— FROM THE PASS

Food photos that sell.

Practical, no-fluff notes on menu photography, delivery-platform photo rules, and honest AI enhancement.

— ORIGINAL RESEARCH

The State of Delivery-App Food Photography 2026

We scored the menu photography of 76 restaurants on Wolt against a professional 100-point rubric. Average: 67/100 — good cameras, unappetising food. The full data, by dimension and by city.

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July 20, 2026

Do delivery apps reject AI-enhanced food photos? A photographer's straight answer

Do Wolt, Bolt Food, Uber Eats, Glovo, Deliveroo and DoorDash reject AI food photos? No — they reject photos that misrepresent the dish. The honest line.

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July 19, 2026

What a seed is, and why consistency sells more food than any single photo

A plain-language guide to seeds in AI food photography — what the number under your photo means, how to reuse it, and why a consistent menu outperforms one perfect shot.

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July 17, 2026

How much does a food photographer cost? An honest breakdown from one

Typical food photography rates in 2026 — hourly, half-day and per-dish pricing, what actually drives the number, and when hiring a pro is genuinely worth it.

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July 17, 2026

How to choose a food photographer: what I'd look for in a portfolio

A working food photographer's guide to hiring one — how to actually read a portfolio, the green and red flags, and matching a shooter's style to where your photos will live.

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July 17, 2026

How to prepare your restaurant for a food photo shoot

A photographer's prep checklist for shoot day — shot lists, plating, kitchen timing, and the small mistakes that quietly burn half the day.

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July 17, 2026

Food photographer vs AI enhancement: what your menu actually needs

A food photographer who built an AI relighting tool explains where a pro is irreplaceable, where AI genuinely covers you, and how to split the budget sensibly.

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July 17, 2026

Eight questions to ask a food photographer before you book

The licensing, retouching and reshoot questions that prevent expensive surprises — and the answers a good food photographer gives without flinching.

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July 7, 2026

Why your Wolt photos get rejected (and how to fix each reason)

The most common reasons Wolt declines dish photos — resolution, watermarks, collages, poor lighting — and the fastest way to fix each one.

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July 7, 2026

Phone food photography: the 10 mistakes that ruin menu photos

A working photographer's list of the ten most common phone food-photo mistakes restaurants make — and the two-minute fixes for each.

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July 7, 2026

AI food photos and the EU AI Act: what restaurants must know

The EU AI Act's transparency rules apply to AI-enhanced menu images from August 2026. What Article 50 actually requires, and how PlateRefresh handles it.

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