menu photo shoot this morning, any tips?

Pizza Shop Talk The Think Tank
1

I’m having a photographer come today to take picture of menu items. Any tips? Going to use for Web content and training.

2

I have tried for years to get decent photos with my camera to no avail. I recently had a professor of photography at Denison University donate her services and the photos finally came out like the pizzas actually look. My space is all stainless steel worktops and flouresent lighting. That combination makes pizzas look not so good without the right setup. She used a white umbrella, white sheet for some shots to go under the pies, and a light that went off when she snapped pictures. It was a floor mounted battery pack. Also the angle of the camera to pizza makes a big difference. She was about at 20 degrees or so for many of the shots. I am not a camera person but maybe that will help some. You can check the photos on this site. I think they came out great. Good luck! Walter
http://www.smilingwithhopepizza.com/gallery/

3

The fresher the food is the better for the picture. I’ve seen food stylist shine diffused light from the side, this helps illuminate the steam coming from the pie. I’ve heard that a flash or any light coming from the front isn’t recommended. Natural light is better. Spray a thin layer of oil over the pizza to give it a shine. Also if you are using any veggies as props it’s good to shine them up with some oil, especially bell peppers look great after being brushed with oil.

4

Good luck with the new pizzeria, Walter. A great cause!

5

Thanks Liz and thanks to everyone at PMQ for the support. The article you did on us has really helped get the word out. I hope I get to meet you all at the Columbus pizza convention. Walter

6

I did all my own photos. I bought a $700 camera 5 years ago to do it. Today my Iphone takes just as good a picture. I made the pizza, baked it and snapped a pic. Then I fed it into google picasa and clicked the “I’m feeling lucky” button. Saved it and sent it to the print house. No special lighting or anything. I wanted the pictures to look just like the pizzas the customers get. A customer called me out once because the tomatoes were cut smaller on her pizza that what the photo showed. I getting ready to re-do all of pictures because we have increased the portions on many items.