OBJECTIVE: To create images for website, images for Facebook ads, establish brand visuals.
BRAND NOTES: Toasted Walnut is a very busy lunch sport in downtown Bowmanville. The owner Nicole, is very busy, and has been hesitant to invest too much in marketing, but it was clear that a photoshoot of her food and her shop would best communicate her brand. The images could be used on her website, menus, facebook ads etc.
TIPS TO TAKE HOME:
- GET PROFESSIONAL PICS OF YOUR FOOD: It’s very challenging to dominate social media without beautiful pictures. Businesses in the food industry have such an advantage as people LOVE pictures of food. If your business is a bakery, restaurant, or sandwich shop, you are missing out BIG TIME if you don’t have professional images of your product. Nothing will sell your dishes better, or prop up your marketing more powerfully. At Brand Ambition, we recommend a photoshoot almost before we recommend other visual branding or targeted ads.
- MAKE SURE YOUR SHOOT REFLECTS YOUR BRAND: Lots of people take their photoshoots “off-site”. But if your space is important to your business, or has been styled to match your brand, having a photoshoot in your own business is often a better option. In this case with The Toasted Walnut, we also made sure to use very “country” and “home cooking” props and foods to reflect the tone of the restaurant. Wooden rolling pins, and flour coated table tops were a must to communicate that food was baked from scratch. Light and airy filters were used to reflect the sunshine filled, clean space. Taking this shoot into a commercia kitchen, or to black granite countertops would have been a mistake. Make sure before your own photoshoot, that you are CLEAR on the emotions you want your brand to evoke, and keep that in mind when you select a location and mood board for your shoot.
- PLAN AHEAD FOR PRODUCTS & PROPS: Photoshoots are so much fun, but they are also WORK. The Toasted Walnut had to make sure that all the food was prepped in advance. There was a food expense to be considered as a lot of the food was touched and arranged and no longer suitable for sale. Good planning ahead of time made sure that they knew to have whipped creams and jams ready and available. You will also want to communicate with your photographer or stylist to make sure that serving platters and dishes used in the shoot, match, and reflect the look you’re going for. Be sure you know who is responsible for providing these. Finally, make sure that you have a list of the shots you know you need. In this case, Nicole knew what items she wanted featured in the menu, and we knew ahead of time which items needed to have specific images taken. Below you will see a flat lay of a tea set that we knew would be needed to promote their high tea service. Always plan these things ahead.
- WORK WITH A FOOD STYLIST WHEN POSSIBLE: Working with a food stylist is TOTALLY WORTH IT. It’s a special skill set to understand how to layout food and arrange it so it looks appetizing. Lighting and colour can make a big difference on food too, as too many shadows, yellows and browns can sometimes make food look like greasy leftovers rather than hot comfort food. Food stylists have the experience to get creative with layouts and the presentation. If you can’t find a professional food stylist in your area, look on Instagram for a local bakery or restaurant who has a killer Instagram account and consider asking them for help. Remember: Lighting is everything! If you don’t have professional equipment, consider a big window with indirect sunlight.
Samples Images From The Toasted Walnut Photoshoot
