Frequently Asked Questions.
Thanks for taking a look at my FAQs. You will be able to find lots of answers for all of your food photography and restaurant photography questions:
Where do you shoot?
I am a London Food photographer, based in the North London borough of Finsbury Park - with the majority of my food photography clients also located in the capital.
I frequently travel around London for my food photography shoots, and also travel outside of London to shoot further afield destinations and locations in the UK.
Do you have a studio for food photography in London?
I have a small home daylight still life studio in Finsbury Park, where I shoot around ¼ of my food photography commissions.
The studio space is used for smaller remote one-day food photography shoots where the client isn’t needed on-set, and the stock is mailed directly to me to shoot with a food stylist.
For larger scale projects and higher output food photography shoots - I’ll typically hire a larger photography studio to allow for more hands-on deck, a prepping space, and a client area for on-site sign-off of content.
What is included in a food photography session?
Food photography shoots include your initial consultation, brief development, pre-production, your shoot date, and delivery of your content within 72-hours.
When it comes to food photography shoots - I take a streamlined approach to my creative; getting to know your brand, your audience, and the type of content that resonates with them.
This process is used to fuel our creative decision-making and art direction along the way; making the best use of our time.
For your food photography shoot, you can expect this to be included as part of your booking:
Professional food photographer (full day+)
Pre-production: consultation + brief treatment, mood boards and call sheet creation
Art Direction & Set Creation - Prep Day: Prop sourcing, background x surface research/modification, and ingredients sourcing (circa 8-hours)
Brief treatment of concept: research, mood-boards, and call-sheet (shot list) development
Post-production & 72-Hour Delivery: Image selection, grading, basic retouching and delivery via an online gallery
Usage rights: UK & EU (terms outlined at quotation)
Equipment transport: Flat rate billed - London TFL Zones 1-3 (return)
In addition to the above - there are also third-party expenses that cover the art direction and any hires that we may need to complete the project (i.e, paint, prop purchase, prop hire, and ingredients needed). This will always be discussed on our intro call and displayed at all levels of quoting and billing.
What is included in a restaurant photography session?
As restaurants are busy locations to shoot, and it’s not always feasible to block off the restaurant dining space or use the kitchen team for a day - I almost always recommend booking your restaurant photography shoot for a ½ day session.
Restaurant photographer (½ day or full day)
Pre-production: Consultation with chef and/or management on shoot brief + mood boards and shot list creation.
Studio photography equipment - Mobile studio lighting, capture kit, cameras, lighting, grip, and modifiers.
Post-production & 72-Hour Delivery: Image selection, grading and delivery via an online gallery
Usage rights: UK & EU (terms outlined at quotation)
Equipment transport: Flat rate billed - London TFL Zones 1-3 (return)
How much shooting space is needed for Restaurant Photography?
For restaurant photography shoots, I recommend a clear floor-space that roughly is 3 x 3 meters - allowing room for the shooting table, the lighting equipment, a space for used dishes, and for me to place my tethered MacBook to review the content on.
I am able to accommodate tighter spaces, as we do tend to move around a bit during restaurant photography shoots - but 3x3 is a good guideline.
What are your turnaround times?
As standard, I guarantee delivery of your edited content to you within 72-hours* of your shoot ending.
Please let me know in the briefing phase if you do need your content sooner and I can make arrangements to accommodate you.
* Business days only & unless otherwise stated on a client’s production schedule).
How will I receive my edited content?
Once your shoot has wrapped and your food photography content has been edited, they will be delivered to you via email - linking to a secure online gallery. From here they are ready to download and share with your immediate and expanded team.
As an additional layer of security, I back up all of the RAW files and final edits onto offline drives for storage for six years.
How does your creative process work?
As time is precious, I’ve streamlined my food photography process to get us smoothly from our initial discovery call, all the way through to the delivery of a fully realized collection of content.
Introduction & Discovery Call
Quote & 50% deposit payment
Booking placed & briefing in form shared
PPM catch-up call & shot list confirmation
Pre-production
Food photography shoot
Delivery & billing within 72-hours
What is your availability?
I am usually booked to 80% capacity from 4-6 weeks in advance for food photography, so I’d suggest giving as much notice as possible to allow me to fit you into my shoot schedule. This also gives us plenty of time to prepare for your shoot and get our concepts signed off, ahead of your pre-production.
For restaurant photography, I have one additional day of availability open in my shoot schedule per week - as less preperation time is needed before restaurant shoots.
Are you insured?
I am insured and covered by £5 million public liability insurance for both studio food photography and on-location restaurant photography. In addition to this, all of my studio lighting and equipment has been PAT tested and is maintained - allowing me to shoot safely with reliable tested equipment.
Do you take a deposit to book you as our food photographer?
To book me in and to secure your shoot date(s) - I take an industry-standard, non-refundable 50% booking fee. The remaining 50% balance from your shoot is due 30 calender days from the last day of shooting as part of our project.
This information is further outlined in the booking process, quotes, invoices and on my Terms & Conditions page.
What are your payment terms?
To book me as your food photographer, a 50% deposit is required to book your chosen shoot date(s), and the remainder of your balance is due 30-days from the end of your booked shoot date.
What are your payment methods?
I accept payments via my online booking platform; authenticated via Stripe or PayPal. Payments on the platform can be taken by all major cards and institutions.
You may also pay via a BACs transfer, or BIC/SWIFT. If paying via a BACs transfer - please use your booking reference number and let me know if you are using this method so that it can be checked off.
Will you use our shoot content for marketing?
I’m really passionate about sharing my recent food photography work and the great content that I capture with you. For embargoed content that is pre-launch, I will refrain from posting until after launch.
My Instagram feed and case studies are updated on a regular basis with this content and are used for outbound marketing to prospective leads. If you would not like your content to be used for marketing, please let me know when you brief me on your project.
Who owns the copyright on the content?
Hikaru Funnell Photography holds the copyright on all imagery. Clients are able to use the delivered content as part of their billed usage - for the terms outlined in the booking process, quotes, invoices and on my Terms & Conditions page.
If you wish purchase a usage buyout, or use the content in additional territories outside of the standard terms - this must be flagged prior to your shoot deposit being cleared.
Do we need to feed you on shoot day?
If I am on-location with you for more than four hours, I request that we either order in some healthy snacks or per-diems are put in place so we can keep fed and watered for what is likely a busy shoot day for everyone on-site.
How do I book you to be our food photographer?
To book me for your food photography shoot, please reach out to me at please email me at hikaru@hikarufunnell.co.uk, or via the below button.
I’ll usually get back to you within 24-hours. If you need a faster response - please do drop me a line so that I can talk with you about your photography brief.