What does it take to turn a small restaurant into a professional food photography studio?
1. Every Great Food Photo Starts With a Story
Recently, I had the opportunity to photograph some delicious dishes for Baked Sweden, a cozy restaurant located in the heart of Gamla Stan, Stockholm.
My goal wasn’t just to take beautiful food photos. I wanted to create images that capture the restaurant’s personality, highlight the delicious details, and make customers hungry before they even walk through the door.
But there was one interesting challenge: the restaurant had only three tables and very limited space!
2. Understanding the Restaurant’s Vision
Before starting the shoot, I spoke with the restaurant owner to understand their vision, target audience, and what makes their food special.
As a professional food photographer, I believe photography isn’t just about lighting and camera settings. It’s about understanding the business behind the food.
Every restaurant has its own story, and my job is to bring that story to life through images.
3. Turning a Small Space Into a Photography Studio
The biggest challenge was finding a clean background inside such a small restaurant.
Luckily, Baked Sweden has a large glass window overlooking the beautiful streets of Gamla Stan.
I decided to use the glass window as my backdrop, carefully positioning the dishes and lighting to create a clean composition that would be easier to refine during editing.
Sometimes, creativity matters more than having a big studio!
4. My Camera, Lens & Lighting Setup
For this restaurant food photography project, I used:
- Camera: Sony A7C
- Lens: Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8
- Lighting: GVM external studio light
The versatile Tamron lens allowed me to capture both beautiful compositions and close-up details without constantly changing equipment.
I used directional lighting to highlight the crispy potato skins, creamy toppings, colorful garnishes, and delicious textures.
My photography tip: Good food photography isn’t always about using more light. It’s about controlling where the light falls and how shadows create depth.
5. Bringing the Food to Life Through Editing
After the shoot came one of my favorite parts: post-production.
I focused on creating warm, natural colors, enhancing food textures, cleaning distracting backgrounds, and maintaining a consistent visual style.
The result? Clean, vibrant, professional food photographs designed for restaurant menus, websites, social media, and marketing campaigns.
The goal was simple: make the food look as irresistible in photographs as it does in real life.
6. Great Food Deserves Great Photography
This experience reminded me that you don’t need a huge studio to create beautiful commercial food photography.
With thoughtful planning, the right equipment, creative lighting, and an understanding of the restaurant’s brand, even the smallest space can produce amazing results.
A huge thank you to Baked Sweden in Gamla Stan, Stockholm, for the opportunity to capture their delicious creations!
Looking for a Professional Food Photographer?
I’m a Stockholm-based food and commercial photographer, available for photography projects throughout Sweden and across Europe.
Whether you own a restaurant, café, bakery, hotel, or food brand, I can help you create professional images for your menus, website, advertising, and social media.
Let’s make your food stand out!
📩 Get in touch to discuss your next food photography project.
