5 Tips to Improve Your Restaurant's Photoshoot

So you found a professional photographer and are excited to see the amazing shots he or she produces... Here are a few tips to make the experience even better:

1. Schedule the shoot at a time you know the restaurant is not going to be busy, such as before it opens in the morning or between lunch and dinner. Someone once scheduled me at a sports bar on a Sunday during football playoffs. Needless to say it was not my best shoot.

2. Clean clean clean. What is not obvious to the naked eye will stand out in photographs, and your photographer may or may not charge you extra to Photoshop out dust bunnies, scratches on silver wear, etc.

3. Talk to your photographer beforehand about the dishes you would like photographed. Some foods such as certain sauces and meats may require special lighting gear.

4. Be there. Unless you are hiring a photographer that costs thousands of dollars, he or she will probably be coming without an assistant. You may be of some help with holding fill cards up, cleaning plates if they do not come out of the kitchen looking perfect, or a myriad of other things that can make the shoot go smoothly.

5. Be ready. Talk to your photographer about how much time he or she will need to photograph each dish. When I first started I made the mistake of not always doing this, and I often had chefs either make me wait 30 minutes between shots or bring 6 plates out at once.