Yandex Eats photo style

People eating the breakfast
RoleArt director
Year 2020

During the COVID lockdown, I developed a unique, cost-effective photography style for Yandex Eats, taking into account limited resources and lockdown constraints. As a result, we reduced the cost of photo shoots by 8 times.

More deails

Background

Amid the COVID lockdown, Yandex Eats, a leading Russian food delivery service, faced challenges like reduced budgets and limited professional photography access. The company aimed to create a unique, cost-effective photo style for the app and SMM.

My goal was to develop a consistent and recognizable photo style for Yandex Eats that depicted real delivery food, working with limited resources and lockdown constraints, and reducing the cost of photo shoots.

Process

I consulted with managers and designers to understand their challenges with food photo shoots. Based on their input, I researched potential solutions and proposed easily replicable techniques, possible even using a smartphone at home:

  • Create a sense of naturalness
  • Present real, unstaged images of food instead of traditional commercial still life
  • Incorporate bright, open colors (red, blue, yellow, green) as accents
  • Use natural light
  • Capture people in candid, unposed moments as they eat

After discussing the ideas with the team, we conducted test shoots to validate our hypotheses. I organized a photo shoot using only delivered food and no special equipment or commercial food styling tricks. After our tests and discussions, I created a guide that included detailed explanations of the do's and don'ts.

Results

The project met its goals: we reduced the cost of photo shoots by 8 times, and this successful approach established a unique photographic style for Yandex Eats, which is still in use today.

Test photo shoot

pie on the plate
delivery food on the table
girl eating a cinnabon
pizza box on the sofa
pizza closeup
pizza closeup
burger and fries in the package
sandwich closeup
cake closeup
Creative DirectorMaria Brish
Creative AssociateVasiliy Podtynnikov
PhotographerSasha Mademuaselle
Set DesignerNatasha Istomina

Yandex Eats x Eggsellent

Year 2022

people eating the breakfast
food and drinks closeup
olives closeup
food on a kitchen table
foond on the table
a person holding a sandwich
sandwich in a hand
a person holding an egg
Line ProducerEvgeny Lyzhnikov
Executive ProducerElizaveta Komarova
PhotographerSasha Mademuaselle
Food StylistAnastasia Komarova
Set DesignerNatasha Istomina
Set Designer's AssistantAnastasia Korotkova
Photographer's AssistantLana Limorenko

Related projects