How to prepare restaurant for food&drinks photoshoot

Restaurant photography can include both food and drinks photography, as well as chef and interior photography, so making a list of exactly what you need for your restaurant will make the photographer understand the task and be able to calculate the time and cost of the photoshoot based on the amount of work you provide.
Also, the list will help keep track of the footage and guarantee that nothing is missed. The food and drinks list does not have to include all the dishes and beverages, you can take pictures of the most popular items or those that look and are served spectacularly.

There are many styles of food photography, so agreeing with a food photographer on what you want is an important issue. It can be soft, light, airy or dark mood photos, using special photographic backgrounds and props, or minimalistic shots shot on a restaurant table. Each style requires its own approach, preparation and time, so be sure to discuss this point with the photographer before you start shooting. You can show examples of photos, using, for example, Pinterest.com or other restaurants websites. This will help photographer to understand and plan the shooting accordingly.

Invite a photographer to your restaurant and decide together the location where the food and drinks photoshoot will take place. Most of Koh Samui restaurants has well lit interior with a plenty amount of natural light, so there won't be any issues on finding a great spot for shooting.

Do a general cleaning if you plan to shoot the interior or staff of the restaurant. Clean mirrors, windows, floors, fresh flowers in vases, clean kitchen without unnecessary objects in the background - all this will create a feeling of coziness and show the restaurant at its best.

Make sure that the staff outfit looks clean and tidy on the day of the shoot. Inform the staff about the upcoming shoot, be sure to introduce the photographer to the staff and the chef, this will make it easier to create a friendly atmosphere to work as team.

A food styling is not a part of the photographer's job. His job is to take a high-quality pictures using lighting and professional equipment. So, make sure that your food will look aesthetically pleasing and appetizing, in this case the chef will take over the job of food stylist. Also, think ahead the serving of garnishes and sauces, choose suitable plates and glasses for food and drinks.

At the planning stage of the photo shoot, discuss with the photographer what orientation you want the shots in. Horizontal is usually used for a website, and vertical for menu or social media. Each orientation requires to built specific composition, so if you need both vertical and horizontal shots, keep in mind that it will take twice longer time to shoot.

There is always a lot of hard work behind the beautiful photos of food and drinks, not only by the photographer, but also by the restaurant staff. Careful preparation for your restaurant photography will help you get high quality photos that will attract many new customers and increase restaurant rating and attractiveness.

If you need professional food and drinks photography on Koh Samui, please contact me. Looking forward to working with you!

Please follow the link for my portfolio and pricing information

https://www.aigulmoon.com/food-photographer-samui

Author: Aigul Moon, photographer