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SCHEDULING
DELIVERY
NAMING
PHOTOSHOOT OVERVIEW
EQUIPMENT
LIGHTING AND BACKGROUND
Single dish
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Tips
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Food Photography Guidelines

V 1.3 - 2024.02.09

OCUS LOGO

Caviar delivers the best restaurants. They partner directly with restaurants to use technology to bring food to customers (or customer to food) across the country — whether dining for one or 100. Caviar is Michelin’s official delivery partner — and they team up with Zagat and the Infatuation, too — to bring high-quality food collections to their diners.

SCHEDULING


How to schedule a photoshoot


If you are scheduling for the first time and are not sure of the correct process, please follow the instructions here to ensure that you follow the correct protocol with the business owner.


By accepting this assignment, you will be representing OCUS in the eyes of our client. We count on you to demonstrate a high level of professionalism in your coming interactions. If a photoshoot already has an appointment scheduled, please respect this appointment and only assign yourself to the photoshoot if you are available at this time. When calling for the appointment confirmation, please ask the restaurant manager what colour of table or tablecloth that be used and suggest preparing to contrast coloured items, such as plates, napkins, and wooden boards to use in the frame.


Assignments are not all the same. Please check on OCUS platform the number of images you need to take and confirm to the business the number of dishes they have to prepare.


DELIVERY


When and how to upload my images

Your priority is to take excellent photos. To ensure consistency across our entire community, OCUS is handling the post-production internally. Please respect the following requirements to make sure that we can deliver the best results to our client.


  • Don’t edit any of your photos (no crop, no edit).

  • Don’t remove the metadata from the files.

  • Select your best shots and don't send more files than required.

  • Follow the naming convention below (take some notes during the photoshoot to keep all the needed information).


If something does not allow you to strictly follow these guidelines during the photoshoot, you must let us know with a comment on your dashboard after your upload.

NAMING

To facilitate an accurate file naming, you should look for the link to the business menu visible on Caviar app that we have in the assignment page. You should open this link during the photoshoot to validate the dish names with the on-site contact (the menu in the Caviar app is not the same as the menu available in the business). The names of the items you photograph must be the exact same ones that will be available in the Caviar app, otherwise your assignment won't be validated.


Kindly rename your files following this structure:


  • For single menu items: Dish_Name.jpg

  • For Hero shots: Header.jpg


Examples:


  • Cheeseburger_with_fries.jpg

  • Header.jpg


Please make sure you upload your files to the correct category, and then confirm when you've finish the uploading process by clicking on send all media to send the files to OCUS.


⚠️ Send your pictures before midnight on the day of the photoshoot

⚠️ Keep your RAW files until your assignment is validated







PHOTOSHOOT OVERVIEW

Your goal is to take enticing photos that make people eager to order food from the Caviar platform.


⚠️ Remember to always shoot your photos in RAW format, but only upload JPG files to the OCUS platform

If you need to ask us any question, you can use the link at the bottom of this page to visit our Help Center, and we'll be happy to help you.

EQUIPMENT

Camera.png

Full frame or APS-C

General settings:


  • ISO 100 - 400 max

  • WB: Manual, try to get natural tones

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35-90mm (full frame)

General settings:


Aperture: f/8 - f/11


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Accessories

Mandatory accessories:


  • Tripod

  • Reflector

  • Grey card


LIGHTING AND BACKGROUND

  • Natural (indirect) light to reflect the ambiance of the restaurant lighting from one direction to create depth of field

  • Try to have your light come from the sides of the table, not behind it, in front of it, or above it

  • The photos should have soft shadows and contrast to create great depth

  • Please avoid any distracting reflections on your table

  • Don’t overlight — avoid blown-out counters

  • Preferably wood, stone or a natural textured tablecloth avoiding to shoot on plain white or black tablecloths

  • Keep the same background across all photos

  • Place a few items around the dish, like napkins, cutlery, side dishes, glasses or wine bottles, to set the scene

  • Use surfaces that are neutral and showcase the unique qualities of each restaurant


Single dish

Single dish pictures are composed of a single main dish in the center of the frame with some props and other dishes around shot at 45° or 0°. The picture has to show the entire main dish and the frame can not cut the plate.


It can be a main dish or a drink or both (if they are sold together), sometimes they can include side dishes or a bigger portion for more than one person, please remember to always put the main element in the center of the frame.


  • 45° for Pizza, Tacos, Sushi Set, Soups, Curries, Pasta, Salads, Mixed Platesor

  • 0° for Dessert, Burgers, Sandwich, Wraps Burritos, Drinks in transparent cups


Quantity

Refer to your OCUS Dashboard for the quantity. Only upload 1 image per dish.


Do

  • The dish/main element should be entirely sharp and in focus

  • Place the main dish in the center of the frame, it has to be entirely visible after OCUS applies the 16:9 crop ratio for single dishes

  • Fill only around 50 % of the frame with the main dish

  • Include cutlery, chopsticks and props provided by the business manager

  • Always use your camera in a horizontal format, even with objects like bottles

  • The dish is aesthetically pleasing and plated to showcase the main ingredients

  • The food is plated in an appropriately sized dish for the smaller portion 

  • The shot includes all garnishes and accompaniments

  • Confirm that any sauces, fresh herbs, etc, that come with the dish are included



Don't

  • Avoid any out-of-focus areas on the dish/main element, especially when shooting with a macro lens

  • Don’t crop too tightly. The full item should be in the frame

  • Don't shoot food directly on the table. In case you have no plate, you can use a board or a paper napkin

  • Don't let too much empty space around the dishes

Camera settings

  • Shutter Speed: Depending of on-site conditions

  • Camera Mode: Manual mode

  • 35-90mm (full frame)

  • Aperture > f/8 - f/11

  • ISO 400 max (avoid noise)

  • WB: Manual, try to get natural tones

  • Mandatory use of tripod, reflector and grey card

  • Photo orientation:


Ratio to anticipate (16:9):










Good examples


Header Image