The “How To” of Restaurant Photography

Photography is a key facet of attracting patrons who almost always “check out” a restaurant before walking through the door. In my experience, restaurant photography is a sophisticated blend of multiple photographic disciplines, making it complex to master. Fundamentally, a successful restaurant shoot requires expertise in three key areas:

• Architectural Photography – Capturing the restaurant’s interior and exterior to showcase its design and atmosphere.

• Food Photography – Presenting dishes in an appetizing and visually compelling way.

• Lifestyle & People Photography – Portraying patrons, chefs, and staff in a way that enhances the dining experience.

Bringing these elements together is essential to convey the true essence of a restaurant. Let’s explore how you can create an engaging visual story by skillfully balancing these three components.

Architecture

Dining out is more than just a meal—it’s an experience. Restaurant owners carefully design their spaces to evoke a specific mood and ambiance, reinforcing the culinary journey they offer. Too often, I see a plethora of food shots but little about the architecture or people, which leaves the viewer questioning the ambiance.

For instance, a large established urban restaurant may want to evoke a grand dining experience featuring signature architecture, and refined décor, whereas a casual restaurant may focus on a younger crowd looking for a place to grab a burger while kicking back and relaxing with friends. Each has its place in the market, and each needs to be photographed differently.

Food

Photographing food involves a bit of artistry and solid skills with staging. Proper lighting, plating, and staging are essential to highlight textures, colors, and presentation. While some dishes photograph well in their natural table setting, others benefit from curated backdrops, or a more stylized approach. The goal is to have the viewer taste with their eyes.

Here we see food with a hint of atmosphere via the table, silverware, and lighting.

This focuses completely on the food

This is another way to photography food using a highly stylized approach that may signify trendy, sophisticated, or unique.

People

People are critical to a good shot, but capturing them effectively requires careful planning. How many times have you seen poorly executed shots where you are looking at the backs of heads, seeing awkward expressions, mid-bite moments, or unflattering angles—all of which detract from the inviting nature of a restaurant? In my experience, if their photography or marketing materials look amateurish people assume the food is likewise.

The trick is capturing natural interactions that make for a compelling photo.  People must be presentable, engaged, and representative of the restaurant’s clientele. Sometimes this involves working with models for stylized table shots but more often it involves capturing organic yet flattering moments in a live dining environment.

This shot gives you the vibe of an urban restaurant and its clientele

This approach opts for more drama where people, lighting, and architecture combine to create a mood.

Sometimes it is appropriate to show a restaurant with and without people as we have done here. The arial view provides a sense of drama and space - helping to define the atmosphere and people.

Technology

Great restaurant photography is more than just a collection of images—it’s a visual narrative that conveys a unique ambiance. By using the latest equipment, taking advantage of advances in technology, and utilizing Artificial Intelligence, I have low-light capabilities that allow crisp images in dimly lit settings, preserving the warmth and energy of a restaurant’s atmosphere without the blur or graininess that you often see in low light photos. Whether capturing the glow of candlelight, movement of a busy kitchen, or the activity of an outdoor cafe in the evening, the latest camera and post-production technology ensures an engaging visual story.

If your restaurant needs photography for a new website or marketing campaign, I would enjoy working with you. Whether you are a new restaurant just starting up or an established one needing a marketing refresh please give me a call and let’s get you on the schedule.

Focus Forward: Welcome to the New ShupeStudios Website

In the world of architecture, every structure tells a unique story, from its intricate details and forms to the people that inhabit it. My career has been spent capturing those stories, and I chronicle a small portion of them on my website.

This winter, I began the process of updating my site. Like many projects, what started small quickly ballooned to become a complete overhaul from top to bottom. This month, I completed and relaunched the site to make it more than just a repository of my work. Rather, I hope it will serve as inspiration for architects, designers, business owners, and photography enthusiasts.

One of the most striking features of the revamped site is the abundance of fresh content. Over 75% of the images are brand new, showcasing my commitment to ongoing evolution and innovation in my photography. More than simply dropping in new images, I redrew the site to focus on the direction my work has taken over the past several years. I often state that I don’t “take” photographs but “make” them - by offering a glimpse into the soul of the structures, landscapes, products, and people that sit in front of my lens.

In addition to my new site, each month, I attempt to produce thought-provoking blog posts, offering insights into the creative process, the stories behind the lens, and the drama inherent in the world surrounding us. From these posts you will see that the goal of my work is not just about capturing images; it’s about capturing beauty, emotions, narratives, and the essence of human experience. I encourage you to read it.

I invite you to view my new website. If it has been a while, come back again and take a look. I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I did putting it together.

If something inspires you, please call me, as summer seems to be upon us, and it is the season to shoot outdoors.

Leveraging Winter Aesthetics into Architectural Photography

Building owners, architects, and property managers often consider winter a dead time when photography comes to a standstill. In fact, winter presents a compelling opportunity for architectural photography along several dimensions. For exteriors, the time of year post-autumn but before snow arrives offers an exceptional window for photographers to capture the essence of urban landscapes with greater clarity and focus than they sometimes achieve at other times of the year. Winter is an excellent time of year for interior shots due to lighting and scheduling. Lastly, winter shots can be effectively employed using teaser campaigns to build anticipation for the spring and summer months. Along many dimensions, as we discuss below, winter can be leveraged for exceptional photography and engaging marketing opportunities.

Exterior Photography

In the absence of a leafy canopy,  winter offers a unique perspective for photographers, allowing them to showcase architecture and architectural elements that may be obscured during other seasons. The time of year after the leaves have dropped but before snow arrives is sometimes referred to as stick season by photographers. During stick season, tree-lined streets, which often restrict the view of buildings at ground level, are now open and allow a much better view of building architecture.

During summer the first two stories of this building are almost completely obstructed

Likewise, these suburban buildings are substantially hidden during summer

Stick season can be particularly advantageous in urban and suburban areas, where the stark contrast between buildings and the clear winter sky can create a captivating visual narrative. This may be done during the day with a clear blue sky, at night, or at magic hour (just after sunset) as shown below.

Interior Photography

Another way to take advantage of the treeless winter scenery is to concentrate on interior shots. The absence of foliage outside and lower sun angles allow more natural light to permeate indoor spaces, illuminating architectural details and creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. This can be especially effective in highlighting the coziness of cafes, the grandeur of historical buildings, or the sleek design of modern interiors.

Photographers can also play into seasonality by  juxtaposing the cold, wintry exterior against the interior's warmth and vibrancy, which adds depth to visual storytelling. This sense of coziness is particularly effective in residential buildings.

Teaser campaigns

Winter shots can be strategically employed in teaser campaigns, offering a unique opportunity to generate anticipation for spring and summer events or openings. Done correctly, the teaser campaign creates a tension between what is happening now and the promise of completion or a resurgence as spring arrives. Three approaches can work well depending on the objectives and the building architecture.

Contrast and Transition: Create a visual narrative emphasizing the contrast between winter and the promise of spring/summer. Incorporate elements like closed umbrellas, snow-covered outdoor furniture, or frosted windows to symbolize the temporary pause before a spring resurgence.

Gradual Reveal: Release teaser images gradually, building anticipation over time. Begin with winter shots that evoke a sense of calm or stillness and progressively reveal more hints of the impending seasonal transformation. Set up as a progression; this gradual reveal can effectively engage your audience throughout the winter months leading up to spring. You may want to incorporate subtle elements that hint at the upcoming change, such as budding flowers, outdoor seating preparations, or glimpses of vibrant spring colors.

Emotional Connection: Tap into the emotions associated with winter, such as coziness, introspection, or the beauty and stillness of a winter landscape. Then, seamlessly transition these emotions into the excitement and joy of spring and summer. Create a narrative that resonates emotionally with your audience, building anticipation for the upcoming season.

Winter is far from being a dead time for architectural photography. It offers excellent opportunities for exteriors and interiors and to set up teaser campaigns. By strategically using winter shots in urban and suburban photography, photographers and marketers can harness the unique aesthetic qualities of the season to tell compelling stories and build anticipation for what lies ahead.

If you have a project that is underway, have architecture blocked by foliage in the summer, need interior shots, or would like help with a teaser campaign, please let me know, and we will get you on the schedule.