Food has presence
Show texture, generous portions, and fresh preparation. Keep color natural and the food recognizable.
Visual identity
Make it
craveable.
Use real food, real restaurants, and real people. The image should feel immediate enough to taste and warm enough to walk into.
Approved lifestyle photographyThe visual standard
Fresh. Bold. Believable.
Photography should make the craft and the atmosphere easy to recognize. Keep the image honest, then give the subject enough energy to feel unmistakably Birdcode.
The work is visible
Hands, motion, steam, and kitchen details add credibility. The process is part of what people are buying.
The brand lives in frame
Packaging, interiors, signage, and people should feel observed—not staged into a generic restaurant scene.
Finished campaign exampleCampaign photography
Shoot for the idea.
Campaign images can be tighter, more kinetic, and more graphic than the evergreen menu library. Build the frame around the message and the intended crop—especially for vertical social.
- Capture clean source photography before adding type.
- Leave intentional space for headlines and offers.
- Plan wide, square, and vertical crops during the shoot.
- Keep finished campaign art separate from evergreen assets.
Local capture
A better iPhone photo.
Use phones for timely, local moments—not as a substitute for approved menu photography. A few habits make the difference.
Get close to real action- Wipe the lens.
- Use daylight or the brightest natural light available.
- Clear clutter and check uniforms, packaging, and surfaces.
- Turn on the camera grid and hold vertical for Stories/Reels.
- Tap the subject to set focus and exposure.
- Move closer instead of using digital zoom.
- Take a wide frame, a medium frame, and one detail.
- Leave safe space when copy may be added later.
- Choose the sharpest natural-looking frame.
- Avoid filters, heavy HDR, portrait blur, and drop shadows.
- Send the original file—not a screenshot or text-message compression.
- Include the location, date, names, and permission status.
Employees & culture
People doing the real work.
Look for hospitality, pride, teamwork, and the small human details that make each restaurant feel local.
West HartfordExterior & location photography
Make the place easy to recognize.
Capture the full storefront, readable signage, and enough context to identify the location. Shoot a clean daylight hero, then add closer details and interior atmosphere.
- Keep vertical lines straight and the horizon level.
- Move cars, cones, bins, and temporary signs when possible.
- Include one wide exterior, one entrance view, signage details, and key interior zones.
- Label every file with location and capture date.
