If you happen to be in the food business, I have some awesome news for you: The world has been taken over by “foodies”!

Foodies are everywhere, in fact, they seem to have acquired a central place within our contemporary culture; their group seems absolutely borderless and with no age limit. Food in this century has become synonymous with some kind hedonism: food is self-indulgence, food is fun. 

For restaurateurs and chefs, this sounds like a world made just for them and a splendid time to ride what could be a wave of success. After all, food is huge on social media; would you believe that some restaurants specifically design “Instagrammable” meals for the “foodstragramming” crowds?  

So how can you ride the wave and surf safely all the way to the Promised Land of successful restaurateurs? That’s when food photography come in.

Who ya gonna call? A food photographer!

Eating with your eyes has become much more than just a witty saying, there is an actual scientific explanation whereas because our sense of sight is so powerful, looking at an image of delicious-looking food stimulates “food hormones” (leptin and ghrelin) that trigger hunger. Based on this knowledge, it makes sense that the way a photographer can arrange and shoot your food will affect viewers so much as to make them feel hungry or even craving for it! Seeing food photography does affect our psyche, and with the help of a good photographer you will be able to reach, influence and entice a broader audience; after all our eyes are bigger than our belly!

What quality images will do for your business:

1. Quality pictures can build your brand.

If you were tempted to use stock photos, I would urge you to rethink. Yes, hiring a professional photographer/food stylist will be an additional investment (although it does not have to be a heavy one) but do you really want to risk giving the wrong image of your business to your customers? If you want to be true to your clientele then stock photos will never be a true representation of the food you serve while the quality of your own pictures will be perceived as the quality of the food you serve. 

You need to build credibility and promote pictures of your own delicious looking dishes promising your customers that what they see is what they’ll get. When you hire a professional photographer you will also hire a food stylist who will be able, with the tricks of his/her trade to create impactful imagery that will make your dishes look as good as they taste.

2. Your pictures can make customers work for you

Food pictures showcased as marketing material can be used conventionally on your menu, posters, billboards etc, but also on social media platforms, the new word-of-mouth. People love to share images and so many about food and where to eat it. They Google on their mobile phone for places to eat and are not really interested in reading; they are looking for the one appetizing picture that will trigger not only their “food hormones” but their taste for a certain lifestyle and often too certain values. When you post your clear, detailed pictures, the quality and style of the photographic work and how much it stands out will determine how much it gets shared. So let your photos do the talking and viewers act as your own publicists!

Food photography is not only what will make customers choose one dish rather than another, but it is also what makes you stand out from the competition. With the obvious goal of increasing your sales, quality photographs are the message you send out there to establish your brand identity and the values you promote, so it makes sense to invest in a professional service. You will be surprised at how many options there are for a variety of budgets that photographers will be happy to work out for you when you approach them!