Catering and menu food photography for Penny Lane: 100+ dishes in one day, while the café stayed open

In February 2020 I spent a full day photographing the menu at Penny Lane, a café and bar group with several locations around Sydney. They were expanding their catering business and wanted real photos of their own food, not stock images, for their website, social media, catering online store and brochures for local businesses.

The brief: every dish, five ways

The brief covered more than 100 menu items. For each one they wanted:

One shoot, two jobs

The photos had more than one purpose. On Penny Lane’s catering website, they show each menu item, so customers can see exactly what they’re ordering. On social media, they help bring everyday customers into the cafés.

Penny Lane’s catering website, using the dish photos from the shoot to show each item on the menu.

Photographing a menu while the café stayed open

We shot on the premises while Penny Lane kept trading, so normal service carried on around us. We set up a separate area in the café where each dish could come out of the kitchen and be photographed straight away.

Their kitchen plated every dish. I styled each one for the camera, using Penny Lane’s own plates and props, and whatever else I could find on the day, to add interest. That way the same photo could work on a menu, a website or a social media post.

Working with changing light

I used mainly natural light, with a little flash where an area needed it. The challenge was that the light changed through the day, so I adjusted the set-up as the day went on.

Some spots didn’t have enough room to show a dish properly, so we worked around that on the day. We also set up their function room to show a full spread of menu items together, a shot we decided on once we saw the space.

A few photos that weren’t on the brief

In the spare minutes between dishes I took a few lifestyle photos, which weren’t part of the brief. They gave Penny Lane extra photos to use beyond the menu itself.

Delivery

Because the menu was so broad, I delivered around 200 photos. Preview photos went to Penny Lane within a few days, so they could start updating their website straight away.

What Penny Lane said

“Wonderful, timely photos and great personal service. So pleased to have worked with Paul.” Janet Botros, Director, Penny Lane Cafe & Bar

Food and catering photography in Sydney

If your café, restaurant or catering business needs photos of its menu, I can photograph it on your premises, around your normal service. Business photography starts at $495 for up to an hour, with up to 10 finished photos and a commercial licence included. See business photography in Sydney for what’s included.