Professional Food Photography - a guide for clients

FOOD

insights

a practical guide to commissioning professional photography

As a photographer I enjoy working on a wide range of subjects but food, of course, is always a favourite. I have had the pleasure of working with some of Italy's best chefs and restaurants, as well as publishers from around the world looking for high-end food photography here in Italy. These clients often include:

Restaurants for their websites, press releases and social media.
Food Producers for marketing material, advertising campaigns and packaging.
Book Publishers from professional guides to regional recipe books.
Food and Travel Magazines publishing restaurant profiles, feature stories and gastro-travel guides.
Kitchen Appliance Producers making ovens, chillers and other tools for professional chefs.

Planning Your Next Food Photoshoot: What to Keep in Mind

Over the years, I’ve learned a few things about what makes food photography successful, so I wanted to share some ideas here in a practical guide for clients thinking about commissioning new images.

I should mention from the start that I’m not a studio photographer — all the images you see here were made on location, whether in restaurants, bars, or even factory settings. I prefer the inventiveness and authenticity that come with working that way.

1. Choosing a Food Photographer

I think a good food photographer and a good chef are, in many ways, very similar: both require a mixture of technical and creative skills, both need to work well under pressure, and both do something that — let’s be honest — everyone can do: taking photographs and cooking food. Only they do it much better.

If I had to list the main characteristics to look for when choosing a food photographer, it would be these:

Lighting Expertise: Everything starts with good lighting. It’s what brings out the natural textures and colours of the dish, making it look as fresh and enticing as possible.
Visual Taste: The best food photographers have a strong sense of visual taste. The composition of the image and the mise-en-scène should project the same elegance and care as the chef’s work — from the subtle suggestion of a background element to the precise placement of a fork or glass.
Sense of Intimacy: Food photography needs to feel sensual, getting up close to the dish and allowing it to tempt, seduce and draw you in.
Speed and Efficiency: Some dishes need to be captured quickly before they melt, collapse or lose their freshness. A good food photographer works efficiently under pressure without sacrificing quality... not always easy.
Professionalism on Location: Photographing in a busy kitchen or restaurant requires respect, flexibility and a calm approach.
Adaptability to Different Settings: Whether shooting in a high-end restaurant, a trattoria, or a production facility, the ability to adapt to the available space and light is crucial to create consistently strong images.

2. Preparing for the Shoot
Proper preparation is key to making a food shoot run smoothly, whatever the setting. Here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure the shoot goes as planned:

Space to Work: I need a clean, clutter-free space to set up my equipment and lighting. Ideally, I like to work near a window to make the most of any natural light, but I also use reflectors and artificial lighting when necessary, so having enough space to accommodate that is essential.
Timing is Key: It’s always best to shoot when the restaurant is free of clients — ideally in a separate room or during off-hours. Early mornings, before service begins, are perfect. This gives us uninterrupted time to focus on the dishes without distractions or pressure.
Props & Table Setting: For most shoots, I’m happy to work alone using simple props like wine bottles, glasses, cutlery, napkins, and other elements from a standard table setting. For more complex assignments—such as packaging, advertising, or marketing campaigns—it may be wise to involve a prop stylist, who can help create the right setting, colours, and atmosphere to reflect your brand. A prop stylist sources or rents specific items for the shoot, working closely with both the photographer and the client throughout planning and production.
Food Stylist: A food stylist is different from a prop stylist. Think of them as specialist make-up artists for the food itself, using their skills and techniques to make each dish look as appealing as possible. I usually collaborate with a food stylist on advertising or packaging projects, where a high level of visual perfection is required.
Collaboration with the Chef: In restaurants, good communication with the chef is essential. Before we begin, I like to review the shooting schedule together. I’ll let the chef know when I’m ready for the next dish, and they’ll tell me if a plate is particularly delicate or time-sensitive. The chef also plays a key role in helping identify the most photogenic angle for each dish — ensuring it’s presented exactly as it would be to a guest. This teamwork keeps the process smooth and stress-free.

3. Common Challenges in Food Photography (and How to Overcome Them)
Food photography looks like it should be easy.. but it isn't. There are numerous challenges. Here are a few common hurdles that a photographer will need to deal with:

Timing & Temperature: As mentioned earlier, some dishes, like ice cream or delicate desserts, can melt or lose their appeal very quickly. Communication between chef and photographer is essential to help avoid disasters.
Lighting: Achieving the perfect light for food can be tricky. The lighting in a restaurant might create a nice atmosphere for guests but in photographs I'm afraid it's very likely to look terrible, with harsh shadows and an unnatural colour cast. Natural light is always better but it's not always reliable, especially in restaurants with limited window space or during certain times of day. I tend to use a combination of natural light, reflectors and flash lighting to give me control in any situation, creating the right atmosphere and describing the dish’s textures and colours as well as possible.
Dish Placement & Styling: The way a dish is plated can significantly impact how it looks in a photograph. The chef usually knows best but in some cases I might suggest a slight change to plating to make the dish look more appealing on camera. A common issue is placing a small portion of food in the center of a large plate. While this might be visually appealing in person, it doesn’t work well in photography. The food can appear lost in the center, leaving too much empty space around it and no room for any ambiance or intimacy.
Balance: Food photography is a delicate thing. Just the slightest change in the positioning of the dish, a fork or the fall of a shadow can make the difference between an image that works and draws you into the food, or an image that feels unbalanced and uncomfortable. It really just comes down to the sensitivity of the photographer.

4. Case Studies

(i) Maison Adam
Maison Adam is an historic pasticcerie in the Basque area of France, making macarons, cakes and chocolates since 1660. I was commissioned to create new images for them together with 02Studio who put together the styling and concept of the shoot. This was a complex job made over a two-year period shooting a wide range of product still-life, production, shop interiors, portraits and lifestyle images.

We worked both on location, in the production area and by setting up a temporary studio in the attic area of the main shop.. so a restricted working space but still one that offered us some interesting backgrounds and textures for the images. As is often the case, it's a question of adapting and responding to whatever the location has to offer.

(ii) The Flavours of Puglia

This was an editorial project for Sime Books featuring recipes of traditional dishes from Puglia in the south of Italy. Shot over a one-week period it had me driving around the region photographing in a number of pre-arranged restaurants, each of which would prepare six or seven dishes for me to shoot. At the same time I was capturing details, travel and lifestyle photographs from the area to provide context and regional flavour to the book. This was a challenging project, adapting to each restaurant while maintaining a certain style and palette.

(iii) Sweet Dreams

Another book project, this time for Bibliotheca Culinaria. Here I set up a makeshift studio in the kitchen of a cooking school with pastry chef Ricardo Magni. In terms of styling I was working alone. We were provided with set of handmade plates and bowls so I used them for graphic or chromatic effect.. styling the image on the fly to suit each dessert as it arrived. The project was shot over three days, in this case using my flash lighting to keep the feel consistent throughout.

Again, I think it's an example of how even a technically precise and controlled set of images like this can be produced in a less than ideal situation with minimum to play with.

5. Cost Estimates & Packages

The cost of a food photography shoot is mainly determined by the time required for shooting and post-production. Other factors that can influence the cost include:

The number of dishes or products to be photographed.
The complexity of the lighting setup or location.
The inclusion of additional elements like interior shots, portraits, or action shots of kitchen staff at work.
The need for a food stylist to prepare and style the dishes.
The use of professional models (for example, to show people enjoying the food or drinks).
The need for a dedicated prop stylist to source and set up backgrounds, tableware or other supporting elements.
The intended usage of the images (with standard usage included for restaurants, and rights-managed licensing for larger companies, ad campaigns, and packaging).

For restaurants and smaller food businesses, I usually offer straightforward packages where usage rights are included, covering websites, social media, press materials and printed brochures. A typical restaurant package might include:

A set of interior photographs showing the space and design details.
Portraits of the chef and/or kitchen staff at work.
A selection of signature dishes, individually styled and photographed.

Each project is different, and I’m always happy to discuss your specific needs to create a package that fits your goals, schedule and budget.

6. Post-Production, Image Delivery & Back-Up
For a photographer the work doesn’t end when the camera is packed away. After the shoot, a significant amount of time is dedicated to post-production. This includes selecting the best shots, fine-tuning lighting and color, retouching blemishes where needed and crafting the final images.

To make things easy for my clients, I generally deliver two complete sets of images:

High-resolution files for print use (brochures, magazines, etc.)
Web-optimized files for online use (websites, social media, email newsletters)

Each version is prepared with the correct resolution and color profile so there’s no need for additional adjustments on your end.

While you should save a copy of the images on your own system, I also maintain multiple backups of every job—both locally and in a cloud archive. That means if you ever misplace your files, even years down the line, I can resend them without issue.

7. Why Work With Me?

I’ve been lucky to photograph some of Italy’s best chefs, food producers and restaurants — as well as collaborating with publishers and food magazines. I’m just as comfortable working in a Michelin-starred kitchen as a simple trattoria or a factory space, always aiming to create a calm, professional atmosphere.

I don’t often work in a studio — nearly all my food photography is made on location, using a combination of natural light, reflectors and minimal flash when needed. This gives the images a sense of authenticity and place, which many of my clients are looking for.

If you’re planning a new shoot — whether to refresh your restaurant’s images, promote a product, or support a publication — feel free to get in touch and we can talk through the project.

Thanks for looking!

Colin.