RESTAURANT ONWER: I’d like to invest in a good professional camera so we can take our food images in house without hiring a photographer. Can you help me find a good camera for my budget?
ME: Absolutely, I’d be happy to point you in the right direction, but do you have a food photographer in your staff who will know how to take the images?
RESTAURANT OWNER: Not really, I just thought I would buy the camera and then ask one of our staff members to take the photos.
ME: I understand your reluctance to invest money in hiring a professional food photographer, it’s your business, not mine. However, it's important to note that simply buying a professional camera, no matter how advanced or expensive, will not guarantee great images. Therefore, I advise you to consider carefully before investing your money in something that may not solve your underlying issue.
RESTAURANT OWNER: What do you mean?
ME: What I mean is that, if the person using the professional camera doesn’t know at least the fundamentals of lighting for food photography, the results will be no different than if you shot the images on your smartphone.
RESTAURANT OWNER: Really???
ME: Unfortunately, yes! Let me ask you this. I’m sure you want your restaurant to serve amazing food. Is it then enough for you to equip it with the most amazing kitchen and tools and then hire any person to do the cooking? Will the food be great just because the kitchen and the tools are great? 😀
The image below was shot on a very expensive professional camera system.
Does it look good? NO!
Shot on a Sony professional system
This is to prove to you that, if your lighting is poor, so will your images be. It doesn’t matter what camera you are using.
ON THE OTHER HAND…
If your lighting is beautiful, such as in the images below, even a smartphone will create pretty amazing results, very often (not always) indistinguishable from what a professional camera system can create.
Sony professional system
Sony professional system
Sony professional system
Sony professional system
iPhone 13
iPhone 13
iPhone 13
iPhone 13
And if you think the light I used in the images above is complicated, you’re mistaken. It’s the easiest light you can create, all you need is a window, nothing else!
SAVE MONEY
So save the money you were going to spend on a camera system and instead use your smartphone to learn the fundamentals of food photography, starting with the most important one: lighting!
If you need help with food photography or have questions about my services, you can easily reach me through the link below.
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