The whole menu in one day: food photography at CHARM restaurant

The CHARM Asian restaurant in Nitra needed food photos for its menu and social media. The brief was clear: dishes on a plain light background, so that they stand out on their own and the whole menu looks consistent.

Why shoot right in the restaurant

Shooting directly in the restaurant is the easiest way to photograph fresh, hot dishes. The food goes from the kitchen straight in front of the camera – no transport, no waiting while it cools down and loses its colour or shape. In the photo it looks just as it does when it reaches the guest's table.

A makeshift studio between the tables

So we set up a makeshift studio in the restaurant and our photographer worked through the entire menu. The dishes came out one after another, so each one was at its best in front of the camera.

A plain light background has a practical advantage: nothing distracts from the food and all the photos match. They work equally well in a printed menu and in a social media post.

Where the photos were used

The restaurant used the photos in its menu and for social media marketing. Guests can picture what they're ordering before the food even arrives.

A tip for restaurants

Prepare a list of the dishes you want photographed before the shoot, and schedule it outside your busiest hours. That way the kitchen can give each dish full attention and the shoot runs smoothly.