Do you have mouth-watering dishes, but don't know how to transform all this deliciousness into good photos? Well, as all we know, humans are visual by nature. A single snapshot of your dish can provide instant and more relevant information of your restaurant's quality than paragraphs of text. It makes sense when you are aware that 82% of people would buy a dish just because of how it looks in a picture, regardless of whether or not they wanted it in the first place.
For starters, all you need is a good smartphone and some creativity. It may seem difficult at first, but you only need to look out for a few things to take insta-worthy pictures and, of course, improve your performance online and attract more people to your restaurant. Bearing that in mind, we prepared this quick guide with 5 tips for you to ace pictures for your socials:
Understanding light is one of the biggest photography factors. Too much light, the picture looks washed out. Too little, the photo looks dark and unappealing. The tip here is: find some natural light from the sun, ample and indirect, and take advantage of "golden hour" — the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset.
Also, avoid using flash to provide better lighting, as this can create a flat photo. With a bit of patience, a few taps on different focus areas on your phone, you'll find the best balance between light and shadows. You can use the slider to adjust the brightness as well!
Not all foods look good from the same angle. Depending on the height, shape, and size of your dish, you can shoot it from above or front. Something taller, such as a burger, benefits from being shot from the front. A pizza, for instance, is better highlighted when shot from above.
But don't feel bound by these tips, by using the grids on your phone camera and also the rule of thirds, it's possible get much more creative and even set some compositions with props to make the photos look even better.
Although creativity on compositions is important, you have to remember that the background and props are just supporting actors, so to speak. Using too much colors and textures will steal the focus from the food — and that's not what you want! Use a neutral background and it will highlight the colors of your dish.
You need to be consistent when it comes to photographing your food, which will build your brand identity. Having pictures in different styles on your homepage, social media, and even apps will confuse customers and make your brand look disorganized. Once you've decided on your signature style, stick to it — you'll see the difference!
Now that you’ve used these tips to take the perfect picture, you may want to edit it before posting it. Various apps can make editing easy and free, such as VSCO and Snapseed. But remember just to make a few touch-ups, correct the white balance, and add a bit of structure to the picture. Over-editing the photo will make your food look unreal, and customers surely don't like that!
The power of pictures is undeniable. An inspiring and well-done photo will not only improve your performance online but will also remove any potential doubts about the quality of your food.
Once your pictures in place, you'll need to make sure as many people as possible see them. The best way to get eyeballs on your pictures is paid Facebook and Instagram ads. Targetable will send you ready-to-publish ads with your great images!
We send you ads ready to publish, with the an ad preview, ad strategy presented alongside the campaign text, campaign image, and campaign strategy.
If you're interested in automating your ads, getting more sales, and increasing your follower count, then book a demo by clicking into the calendar below.
