Food photography in Cape Town: what a restaurant shoot covers
- Menu dishes: each plate on its own, framed with room to crop square for an app tile or tall for a printed menu.
- Drinks and cocktails: glassware photographed close, with the colour, foam and garnish sharp.
- The room: table settings, the bar and the dining room before guests arrive.
- The people: chef and front-of-house portraits for your website and press; for whole teams, see corporate headshots Cape Town.
- Launch nights and tastings: photographed as event coverage, described on the event photographer Cape Town page.
Ice and crystal
An oyster sits on a frosty white mound in a matte black bowl, amber pearls and a feathery green sprig catching a single soft light from the side. The cocktail beside it is all colour: a deep red body, a pale foam collar and a dusting of red powder, the cut-crystal tumbler throwing small highlights onto the printed napkin.
Photograph: Lee-Ann Alicks
Icing roses on a silver stand
A two-tier cake in smooth cream icing, dressed with roses in teal, navy and ivory and fine green vines climbing the sides. A plain taupe backdrop and soft, even light keep the stand's silver sheen and every petal edge clear.
Photograph: Lee-Ann AlicksDark plates and low light: how these dishes were photographed
Black bowls and a dark tablecloth set the mood at this restaurant, so the frames stay low-key rather than bright and white. Light reaches the food from one side and the background drops away into shadow, which keeps the texture in the crisp shell, the grains and the foam. Each dish is seen from slightly above the table, close to where a diner sits, so the photo looks like the plate that arrives.
Everything in one bowl
A folded pink slice, a smooth quenelle, a scatter of small golden spheres and one glossy dark leaf share a single black bowl. Shallow focus keeps the leaf sharp while a second bowl behind melts into blur, and the corner of the venue's printed napkin anchors the bottom of the frame.
Photograph: Lee-Ann AlicksMenu photos and the Consumer Protection Act
South Africa's Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 lists it as a false, misleading or deceptive representation to state or imply that goods have ingredients, qualities or benefits they do not have (section 41(3)(b)(i)). The Act sets no rules for photographs as such, but a photo on a menu or a delivery app is part of how a dish is marketed, so the practical advice is to show the dish as the kitchen actually sends it out: the same portion, the same garnish and the same plate. Good light and careful plating make a dish look its best without changing what it is.
Planning a food photoshoot at your restaurant
- Send the shot list. List the dishes and drinks to photograph, and mark which ones are for the menu, the app and social media.
- Pick a quiet time. Book the shoot outside service, when the kitchen can plate one item at a time and the dining room is empty.
- Plate fresh, shoot straight away. Herbs wilt, foam settles and ice melts within minutes, so each plate goes from the pass to the table and is photographed at once.
- Agree the crops. Say whether you need square images for apps and social media, tall ones for menus or wide ones for a website banner.
- Choose and receive. Lee-Ann shares her work through online client galleries; agree the number of edited images and the delivery date in the quote.
Food photography prices in Cape Town
LeeAnn Alicks Photography quotes food photography per booking, so send the list of dishes and drinks with your enquiry. Travel to Stellenbosch, Paarl or Durbanville adds R500. For other sessions, see the full photoshoot prices in Cape Town breakdown.
Food is one part of Lee-Ann's work as a photographer in Cape Town. Read more about Lee-Ann, or look through the weddings, families and events she photographs.
Questions people ask
How much does a food photographer cost in Cape Town?
LeeAnn Alicks Photography quotes each food shoot separately from your list of dishes and drinks. Travel to Stellenbosch, Paarl or Durbanville adds R500.
Do you need a studio for food photography?
No. Lee-Ann has no studio: food is photographed on location at the restaurant or kitchen, which means the photos show the dish your guests receive.
Can you photograph cocktails and other drinks?
Yes. The red cocktail on this page is one example: shot close, so the colour, foam and garnish stay sharp. Add drinks to your shot list.
What is a food photoshoot?
A planned session to photograph dishes and drinks for a menu, a delivery app, a website or social media. The kitchen plates each item and it is photographed straight away, while it is fresh.