San Diego Food Photographer

We agree on a shot list before the date, grouped by where the images are going — menu, website, ordering app, social. On the day I build one lighting setup that carries the whole list, so the last dish looks like the first, and you watch every frame full size on a tethered monitor next to me. Anything you don't like gets fixed while the food is still in front of us.

A full day is thirty to forty-five dishes plus room and detail shots; a half day is fifteen to twenty. We work around service, so closing is almost never necessary.

My flat rates start at $495 and include unlimited images from the shoot, editing and delivery within three business days. Hourly is available for smaller jobs. The number moves with how many dishes you need, whether we add video, and whether any dish needs a food stylist.

No per-image fees and no licensing tiers — the images are yours for anything, forever.

Yes. Nearly all of my work happens on location, in your kitchen and dining room, because the food is freshest where it's cooked and your room gives the lifestyle shots somewhere real to live. I bring all the lighting, so a windowless corner works as well as a bright patio.

Thirty to forty-five on a full day, plus room and detail shots. Fifteen to twenty on a half day. The limiting factor is usually how fast the kitchen can plate, not the camera, which is why we agree on a shot list in advance.

Sometimes. Ice cream, melting cheese, foam and any hero item that has to hold for hours really benefit from one. For most plated restaurant menus your own kitchen team can plate for camera with me directing, and you save the cost.

I'll tell you honestly which of your dishes need one before we book, and styling is quoted separately so you're never paying for it by default.

Yes, usually in the same visit. Vertical reels for Instagram and TikTok, hero footage for your website, and full restaurant video production when you want something with a story. The lights are already up and the food is already styled, which makes it the cheapest video you'll ever buy.

Almost never. I work around service, usually setting up between lunch and dinner or in a corner of the dining room. If a specific shot needs the room empty we schedule that part around your quietest hour.

Within three business days of the shoot, fully edited, in web-ready and full-resolution versions. Where you need images clipped to white for delivery apps or print, those come with a real shadow under the food rather than a floating cut-out.

Yes — and on your menu, website, social, paid ads, print and packaging. I shoot delivery-app images to the crops and sizes each platform asks for, named so your manager can drop them straight into the merchant portal.

All of San Diego County. Downtown, Little Italy, North Park, Hillcrest, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Coronado, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside and Escondido are all routine bookings. Orange County and Los Angeles are on the calendar most weeks too.