Does Your Brand Really Need Professional Photography?

Most food brands don’t have a photography problem. They have a strategy problem. They get images, but not quite the right images, in the right formats, for the right uses. Here’s how to make sure you get what you need.

Awhile back, I joined branding experts Peter Ricciardi and Jeff Litcofsky of Brandartica for an episode of their Where Dogs of Society Howl LinkedIn Live to talk through what brands really need from professional photography.

Peter and Jeff work with craft breweries, artisanal coffee roasters, banks, high-end audio equipment companies, and other businesses to sharpen their message, including their visuals. One of the first questions they ask a new client: “What kind of images do you have?”

“Oh, thousands!” many claim.

“This is kind of when your stomach flips over,” Peter admitted, because that usually translates to lots of smartphone pictures.

Although a skilled photographer certainly can get terrific images with a smartphone. A time-pressed business owner juggling production, sales, and marketing rarely does. So Peter and Jeff often find themselves sifting through myriad images of questionable quality and usability.

It can take some coaching for a client to appreciate what professional photography delivers – everything from pre-production planning to the photo shoot itself to post-production retouching – and how that investment turns a product from “nice to have” into “must have.”

“What’s the aha! moment for people?” I asked.

Typically, Jeff explained, it’s seeing their existing images in context: a slightly out-of-focus smartphone picture that’s the wrong orientation for a homepage hero image, for example. For food brands, the moment often hits when they see their product next to a competitor’s: same category, same price point, but the other brand’s image makes the food look delectable vs. serviceable.

No question, professional photography is a big investment, especially for new or small brands with tight budgets. So if you’re weighing whether to commission a professional photographer or make do with what you have, here are a few things to consider.

What Does Your Food Photographer Need to Know?

Define What You Need

Sometimes there’s an obvious immediate need: images for a new product launch, better-quality shots of your existing line, a seasonal campaign, or headshots for the team page.

More often, brands, especially new or smaller ones, know they need something when they contact a photographer but haven’t mapped what. A few things to pin down before you book:

• Where will the images be used – website, email, social, product packaging, ads, sell sheets, pitch decks? Which are priorities? Which are nice-to-haves? This affects aspect ratio, orientation, and other factors.
• Do you need stills only, or video too?
• Are you trying to match your existing visual style, or is this a refresh?

Not sure how to brief a project? Download my free Recipe Brief → It walks you through exactly what to specify so you don’t waste time or budget.

Think Beyond the Immediate Shoot

One question attendees raised: How often should brands refresh their images, particularly on their site?

At minimum, updated packaging calls for fresh images. As a recipe developer and food photographer, I routinely advise clients to shoot both with and without packaging. That way, if the label changes, the recipe can continue living on your site without looking dated. It’s a small decision that saves a reshoot later or having to kill content.

Jeff suggests updating a site’s hero image at least seasonally, monthly if you’re running a dedicated e-commerce site. “If you have people coming back, you want them to see something new,” he explained.

You don’t have to do everything at once. Map out your full scope, then prioritize.

Match the Photographer to the Job

Most photographers specialize. Product photography, real estate, food, cocktails, events – these are specific skill sets with distinct aesthetics. Review portfolios closely and look for a track record with similar subject matter in a style that aligns with your brand.

Peter and Jeff shared one example: a client selling high-end automotive audio equipment whose existing visuals were a mismatch for their luxury product and audiophile customer. The solution was a top-notch product and automotive photographer whose images made subwoofers look downright glamorous.

“He exceeded all expectations,” said Peter. The client did a full rights buyout (a significant expense) so they could use the images everywhere, long-term. Worth it.

See what food brand photography looks like in practice →

When Stock Photography Makes Sense

Stock photography can help fill gaps on a tight budget. But you want to be smart about it:

• Choose images that mesh with your brand’s visual style. That means looking beyond the big players, such as Getty, Shutterstock, or iStock. Smaller agencies like Death to Stock and Picjumbo tend to have less-used, more distinctive options.
• Skip the top results. “It’s the opposite of Google,” Jeff noted. The most-surfaced images have been used everywhere. Dig deeper for something that doesn’t feel recycled.
• Use stock strategically. It can help establish a mood or fill out a content calendar. But stock will never show your actual product, which means it has limits. At some point, you need the real thing.

On AI-Generated Imagery: Proceed with Caution

Some cash-strapped marketers see AI as a quick, cheap path to visuals. The reality, especially for food, is more complicated.

AI food imagery’s issues range from more obvious problems, like textures that are wrong or ingredients look weird, the end result is too perfect. Home cooks may not be able to name what’s wrong, but they feel it. And younger consumers are especially good at spotting AI-generated content, which erodes the trust you’re trying to build.

Look at Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas ads — widely criticized as “uninspired,” “soulless,” and worse. A Getty Images survey found that 98% of consumers say authentic images and videos are pivotal to establishing trust.