How to Take Social Media Food Pics for Your Business
Great food speaks for itself. Yet, in today’s world of trending topics and viral content, it’s always a good idea to have a strong social media presence. For restaurants, caterers, cafes, food trucks and bakeries, the photos and videos you share of your food are a critical element of your business’s online presence.
Mastering the perfect food shot can help you attract new customers and generate buzz for your menu items. Learn how to take food photos for social media and why high-quality images are so valuable to your business.
The Importance of Taking Food Photos for Social Media
The images and videos your business shares on social media matter. Prioritize posting high-quality content that demonstrates your professionalism and builds trust with your audience.
What you share online plays a key role in your marketing efforts. The posts you share will often be a consumer’s first impression of your business. In fact, 76% of people search online to explore a company’s digital presence before physically visiting their location. How you show up on the internet can have a significant impact on your business.
Your food photos are one way to demonstrate your commitment to excellence. Putting your best foot forward with high-quality imagery can attract new customers and entice existing customers to return to your restaurant.
How to Take Professional Food Pictures and Videos
Explore the following food photography tips for restaurants below.
Plating
The eyes are the windows to the stomach. Plating involves arranging your food so that it looks as delectable as possible. Understanding presentation is undoubtedly the most important aspect of knowing how to take food pictures, with your goal being to help your food appear as delicious as it is in real life.
Here are some elements that will help you plate your food before snapping your picture:
- Surface: This is the plating material you place your food on. White plates are a culinary staple that can make any food pop. However, you have a wide world of plating possibilities, from wood cutting boards for a rustic appeal to stately patterned china for an elegant approach. Remember to wipe the surface down for the cleanest presentation possible.
- Symmetry: To ensure symmetry in your plating, start in the middle of the image you wish to create and work your way out. Using plates, bowls or boards that are proportionate to your meal can make the dish look more balanced.
- Artistry: Don’t be afraid to use sauces and patterns to enhance your food’s appearance. Do your best to create the illusion of a freshly prepared dish that makes your audience eager to dig in.
Lighting
Lighting is a critical part of excellent food photography. In fact, it can separate the good from the great. The right lighting emphasizes textures and colors, allowing your food to take center stage. If you’re not used to this aspect of picture-taking, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Light from the side to give your picture depth, especially when photographing food that balances a lot of textures.
- Be on the lookout for harsh shadows, as these can give your food an off-putting or unappetizing appearance.
- Use soft, diffused light to enhance texture and help prevent shadowing.
Composition
Composition refers to how you frame your shot. While there’s no right or wrong way to do this, an appealing composition will emphasize the strengths of your dish. A couple of guidelines to observe include:
- Angles: Side shots tend to show off juiciness and texture. Overhead pics are ideal when your dish includes a lot of elements. Most of the time, you’ll want to avoid front-facing, downward angles — these do little to highlight the food.
- Color: Colors add to the overall feel and appeal, and filters are practically necessary if you’re taking food pictures for social media. Warm colors like reds, yellows and oranges tend to stimulate appetite. Green tones give a natural, organic feel. You’ll want to avoid cooler filters, however, as these tones can look unappetizing, especially in pictures of meats and cheeses. The exception to this is cool-colored foods like blueberries and grapes.
- Focus: Try experimenting with focus. Think close-up shots, where one item or bite is crisp and clear in the foreground while the rest of the dish is less focused in the background. This method can bring emphasis to delicious components in your meal or just make for an interesting shot. Proper focus is essential when taking food pictures for menus, particularly if the images will be on the large side.
Best Social Media Platforms for Your Food Pictures
Now that you’ve got some great pictures, it’s time to post them online. Which of the major social media platforms is best for sharing your food-related content? Each has its own niche when it comes to promoting your food or your food-related business.
Here are a few ideas to get started on social media picture sharing — go from here and get creative!
When it comes to sharing food photos on social media, Instagram is king. This platform was specifically designed for spreading photos and videos. People love sharing pictures of interesting or delicious dishes, even if they didn’t snap the shot. You can tag your photo so that if people see your food come up in their feed, they know exactly where to go get it.
Your business can also take advantage of Instagram Stories to share quick snaps of your delicious dishes with your customers on a daily basis, boosting engagement and encouraging them to stop by for a bite to eat.
Facebook is an essential online presence for restaurant owners, as it allows you to post your essential business info, including your address and hours. Plus, it’s great for sharing viral stories to get some good buzz going about your restaurant. As people share your photos or react to them, you can engage potential customers with likes and comments.
A huge benefit of using Facebook for your business is you can upload your menu directly onto your profile. You can include mouthwatering shots of your menu items to generate more excitement.
X
X, formerly Twitter, is all about customer engagement. Try posting menu items and see how the conversation flows. You can also take photos of your nightly specials, exclusive deals or crowd favorites.
Your business can utilize X to increase brand awareness and spotlight your delectable menu items. Be sure to respond to every comment, as X is an excellent way to show that your restaurant is interactive and approachable.
TikTok
TikTok is an awesome platform for sharing behind-the-scenes of your business. You can post highly engaging slideshows or videos that showcase your delicious menu. Whether you share images of finished dishes or short clips of your team preparing a meal, you can invite your audience in on your restaurant’s day-to-day operations and the love that goes into making each plate.
The app also features user-friendly editing tools for creating professional-looking videos in just minutes.
Source Picture-Worthy Ingredients From Feeser’s Food Distributors
We hope you feel better prepared to take memorable food shots with these helpful restaurant photography tips. When your business needs high-quality ingredients to supercharge your dishes and take your menu images to the next level, turn to Feeser’s Food Distributors.
We’re the Mid-Atlantic’s go-to food distributor. We partner with restaurants like yours to give you access to a wide variety of national and local brands. You can enhance your menu with over 10,000 products to choose from in our catalog. As a family business, we understand the importance of providing excellent customer service, and we’re happy to work with your restaurant’s unique distribution needs.
Are you ready to get started? Contact us today to learn what Feeser’s Food Distributors can do for your food-based business.
