Why Pretty Isn’t Enough: The Hidden Power of Story in Food & Beverage Photography

Let’s talk about moodboards.

Everyone’s obsessed. Every creative team on the planet has one — swatches of color, Pinterest inspo, fonts, photos, vibes. And yeah, it’s cute. But if there’s no story behind all that pretty stuff, it’s just decoration. And sorry, but decoration doesn’t sell your product.

I’ve worked with a lot of brands that come to me with “the look” already in mind. And sure, the look matters — but the story is what makes people feel something. Because great photography should do more than look nice on a feed. It should make your audience hungry. Thirsty. A little bit jealous.

Without story, you’re just playing creative Whac-A-Mole.
“What if we shoot it on marble?”
“Let’s make it moodier.” (And everyone has a different defintiion of what “moodier” means).
“Can we add some garnishes?”
Sure. You can do all that. But without direction, it’s just noise — and expensive noise at that.

When you start with a story, though? Lock in.
Lighting? Has purpose. Angles? Serve emotion. Color? Says something.
You stop shooting random pretty pictures and start building a brand people actually connect with.

That’s when your audience stops scrolling and says,
“Oh my god, I need that.” “That cocktail looks dangerous.” “I’m booking a table right now.”

So before you touch that moodboard, ask yourself three questions:
What experience am I trying to create?
Who am I talking to, and what do they care about?
What do I want them to feel when they see it?

Then — and only then — do you build the board. My favorite moodboards — and the ones I create myself — always include a small paragraph. Give me a little something, something that tells me about your customer, your goals with this shoot, your story. All of that can be translated into better images but you have to put it into a few words first!

Let’s tell your story together.

If you’re ready for visuals that actually make people crave what you’re selling, contact me here and let’s make something worth drooling over.