The Difference Between An Ad Photo Shoot and A Content Photo Shoot

When it comes to restaurants, there are two types of beneficial food photography available. The first is the high end, very glossy and highly staged advertisement food photography and the other is the versatile, fun and engaging content food photography.

Here is what you need to know about each and most importantly, the differences between both style of food photography.

Cost

Probably the most important consideration. The main difference is due to the time, equipment and number of people needed to execute the food shoot properly:

Advertisement Food Shoot - $2000.00 - $3000.00 + cost of food

Content Food Shoot - $800.00-$1500.00 + cost of food

Time

There is also a significant difference in the time to execute each food shoot, while one needs often much more time to get the perfect picture (or combination of picture to assemble into one finished product), the other can execute everything rather quickly:

Advertisement Food Photography - 2-3 days

Content Food Photography - 3-5 hours

Quantity of Pictures

This is one of the most significant differences between both types of food shoots:

Advertisement Food Photography - 15-20 food photos

Content Food Photography - 200-250 food photos

Type of Pictures

The results produced by these two types of food shoots are quite different:

Advertisement Food Photography - high quality, extremely detailed, staged food photos

Content Food Photography - good quality, fun, engaging, versatile, authentic food photos

Usage

Each type of food shoot will allow for a different use:

Advertisement Food Photography - menu, website, print advertising, press

Content Food Photography - website, digital media, social media, press

The circumstances of each restaurant will be different than any other, advertisement food photography may be warranted for one based on their goals and requirements while content photography may be a better option for another restaurant based on their needs.

Ultimately, what is important to understand is the differences between both as well as your restaurant needs and goals, from there, you can make an educated decision about what you need.