Article:		Tasteful Food Photography
Subject:		Photographing restaurant food.
Date:		2005-12-20 09:02:28
From:		indepth
In there anything illegal about taking a camera into a restaurant, ordering food, taking a few pictures of the food, and then using a picture you took in an advertising piece?

Showing messages 1 through 1 of 1.

• Photographing restaurant food.
  2005-12-20 15:43:13  enomis [Reply | View]
  
  
  I've done a fair amount of food shoots in restaurants for editorial purposes, so as far the legality of what you're suggesting goes - I'm honestly not sure. All those images I shot on assignment automatically became stock for me. I never had to ask a chef or a restaurant owner for a release, but then I had already established a good relationship with them prior to the shoot. If they'd ever object to my usage of an image shot on their premises, they know how to reach me and complain.
  
  Most likely the restaurant would also be considered private property, so in the very least you would risk getting kicked out if the staff or owner disagree with you taking pictures - or worse, they might sue you later on down the road if those shots show up in ads.
  
  Chefs of high-end restaurants (and let's face it, their food is the *only* thing really worth shooting) are usually pretty protective of their creations too, so I can't imagine them being pleased with finding a shot of their dish in an ad somewhere.
  
  Plus, there are two factors that would make such an impromptu food shot difficult, if not impossible:
  
  1. To get a publishable image, you will need to use a professional-grade camera on a tripod. The setup and styling for an image is also usually pretty time-consuming. For you to drag your gear into a restaurant would be very distracting to other patrons, as well as the staff - not to mention rude.
  
  2. Common sense tells me that what you're suggesting is a pretty crude way to go about obtaining food imagery. It's one thing to snap a picture with a point-and-shoot and post it on your blog for the fun of it. It's a completely different thing to actually go into restaurants, take pictures of their food on the sly, and then go out and sell those shots for advertising.
  
  Most likely, your casual shots will be sub-standard in technique, styling, and lighting to what's already out there anyway, so what's the point of going through all the trouble?
  
  My sense is you're setting yourself up for a wholly unpleasant experience if you're going about things as you described - so how about this instead: Why not approach your favorite restaurant and ask if you can take pictures of their food? Tell them you'd do it for free (especially if you're a student and eager to learn the craft) - and if they like the images, they can license them later for their own advertising purposes. They might be first flattered, then delighted to get some great ad images, and you might even gain a steady client.
  
  Bottom line - great food photography usually demands a close working relationship with the chef/owner, a fair amount of time in pre-planning, and a well-lit space you can haul your gear into and move around in undisturbed. Why not work with the restaurant and make everybody happy?