How to photograph food with your phone for an online menu

Online, a customer can’t smell the food or see the plate on the next table. All they have is a photo. That’s why an item’s photo is often what decides whether they add it to the cart.

The good news: you don’t need a studio for your menu.

What you need

• a phone (any recent one);
• a window with daylight;
• a neutral surface — a wooden board, a white or dark table, a large sheet of paper;
• a white card or sheet of paper as a reflector (optional);
• a cloth for wiping the edges of the plate.

1. Light is the most important thing

Shoot next to a window, during the day, without direct sun. If the sun is shining straight in, put a white curtain or baking paper over the glass.

• Turn off the lights in the room — mixing daylight and artificial light gives yellow or blue tones.
• Don’t use the flash — food looks flat and greasy.
• Light from the side or slightly behind the food brings out texture. Light from the front kills shadows and depth.
• If one side is too dark, hold a white card on the side opposite the window to bounce the light back.

2. The angle depends on the dish

Choose one angle for each category and stick to it — the menu looks tidy.

3. Background and consistency

The biggest difference between an amateur and a professional menu isn’t the quality of individual photos but consistency. The same surface, the same light, the same angle and the same format for all items in a category.

• Choose one surface for the whole menu.
• Remove everything that doesn’t belong in the shot: bottles, keys, phones, napkins.
• No smudges on the edge of the plate — wipe it before every shot.

4. Framing

• Fill the frame. The food should take up most of the image, not the plate and the table.
• Don’t use digital zoom — move the phone closer.
• Leave a little space around the dish, because the website sometimes crops the edges in previews.
• The same format for everything: square (1:1) or 4:3.

5. Food has to look fresh

• Shoot immediately after preparing it. Cheese hardens, salad wilts and fries go soft within minutes.
• Prepare the portion a bit more carefully than usual — but realistically. The customer has to get what they see in the photo.
• A drop of oil or a spray of water on vegetables gives a fresh look.
• Cut a burger or sandwich in half for one of the photos — layers sell.

6. Editing — just a little

Your phone’s built-in editor is enough:

• slightly brighter (exposure);
• slightly more contrast;
• correct the white balance if the image is yellow or blue;
• don’t overdo the saturation — the food looks artificial.

Before uploading, resize the image to about 1200–1600 pixels wide. Large images slow the site down, and customers order from their phones.

7. A plan for one afternoon

1. Make a list of all items by category.
2. Pick a day and time with good light (late morning or early afternoon), outside the rush.
3. Set up the surface and a spot by the window.
4. The kitchen prepares item after item while you take 5–10 photos of each.
5. In the evening, pick the best photo for each item and do a light edit.

For a menu of 30–40 items, that’s realistically one afternoon.

Uploading to the website and SEO

In Restoran Pilot you upload images under Appearance → Images, then choose them in the items. For each image, enter alt text — a short description of the dish, e.g. “Capricciosa pizza with ham, mushrooms and olives”. Google reads alt text and it helps your dishes appear in image search.

Read more about how customers can find you on Google in How to get your restaurant on Google.

Frequently asked questions