Strobology

See that photo of death on a plate? That’s how NOT to do it. Not my photo. My photos are below…. You’ve heard it a million times: ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’ Think about this…….. It’s no different with pictures of FOOD.

And what if – just maybe – some of your photos elicit 4-letter-words….yikes! If I had a buck for all the bad restaurant photos out there…well… nevermind. Having an image repository with several professional photos of your best dishes is a VERY useful tool. In fact, I consider it a MUST HAVE because good photos could save thousands on graphic design and marketing, by making it easier for designers to create beautiful pieces. And these “photo-rich” designs will make you more money. A mouth-watering picture sells a thousand dishes!!!

The biggest and most depressing mistake I see being made by the average independently owned restaurant is REALLY BAD PHOTOS or none at all. Read my blog on The “12 Ingredients that Make Restaurant Websites Sizzle” One of my “Key Ingredients” is photos. So, schedule a photo shoot! I started taking food photos back at the very beginning of Spillover (circa 2001).

It started out of necessity because, like I said earlier, most owners way underestimate the value of good photos and the DAMAGE that is caused by REALLY BAD PICTURES OF GOOD FOOD. Since the early days, I’ve studied photography, invested in some great equipment, and I have taken photos for LOTS of restaurants and bars most of which have landed on web site that we’ve done you’ll see some of my photography at the following sites:

• http://www.keybaraustin.com
• http://www.Trulucks.com
• http://www.DocsAustin.com
• http://www.CedarDoorAustin.com
• http://www.IguanaGrillAustin.com [off the top of my head that’s all I can think of ]

Like EVERYTHING ELSE…you get what you pay for…Your customers want quality when they dine out. Freshen up those photos and super-charge your marketing. I have always loved shooting food. It’s such an art-form in and of itself.

I had a fun shoot yesterday for The Carl Miner Idea Group. They hired me for a packaging shoot for new food product that is hitting the market soon. It was good fun. Working with the food-stylist I feel we were able to make a pretty hard-to-make-yummy product look pretty good. Sometimes it’s hard to do.

Visit these links and checkout some of my food photos on flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keitheddleman/sets/72157600005603212/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/keitheddleman/sets/72157603828737125/
If you have specific questions please leave a comment.  I will respond quickly.