How to Take Good Photos

How to Take Good Photos

The photos you take for your menu are a crucial marketing tool that can help attract new customers, increase ticket sizes, and keep customers coming back.

Ordrslip has made it easy to add photos to your menu. Clover users can't add photos to their menu, so being able to add photos in the Ordslip Admin Dashboard is a big tool that you should be utilizing. Your app appears complete and is aesthetically appealing with the addition of high quality photos. They can boost orders and showcase what makes your restaurant so special!

6 Easy Tips For Stunning Menu Photos 


1. Equipment

DSLR or other hand held cameras are perfect for getting quality shots; but high resolution smart phones will take great photos too!


DSLR


Smart Phone


2. Lighting

Aim for natural light and try to take your menu photos in the morning or early afternoon. Taking photos outdoors, away from harsh sunlight is great, if you aren't able to get your food outside, don’t worry, shooting near a window will work. The goal when shooting around these times is to have softer natural lighting which will help you avoid harsh shadows. If you can’t shoot in daylight, choose one overhead light source (like a ring light) so as not to wash out your food.



3. Styling

Do: Spend extra time and care in your food presentation; you want to make your food look as appetizing as possible. A great way to do his is by garnishing your dishes. A garnish can range from parsley to an edible flower or even a piece of crusty, baked bread on the side. Styling your dishes adds to the overall presentation of an already delicious looking dish.

Do: Choose a clean table or neutral background for your photography.

Don’t: Leave distracting elements in the photos that take away from your dish.

Don’t: Confuse customers by portraying your food in a way it doesn’t actually appear when served.




4. Perspective

Do: Consistently photograph your menu items in a similar style as these photos will appear side by side within the app. You want them to all look like they belong together and have a similar theme that is unique to your restaurant and brand. You can try overhead or straight-on angles to find what works best.

Do: Leave space around your food and place it centrally in your frame to make it the focus of your photo.

Don’t: Take distorted pictures. You want to avoid taking pictures where the angles will not leave space around your food, make it out of focus or even unclear what it looks like. Stick to the following angles: overhead, straight-on, and low-angled. To avoid distortion, do not tilt the camera sideways while shooting.




5. Authenticity

You want to avoid an upset customer who felt they were served a meal that looks nothing like the menu photo. It's important to take a high-quality photographs of your food, it’s also important that your photos are a realistic portrayal of the food customers will be served consistently. Restaurants can make the mistake of creating elaborate photos of dishes to entice the customers to order, but this strategy will backfire if the real dish falls short. Make sure you avoid this by taking authentic photos of your food. 

6. Edit

Minor tweaks to your photos will be like adding finishing touches to your food, and icing on the cake. Simple editing can take your photos from slightly shadowy to bright and clear. You can easily edit your photos on your smartphone with the installed photo-editing software or you can use simple apps like  VSCO . If you don't want to use your smartphone, you can also use a desktop to edit photos. Canva is a great option. Unsure where to start? Focus on boosting vibrance, lifting any shadows, and sharpening your image by increasing contrast and/or clarity. As you play around with it make sure to avoid extreme filters that distract customers and change the look of your food.


We are confident that the 6 easy steps outlined above will dramatically increase the quality of your images and elevate your app to its highest potential! 

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