A menu photograph should help a guest recognise the dish that arrives at the table. An attractive image that hides the portion or shows different ingredients can create the wrong expectation. Start with three representative dishes and a setup your team can repeat before photographing the entire menu.
Build a simple photography spot
Use a clean table near a window, away from direct sunlight. Where possible, switch off nearby lights that cast a different colour over the plate. Choose a quiet background and include only props or accompaniments that make sense for the dish. Clean the phone lens and the rim of the plate before shooting.
Take one test picture and inspect the bright and dark areas. If part of the food disappears into shadow, move the plate or use a piece of white card to reflect some light. The aim is to show the ingredients clearly. You do not need an elaborate scene for every item.
Match the camera angle to the food
- Pizza, salad or a mixed plate: try an overhead view to show the arrangement.
- Burger or layered dessert: a lower angle can show height and layers.
- Drinks: keep the whole glass in the frame and inspect reflections around its rim.
These are starting points rather than fixed rules. Take two angles and choose the one that most accurately represents the serving. Keep lighting and camera distance reasonably consistent across the menu so customers can compare dishes without a distracting change of style.
Leave room around the plate
A photo may appear as a square thumbnail in one place and a wide cover image in another. If the food already touches the edges of the original, cropping can cut off the main subject. Leave some space around the plate and avoid placing essential details at the very top or bottom.
Keep the original file and make edits on a copy. Check the photograph inside the actual mobile menu, not only in your phone’s gallery. For a cover, inspect the positions of the dish title and price as well. A detailed photo may work better on an individual dish than behind a heading.
Edit without changing what you serve
Straighten the image and make modest exposure or colour corrections so it resembles the real food. Avoid adding ingredients, enlarging portions or using filters that significantly change a sauce’s appearance. Your own photograph is useful because it represents your kitchen.
If ingredients vary with availability, explain that in the dish description. Replace a photograph when the presentation changes substantially. Leaving a dish without a photo is preferable to displaying an image that promises something different.
Prepare the file for a customer’s phone
Export a copy in a format accepted by your menu tool, such as JPEG or WebP. Reduce file size gradually while checking sharpness at the actual display size. A small thumbnail and a large cover have different requirements, so there is no single ideal file size for every image. Test the finished menu using a mobile connection with Wi-Fi switched off.
A repeatable checklist
- Prepare the portion exactly as it will be served.
- Photograph two angles in your usual lighting setup.
- Select one image and retain the original.
- Check the crop in both the dish card and any cover placement.
- Compare the photo with the dish name, description and price before publishing.
Start with the dishes that best represent your restaurant. Add other images when you have suitable photographs. To see the result in context, open the menu editor and add an image in a dish’s optional details.