What to prep before a menu shoot

A menu shoot goes fast when the kitchen is ready for it. Here's what to sort out before I show up.

I spent 22 years working in restaurants, so I know a shoot day is still a work day. The point of this list is to get the photos done without wrecking your prep or your service.

A week or so before the shoot

Send me the menu

The current one, or the new one if that's what we're shooting. A PDF or a photo of the printed menu is fine.

Pick the dishes

Mark the ones you want shot. Start with what sells, what's new, and what you want people to order more of. If you're not sure, send me the whole menu and we'll narrow it down together.

Tell me where the photos are going

Website, printed menu, Instagram, delivery apps, a press kit. It changes how I frame things. Delivery apps want the food big and centered. Instagram likes vertical. It's easier to plan for it than to crop for it later.

Pick a time before service

Late morning into early afternoon works for most places. The kitchen is set up, the light's decent, and nobody's waiting on a ticket. I'd rather not shoot during a rush, and you'd rather I didn't either.

The day before

• Prep like it's a normal service. Full mise en place for every dish on the list. Sauces made, proteins portioned, garnishes picked.
• Get the best-looking product. The nicest herbs, the best-looking bread, fruit without bruises. Shoot day is not the day to use up the ugly lemons.
• Pull the plates and glassware. Whatever you actually serve on. Check for chips and cracks. They show up in photos more than you'd think.
• Decide who's plating. One cook, ideally the one who plates those dishes every night. Consistency matters more than fancy.

On the day of the shoot

One plate at a time

Fire one dish, bring it out, I shoot it, then fire the next. If five plates come out at once, four of them sit and die while I work on the first one. Fries go limp. Sauces skin over. Ice melts.

Clear a table near a window

Give me a table or a stretch of bar out of the way of your staff. Near a window is good. I'll set up there and stay out of the kitchen.

Wipe everything

Plate rims, glass stems, the table. Have a clean towel and a few paper towels on hand. Fingerprints on a glass ruin the shot and take forever to fix in editing.

Garnish last

Herbs wilt under the lights and on warm food. Add them right before the plate walks out.

Keep a person on the pass

Someone who can tell me what's coming next and how long it'll take. It keeps the whole thing moving.

What you don't need to worry about

• Props. Your own tables, plates and room are usually the best backdrop. It's your place people are coming to.
• Special cooking. Cook it how you'd send it out. If a dish needs a small tweak for the camera, I'll say so on the spot.
• Wasting the food. It's the same food you'd serve. Staff can eat it once it's shot.

A quick checklist to print

1. Menu sent
2. Dish list picked
3. Where the photos are going, decided
4. Shoot time booked before service
5. Full prep for every dish on the list
6. Best produce and garnishes set aside
7. Plates and glasses checked for chips
8. One person plating, one on the pass
9. A table cleared near a window
10. Clean towels ready

More on how the shoots run is on the restaurant photography page. When you're ready to book one, get in touch.