
Meal Prep Photography Has a Consistency Problem
Put twelve meal-prep boxes next to one another and the differences become obvious very quickly. One has a generous-looking portion of chicken. Another has the
Tips, stories, and inspiration from the world of food photography.

Put twelve meal-prep boxes next to one another and the differences become obvious very quickly. One has a generous-looking portion of chicken. Another has the

There is a difference between choosing what to eat and choosing where to spend Friday night. When customers are looking at a reservation page, they

A photograph approved on a laptop can become a completely different object when it is two metres wide. Tiny crumbs become visible. Soft focus becomes

We have worked on shoots where the chef plates every dish and nobody touches it afterwards. We have also worked on shoots where the first

Restaurant owners sometimes ask us a very reasonable question: “If we are already shooting for four hours, why can't we photograph twice as many dishes?”

We are occasionally sent a half-day brief that contains 35 dishes, four drinks, three group shots, the dining room and portraits of the chef. Technically,

Short promotions create surprisingly large shot lists. A restaurant launches four festive dishes for three weeks and suddenly asks for individual menu photographs, group shots,

Seafood shoots often begin with ice. Then more ice. Then lemon. Then parsley. By the time everyone steps back, the prawns look like they have

Sometimes a plate looks finished but the photograph does not. Then a chef reaches in to spoon sauce over it and suddenly the frame wakes

Room service photography has a problem that restaurant tables do not. Everything arrives together. Plate. Cutlery. Condiments. Water. Coffee. Bread basket. Napkin. Salt. Pepper. Tray