062: Dish Decisions: Capturing Restaurant Menus

Capturing Restaurant Menus: How to Help Restaurants Choose the Right Dishes for a Photoshoot

“We just need capturing restaurant menus.” (But Do They Really?)

You’ve been there.

A restaurant reaches out, eager to book a shoot. They want professional photos, but when you ask what they’d like photographed, the response is… vague.

“Just whatever looks best.”

Or worse…

“We want pictures of everything.”

But here’s the deal: Not all dishes deserve the spotlight.

If you’re a commercial food photographer, your job isn’t just capturing restaurant menus—it’s to take profitable ones. That’s the difference between being a hired camera operator and becoming a trusted restaurant marketing partner.

This is where profit-driven photography changes the game.

Instead of letting restaurants make random (or worse—bad) choices, you can guide them toward dishes that will actually drive sales. And in today’s episode of The Savory Shot, Nancy Ingersoll is showing us exactly how to do it.

How to Make Your Food Photography More Valuable

If you want to stand out in the world of food photography, the secret isn’t just improving your lighting or styling when capturing restaurant menus. It’s about thinking like a marketer.

Here’s what that means:

Photograph dishes that have the highest profit margins
Prioritize best sellers to drive customer engagement
Highlight new or seasonal items to generate buzz

When you shift from taking orders to giving strategic guidance, you become more than a photographer—you become an indispensable asset to their business.

And that’s what gets you repeat clients, bigger projects, and long-term restaurant partnerships.

What’s Inside: Key Takeaways

The #1 Mistake: Letting Restaurants Pick the Wrong Dishes

Nancy has seen this mistake over and over again.

Restaurants book a shoot and say, “Let’s just do the prettiest dishes.”

Basically, here’s why that’s a problem:

The prettiest dish isn’t always the most profitable
Additionally, the most popular dish might not even be on their website
Lastly, seasonal specials that bring in repeat customers are missing from their social media

In conclusion, by letting restaurants make random dish selections, they’re missing out on photos that actually drive revenue.

That’s where YOU, as the photographer, can step in and help them make smarter decisions.

How to Guide Restaurants to Pick the Right Dishes

So, how do you shift from just taking photos to helping restaurants make profitable choices?

Here’s Nancy’s approach:

1️⃣ Start with the Money Makers

Before the shoot, ask the restaurant:

Which dishes bring in the highest profit?
Which dishes do you want to sell more of?

Restaurants often don’t think about food photos as sales tools, so this question can completely shift their perspective.

2️⃣ Prioritize Best Sellers

Even if a dish isn’t the most photogenic, if it’s a fan favorite, it needs a great image.

Why? Because customers look for what they already know and love. Seeing their favorite dish in a high-quality photo makes them crave it even more.

3️⃣ Highlight New & Seasonal Items

If a restaurant is launching a new dish, they need a high-quality image to introduce it to customers.

And when a seasonal special is about to roll out? That’s your chance to land another shoot! Restaurants that invest in fresh, seasonal photography book photographers more consistently throughout the year.

4️⃣ Think Like a Marketer, Not Just a Photographer

Nancy recommends helping restaurants use their photos strategically beyond just Instagram:
– Add them to their website and online menu
– Use them on Google My Business to attract search traffic
– Optimize their Yelp profile with eye-catching images

When you educate your clients on how to maximize their photos, they see you as more than just a photographer—they see you as a valuable partner.

The Secret Weapon: The Dish Selection Checklist

Helping clients choose the right dishes doesn’t have to feel like guesswork.

Nancy created a Dish Selection Checklist that makes it easy for photographers to guide their clients. It helps restaurants:
– Audit their current images
– Identify gaps in their photo coverage
– Make smart, strategic choices for their shoot

And yes, Nancy is giving it away for free! 🎉

Grab your copy here

download dish selection here

Why This Makes You a Better Food Photographer

Here’s the bottom line, photographers who:
– Help their clients make strategic decisions get hired more often.
– Think like marketers command higher rates.
– Prioritize profitability become long-term partners, not one-time hires.

This is how you stand out in a competitive industry and build a food photography business that thrives.

Elevate Your Value as a Food Photographer

When you go beyond just taking photos and strategically help restaurants capture their menus, you set yourself apart as more than just a photographer—you become an essential part of their marketing success. By guiding restaurant owners to choose dishes that drive revenue, you not only create impactful images but also build long-term, high-value client relationships.

Next time you book a restaurant shoot, use this checklist to elevate your process, add more value, and position yourself as a true expert. Because when your clients win, so do you.

What resonated most with you about Kris’s story? Share your thoughts!

About Nancy

Nancy Ingersoll is a San Diego-based Commercial Food Photographer and Lifestyle Product Photographer who helps foodcentric businesses with custom visuals to increase brand awareness and social media support to drive business.

She helps with more than just food photography. She is also a marketing strategist and brand builder, a prop curator and visual storyteller, a recipe developer and blog contributor, a photo stylist and image composer, a content creator and social media manager, a graphic designer and so much more. Focusing on food and product photography since 2018, Nancy ‘s client roster includes both restaurants and CPG food brands. She has worked with over 200 brands, including large publicly traded companies, but she loves to support small brands and see them grow.

She is here today to talk about how she helps restaurants decide which dishes to photograph when they are not doing a full menu shoot.

Episode Breakdown: Capturing Restaurant Menus

The evolution of food photography and its impact on restaurant branding strategies.
How graphic design principles enhance composition and storytelling in food imagery.
The importance of researching a restaurant’s online presence before planning a shoot.
A strategic approach to selecting dishes for photography using a structured framework.
Why variety in dish selection creates a more compelling and marketable restaurant portfolio.
The benefits of shooting in RAW and using Lightroom Classic for efficient editing.
How different lighting techniques influence the visual appeal of restaurant photography.
The growing presence of AI in food photography and its ethical implications.
Essential steps for new food photographers, including specialization and contract use.
The role of food photography in cultural storytelling and enhancing dining experiences.

Action Checklist

Research a restaurant’s menu, website, and social media.
Identify the top 3-5 highest profit-margin dishes.
Lookup their best sellers and most-ordered dishes.
Ensure dish selections include variety in color, texture, and category (appetizer, entrée, dessert).
Plan and execute a test shoot with this restaurant’s selected menu.
Share on Instagram to see what kind of engagement it receives.