I consult to a couple of brands in the meal delivery business. And those of you in the industry, will know how difficult food photography can be – particularly cooked meals or ice cream. The lighting can melt the stuff in minutes.

Recently I undertook an analysis of various suppliers in the industry, to see what they are up to online. I looked at small and large brands – including those like Dish’d and Lite n Easy – that import frozen food from Eastern Europe and Asia to flog locally. Surprisingly not many people are aware of this food fact.

There must be only one food photographer in the country

What became clear during my review was that there is obviously only one food photographer in the whole local market. Every shot is taken on shabby chic timber or a wooden cutting board.

Some are even taken on cutting boards on timber table tops, or possibly floors. But the shots are so alike you could swap the logos around and not tell the difference between the brands – just like you can with real estate ads.

For a supposed creative industry it appears stocked with inbreeds. Hardly an original thought, photographically speaking. All the brands are following fashion so all the brands look the same – and none stand out from the pack.

Just so you know, food folk: “Let’s do what they do” is not a strategy for success.  A bland brand bodes badly for building big bucks.

Here’s a few examples for you:

Dinner Ladies: shabby chic just like the others…

Even my good friends at Dietlicious had a couple of guilty shots:

Mind you, if you want to lose excess weight quickly and feel a million dollars, I can recommend a Dietlicious cleanse.

But I do encourage the meal delivery industry to try something different with photography. Differentiating your images from your competitors will help you stand out in a cluttered market.

I’m trying something different with my eating habits. Am pairing my food with my wine. You see dear reader, I now only drink twice a week – once for 3 days the other for 4 – so I have to watch my food consumption.

Cheers…