In short
- Natural light from a window, from the side, never the flash.
- From above for pizzas and flat plates, at 45 degrees for burgers, desserts and tall dishes.
- A simple background, the same for every photo: that's what makes a menu look tidy.
- The photo should look like the dish that reaches the table.
Light comes first
Light matters more than the phone. The best is daylight from a window, reaching the plate from the side. If direct sun hits, put a light curtain or a sheet of baking paper over the window.
Turn off the flash and the yellow dining-room lights: they tint the dish and cast hard shadows. If shadows are too dark, put a white card on the side opposite the window.
The right angle for each dish
- From above: pizzas, boards, salads, pasta on flat plates. Everything on top is visible.
- At 45 degrees, as a seated guest sees it: most dishes, pasta in deep plates, mains.
- From the side, at plate height: burgers, sandwiches, layered desserts, cocktails and glasses. It shows the height.
Background and plate
The background should show off the dish, not distract. A wooden table, a linen cloth or a marble top work; a table with crumbs, bottles and phones doesn't.
Use the same background for every photo on the menu. It's the detail that makes a menu tidy and professional even if you took the photos yourself.
- Wipe the rim of the plate before shooting.
- Shoot the dish straight from the kitchen: glossy sauce, stretchy cheese, bright vegetables.
- Remove anything not edible, except a napkin or cutlery if they help show the size.
The phone: settings that matter
- Clean the lens with a cloth: one fingerprint is enough to make the whole photo hazy.
- Don't use digital zoom: move closer with the phone.
- Tap the dish on the screen to focus and lower the brightness a little if the white of the plate burns out.
- Portrait mode blurs the background, but sometimes the plate's edge too: check the photo.
- Edit lightly: a bit of brightness and contrast. Heavy filters and fake colours show.
Beautiful photos, but real ones
A photo is a promise: guests expect the dish to arrive like that. Bigger portions, ingredients that aren't on the plate or images taken from the internet lead to disappointment and bad reviews.
Photograph your own dishes, as you really serve them. If a dish doesn't photograph well, a good description and no photo is better.
With Platevo, even when the photo comes out crooked
In Platevo you upload photos from your phone, dish by dish, from the Free plan. From the Pro plan there's also help from artificial intelligence: choose the angle, background and light once, and photos are redone in the same style, starting from your own dish.
- Dish photos on every plan.
- From the Pro plan, photos redone with AI in the same style, with before and after side by side: the original photo is always kept.
- From the Pro plan, menu banners with your own text too, already in the right format.
Create your menu for free and upload photos from your phone, dish by dish.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a professional photographer?
Not necessarily. With window light, the same background for every photo and a little patience, a recent phone takes more than good enough photos for a menu.
What format should menu photos be?
Square or four by three, with the dish in the centre and some space around it: that way the photo isn't cropped badly on a phone screen.
Do I need a photo of every dish?
No. Start with your best sellers and the dishes you want to promote. A few good photos are worth more than many crooked ones.
Can I use photos from the internet?
Better not: they're usually copyrighted, and guests expect the dish to arrive as pictured. Use photos of your own dishes.
What time of day is best to shoot?
In daytime, when there's plenty of window light but the sun doesn't hit the table directly: often mid-morning or early afternoon, before service.