Food photography for Upstate New York restaurant, Druthers

What started as a 2-3 hour shoot to capture new menu items turned into a full day shoot of the complete menu.

While emailing with my client she told me, "the team and I talked and we figured if we're going to do a shoot we might as well go big." And big we did!

Druthers, known for their house-made pretzels and beer cheese, glorious burgers, and beer brewed on-site, was releasing a new menu, and they needed new photos for the launch. They also needed photos that told a very specific story. One of welcoming hospitality, fresh ingredients and house-made pasta, and a space where everyone is welcome. After a difficult 2025 for the family-owned business, the menu launch marked the start of a new chapter for Druthers, and the photos needed to signal as much.

Knowing there would be a lot of cheese, salad dressings, glazes and burgers, I organized the shot list so that we were shooting a couple items from each section of the menu at a time. After shooting 3 salads, 2 appetizers, and a sandwich I would take some group photos and stage the table to look as if people were eating there. Once the food was no longer camera ready we moved on to the next section, rinsing and repeating this process all day long.

Natural light was on our side when we started shooting in the morning, so I made the most of the hard light and long shadows. I also pulled in some plants (literally dragging them from table to table around the restaurant) to add some color to an otherwise orange color palette. The lighting combined with the plants gave us those summer vibes that help the photos feel fresh and exciting.

I also combined the natural light with artificial to have as much control as possible. Restaurants work hard to create a specific environment through their lighting, design, and layout choices, and as a restaurant photographer it’s my job to highlight those choices, not negate them by overlighting a scene.

One of my favorite sections of the menu to photograph were the pizzas. A notoriously difficult food to photograph, (it’s so flat, and has so much cheese) we waited until the end of the day to shoot these. I was tired and unsure if I’d ever stand up again, and the natural light was gone as clouds had rolled in. I used this to my advantage though, combining the overcast light from outside with some artificial to create a moody, cozy vibe. These photos make me crave a pepperoni pizza, and I don’t even like pepperoni.

All said and done, we spent 8 hours shooting 40+ menu items. The day required constant quick decision making, some troubleshooting and a whole lot of creativity. By the end we were tired and fulfilled. There's nothing better than wrapping a shoot day and having your client say "I'm SO happy with everything!"

Now, post production is done and the photos are in the clients hands. I can't wait to see them pop up on socials and on the new website.