Sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions
In today’s world, a picture can be worth a thousand “likes” — or more, if operators take the time to optimize their social media posts.
On Instagram alone, the hashtag #food has appeared in nearly half a billion posts, and social media has driven viral trends for such dishes as baked feta pasta, butter boards, and cloud bread.
Restaurant operators have long recognized the sales-driving potential of photo-friendly dishes, from freak shakes piled high with confections to colorful bowls filled with seasonal, on-trend ingredients.
“Variations in color and texture have always been a focus when thinking about food ideation,” says Ross Evans, director of culinary at Hard Rock Café, of his company’s social media posts. “We try to create those crave-able moments and keep our guests coming back for more.”
Peter Farrand, chief food and beverage innovation officer at Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, says social media photos of bowls should showcase the value that the dishes offer customers by offering a large amount of food at a good price.
“You need to telegraph the size and abundance of it,” he says. “I love to see all of the combinations and flavors and ingredients in the photo.
While customer-driven social media posts can certainly be a boon to restaurant operators, it’s also important for operators to showcase high-quality images of their dishes on their website, in their own social media posts and on the ordering websites of third-party delivery companies. According to online ordering and delivery platform Grubhub, adding pictures and descriptions of menu items can increase orders as much as 70% and drive sales increases of up to 65%, compared with restaurants that don’t offer photos and descriptions.
High-quality, do-it-yourself photography
While some operators might want to hire a professional food photographer to capture these promotional images, a little bit of training and practice can provide anyone with a mobile phone everything they need.
As bowls have surged in popularity on restaurant menus, Unilever Food Solutions has compiled a list of tips for photographing these dishes like a pro. They include details for staging the perfect shot, centered around advice such as:
- Focus on the food itself, and let the background be out of focus.
- Use the “rule of thirds” to leave a third of the space in your photo empty.
- Create a “landscape” of accompanying food items to go with the bowl dish.
- Capture movement using a fast shutter speed.
- Try to use natural light if possible, but experiment with shadows as well.
- Shooting from above or at a higher angle may be best for bowl dishes.
- Plan your shot in advance so that you have all the right props and lighting ready for the shoot.
Lessons from a pro
In addition, Unilever Food Solutions also offers an eight-part series providing quick tips on using a phone to take food photos from Remko Kraaijeveld, an award-winning food photographer. Following are some highlights from his online tutorial:
- Turn off all lights in the restaurant, and photograph the dish with natural light shining in from the side. Invest in a low-cost white reflector to place opposite the light source to help soften the shadows. “Daylight is the simplest way to get the best results,” says Kraaijeveld. Never stand between the light source and the dish.
- If a natural light source is unavailable, consider using an LED light, but avoid shining it directly on the dish, which can create too much contrast. Instead, bounce the light off a reflector, or even two reflectors, Kraaijeveld says. Never use the flash on the smartphone.
- Change the setting on the camera to photograph in “square” format, which Kraaijeveld says has more impact on social media.
- When it comes to the background, consider a “less is more” approach. Although the background can vary based on the dish, a natural, dark background, with a simple bowl and utensils, helps focus viewers’ attention on the dish itself, Kraaijeveld explains.
- When plating the dish, make sure all of the elements are visible. Take the time to move ingredients around on the plate or shoot from a different angle if some of the ingredients are hidden. If there are liquids in the dish, always add them right before the shot is taken in order to capture the freshness of the dish.
- Don’t over-edit the photos. Sometimes using the filters available on photo apps such as Instagram can “overdo it,” Kraaijeveld says. Instead, lean toward using the editing tools to make slight adjustments in contrast or brightness, for example.
If you are planning to post your bowl photos on social media, consider these tips on optimizing your bowl photography for Instagram as well.
Creating compelling food images is clearly an important aspect of operating in today’s environment. However you choose to create your food images, it’s important that they convey the quality of your products and help consumers choose your restaurant, whether for dine-in, takeout, or delivery.
In addition to the social media photography training, UFS.com/standout offers a variety of other educational information, recipes and more to help you run a successful foodservice business.