Culinary photography, or how photographing food affects a brand's communication strategy

Culinary photography is making a career, and the gastronomic market in Poland is growing steadily. Today its value is estimated at over PLN 36 million. But how do you sell a product whose taste qualities cannot be described? Apparently, a picture can say more than a thousand words. No wonder that what appeals to the customers of HoReCa companies the most is culinary photography - in the area of food marketing. Properly taken photos of food make you want to taste it immediately.

It is said that more than half because as much as 65% of the population are visual learners. It is hardly surprising. Our brain takes only 1/10 of a second to understand the meaning of visual content. It takes 60 seconds to understand a text containing between 200 and 250 words. The rule of engaging the recipient with visual content also works well in the case of new products. After all, it is not without reason that we buy with our eyes. - When planning the premiere of a new product, it is worth taking care of appropriate graphic materials. - suggests Bartosz Zieliński, Managing Director at the PR Commplace agency. - It is a great idea to involve a professional photographer for this purpose, who will bring out the full potential of the product - with its color, texture and almost smelling scent. Culinary photographylike a virtual tasting, it will stimulate the taste buds of customers, even before they actually try the dishes. - adds an expert from Commplace.

Does a culinary photo affect emotions?

Good culinary photography can definitely appeal to our emotions. The image contained in it promises not only a feast for the senses, but also provides information about the quality and lifestyle. Culinary products promoted on social media and other websites are not only about food. They don't just serve to meet one of our basic physiological needs.

Culinary photography is the background for the brand's history. It shows the food so that potential customers understand how it is made, what it looks like in the end and what emotions they can feel while savoring its taste.

Culinary photography - a reusable product?

While this is not the case with food, culinary photography allows for a certain phenomenon. You can eat a cookie and have a cookie at the same time. The culinary photos used during the promotion of a new product can be successfully used later - many times and in many communication channels. Moreover, it is even advisable. Culinary photography allows you to maintain the consistency of the message.

On a company blog, website, published recipes, advertisements and any other sales support materials. People only remember 10% of the information they read. However, when a photo is added, this number increases to 65%. Keep this in mind when publishing your photos - let culinary photography speak for you.

Photographing food as part of food marketing and brand communicationand

Who has not heard the famous saying "do not judge a book by its cover" at least once. Well, the human brain is supposed to ignore the word "no," which is why first impression is most often crucial for us. The same principle applies to packaging. It can be safely said that nowadays every product is first judged just by the packaging.

Considering the multitude of choice customers are currently experiencing, the appearance of packaging and products is growing in importance. Culinary photography is therefore an invaluable support in the fight for the recipient's attention. However, it is one of the final stages in the entire brand communication strategy. At the beginning, a brand logo must be created. You also need to develop a way of presenting and telling the story. Nevertheless, culinary photography, next to naming, logo, branding, packaging designs and POS materials, is an element that certainly cannot be missing in an effective communication strategy brand. 

Culinary shooting and marketing goals

Taking pictures of your food can be useful for a number of reasons. A tasty photo of a dish that is being sold at an exceptionally attractive price can entice customers to enter the restaurant. You can also use the dishes for which the restaurant and its chef are famous for the promotion. It is a good idea to rotate photos on the home page of your website. Photos can feature weekly or monthly promotions to help promote a variety of dishes.

Taking pictures of food is a great way to highlight the chef's work and showcase your culinary artistry. It is also a way to promote dishes that are to be ordered by customers. The aesthetics of the photo is crucial. If you were browsing a restaurant's website and you saw a photo of an average-looking pasta dish, would that make you want to order it? Probably not. Customers will view photos of dishes with the same analytical approach they would have to the food being served on their tables. Therefore, the photo cannot be out of focus, poorly lit, with strange colors. The more that culinary photography can serve as a distinguishing feature between a given place and the competition. Professional photography of the dishes can also help realize the rest of your restaurant marketing ideas.

What is food marketing for?

Even the best product and service need to be authenticated in the form of the so-called social proof of equitywhich allows you to build the trust of your audience. The same goes for culinary photography. Even the most eloquent one will certainly increase the power of its impact if it is a "living" person - a cook, blogger, brand promoter. Why? Not everyone, even loyal ones the customer will be happy to reach for the novelty, just barely on the market. In this case, the inherent fear of change can work. The "old" packaging, taste or texture are already known, tame and liked, and trying "new" forces you to give up your safe habits.

– Culinary photography plus a cook is an excellent recipe for preparing original brand culinary concepts and presenting them, for example, in social media or industry media. It is also another food marketing element. - notes Bartosz Zieliński from the Commplace agency. - Top-shelf companies, such as Dwór Korona Karkonoszy, also have their own culinary centers, with their own team of chefs, technological facilities, and even gardens where herbs are grown and used to prepare dishes. Their appetizing shots are taken care of by a culinary stylist, thanks to whom culinary photography is able to "capture" the taste of a dish, its smell and texture. - adds the expert.

Taking into account that - as the research shows - Poles approach novelties with great distance, are attached to well-known brands, culinary photography needs additional support. A cook, culinary blogger or other expert participating in the culinary campaign will help overcome customer fears of trying new products.

Invitation to the star

Due to the low trust of consumers in new products, brands invite famous people to their advertisements. It does not necessarily have to be a star that appears on TV every day. A person who has a certain reputation among the public will also do well.

It is especially worth paying attention to those who are considered to be specialists in the industry. If a brand wants to promote excellent products, it will invite a famous chef. It is he who will make the products sell better. Recipients will gain confidence in the brand used by a person known for cooking.

The situation is similar with the restaurant. If you want to promote your place, it is worth investing in culinary photography with a famous person in the background. It may be someone who willingly shows up in similar places.

If he additionally gives reviews to restaurants, this can be considered a perfect setting for taking photos. In this way, customers will gain confidence in the new place. If it is used by someone who is generally known and respected, it is certainly of excellent quality.

Culinary photography - how to do it right?

Almost everyone who runs a restaurant or other gastronomic point knows that culinary photography is very important. It is also an important element of enterprises that sell culinary products. However, how to conduct the session so that it turns out the way customers expect it?

The photos taken should be of the highest quality. Especially when we are talking about well-known and popular brands that offer customers good quality products.

However, man does not live by food alone. As in life, the photos should also include other elements in addition to the dishes. Those that will fulfill strictly defined functions. This way, you can get the perfect culinary photography.

A message focused on feelings

There are emotions behind almost every purchase. It doesn't matter if we're talking about a new pair of shoes, eating in a restaurant or an apartment. In marketing, feelings play a key role. By influencing them, you can predict the reactions of potential recipients and customers. That is why products that evoke specific emotions in recipients are so eagerly bought. Culinary photography should be based on them. Show followers that a particular dish causes happiness, joy, or surprise.

Eating, and especially eating with the family, is associated with happiness. Regardless of the relationship, the vast majority of those in the family home cause a feeling of joy. Especially in the case of people who had a happy childhood. Therefore, it is worth using photos of meals in the company of a happy family. Then there is a good chance that people in a similar situation will willingly reach for it.

And what does it look like with fast food? Sitting down together at the family table is associated rather with long meals. These are usually home-made products that taste special, among others, thanks to the love put into their preparation. In the case of fast food, we rather talk about fast food.

However, here, too, you can show customers what feelings will accompany the meal. Who does not remember the joy of having a dinner together outside the home? Similar joy can arise when eating in a fast food restaurant.

Showing your audience your feelings about meals is extremely important. It is this element of culinary photography that can directly affect the growing sales of a particular brand's products. It is also worth checking the symbolism of colors. Those that are associated with happiness, peace and joy are especially recommended here, and even advisable.

Through the eyes to… wallet

There is a saying that people eat with their eyes. Just like judging a book by its cover. Customers are more likely to reach for those dishes that look nice. Even if another one is tastier, but has a less attractive design. There is a much higher probability that the customer will reach for a dish that looks simply appetizing.

It is worth using this in culinary photography. Photos should be of the highest possible quality. Each photographer pays special attention to his work. However, the appearance of the dishes plays a key role here.

They should be varied, colorful and juicy. It is worth refining every detail to such an extent that the photo almost screams at the audience. In this way, customers are encouraged to taste a delicious meal.

If a dish looks beautiful, it must taste good as well. Similar beliefs prevail among many people who are encouraged to try dishes thanks to culinary photography.

To sum up. Culinary photography must be colorful, beautiful and even perfect. Such dishes are most often chosen by customers and are the most popular. If the client has a choice of two meals, he will choose the one that looks more inviting

Some people still believe that great quality will defend itself. This is absolutely correct. However, there is a problem here. In order for the customer to find out that a particular dish is exceptionally tasty, it must first taste it. Then he must have a chance. When does it get it?

When he reaches for them, encouraged by marketing and high-quality culinary photography. If he sees the product, he will reach for it. In a situation where the dish is not presented in an attractive way, it may be difficult to sell it. That's why so many companies pay close attention to the role images play in selling.

Attracting the eyes of passers-by

When using culinary photography, there is certainly a much greater chance of attracting the eyes of passers-by. If their eyes stop at an attractive meal served in an interesting way, they will surely remember the brand.

Such treatments are used by restaurants on the main pedestrian streets in large cities. It is also a trick that works well in tourist destinations. The more places on one street, the harder it is to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, it is necessary to use attractive photos that catch the eye.

It can be concluded with certainty that companies that use culinary photography in their marketing gain many more customers. Thus, they have much higher profits than their competitors.

This is how marketing works. Its purpose is to enable customers to check the quality of a given dish. Once they check it and are sure, it will defend itself without any problems. Food photography marketing helps you reach new people.

Is culinary photography worth entrusting to professionals?

It happens that people working in a specific industry want to deal with many elements of the company on their own. This is especially true among brands that are just entering the market. Here, special savings are directed towards marketing.

Then, photos of the dishes or products are taken by the owners or employees. You may find that they are not of sufficient quality to entice your audience to buy or use the service. Why?

Culinary photography must be of an extremely high standard. It is imperative that the people taking care of it are able to reflect the taste of the dishes in the photos. It is not an easy task. That is why it is worth employing professionals who will take care of taking high-quality photos.

It is necessary to mention that there must be no permanent cooperation here. In fact, it is worth solving similar issues in a different way. Often, one shooting day is enough to fill a page with photos.

If these are to be used on social media, it is also worth preparing a lot in advance. In this way, you can establish cooperation with an agency that will prepare photos and properly conduct communication with customers. The next culinary photography may not be needed until a few weeks.

However, it is worth using the services of professionals, because this way you can build high awareness of your brand.