn’t stretch to hiring the services of a professional photographer and you decide to take your photos yourself, here are a some precautions you might like to take. The Internet is overflowing with poor-quality food photos that are hardly mouth-watering. Take a look on the web to get an idea of what you should avoid at all costs.

Examples of photos to avoid that hardly show food in its best light:

In order to obtain attractive photos of your dishes, first make sure you have a decent camera and follow a few basic guidelines:

• Keep it simple: use plain crockery and a subdued background.
• “Accessorize” or “stage” your dishes with herbs, fresh fruit, a fork, etc.
• Use a tripod for clear, sharp photos, and “soften” the background to bring the subject even more to the fore.
• Use exactly the same angle for all your dishes.
• Use natural daylight, preferably indirect, rather than artificial light. If you are short on natural daylight, you can use a reflector or light cube to recreate natural light. You will find various models on Amazon that retail for between €50 – €300.
• Don’t use the glaring light of a flash.
• Take shots of drinks, soups or other liquids from above.
• Your photos must obviously be high-definition.

Naturally, you can always proceed with a few light touch-ups to put the photo to its best advantage, especially if you are working with a graphic designer who can help you to enhance the result, but don’t overdo it. If you can no longer recognize your dish or if you make it appear bigger than it really is, you are not doing anyone any favours.

Basic template

LivePepper provides you with a basic online ordering site built on a basic template. You can use this basic template to customize your site’s colours, and also to insert pictures of your products/dishes.

Bespoke site: choosing a site structure consistent with your pictures

Depending on the quality of the pictures of your dishes that you already have or plan to take, certain bespoke site structures work better than others.

A site with pictures of food taken by a professional photographer

For high-quality pictures of dishes showcased by a professional food photographer, a site with a structure that focuses on visuals will be ideal. For example:

A site with food pictures taken by an amateur photographer, or without photos

LivePepper also offers a site structure without any pictures at all, or with small pictures for non-professional photos. Restaurateurs can thus benefit from an attractive design that does not revolve around visuals.

Whichever solution you opt for, bear in mind that you will have to take new photos of your dishes whenever you change your menu.

Happy shooting!