Where these numbers come from
We compared the price lists Dubai food photographers publish on their own sites, checked on 13 October 2026. Several studios, such as Food on Focus, don't publish a rate card at all. The figures below are asking prices from those who do, not market statistics.
Market rates
My Pinch of Wow's 2026 guide gives these bands:
| Format | Market band |
|---|---|
| Hourly | AED 600–1,500 |
| Half day (3–4 hours) | AED 1,500–3,500 |
| Full day | AED 3,500–8,000 |
| Restaurant menu package with styling and retouching | AED 2,500–6,000 |
| Per finished dish image | AED 75–250 |
| Extended usage (billboards, third-party campaigns) | +20–50% |
Published price lists inside those bands:
| Studio | Published price |
|---|---|
| Studio502 | AED 1,700 for 3 hours, up to 25 dishes; AED 60 per dish beyond 25; AED 350 per extra hour; hotel day (8 h, 80+ photos) AED 3,450 |
| Masoud Raoufi | AED 250 per photo for 5–10 dishes, AED 200 for 11–30, AED 175 for 30+ |
| Backyard Studio | 20 dishes in 3 hours from AED 1,500; 50 dishes in 6 hours from AED 3,000; launch day with interior and brand film from AED 5,500 |
| My Pinch of Wow | Packages from AED 500, per-dish pricing quoted |
The kitchen sets the pace, not the camera
Studio502 explains its pricing with kitchen arithmetic: a dish takes six or seven minutes to plate, carry to the set, style and shoot from two angles, so a ready kitchen produces 8–10 dishes an hour. My Pinch of Wow gives a similar range: 12–18 dishes in a half day, 25–40 in a full day.
Practical consequence: a slow kitchen costs you hours. If the chef plates one dish every 15 minutes, a three-hour booking yields 12 dishes, not 25. Send the shot list to the kitchen a week ahead with the firing order.
Worked example: the same 40-dish delivery menu, four price lists
A cloud kitchen needs all 40 items photographed for Talabat, Deliveroo and Careem. Arithmetic on published prices:
| Studio (as published) | Calculation | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Studio502 | AED 1,700 for 25 dishes + 15 × AED 60 | AED 2,600 |
| Backyard Studio | "Full Menu" up to 50 dishes, from | AED 3,000 |
| Masoud Raoufi | 40 photos × AED 175 | AED 7,000 |
| Market band (My Pinch of Wow) | 40 × AED 75–250 | AED 3,000–10,000 |
The cheaper rows count one shoot of each dish with two angles (Studio502) or a fixed session; the per-photo row counts one retouched image per dish. Before comparing, ask each studio the same three things: how many angles per dish, which crops are included, and whether styling is in the price.
Running three virtual brands from one kitchen triples the menu. Studios quote bulk per-dish rates for this; My Pinch of Wow plans different props and backdrops for each brand in one session.
What nobody tells you
Each app wants a different shape. Studios list Deliveroo at 3:2 landscape, at least 1200×800 px, framed to survive a square crop, Careem at 1200×1200 squares and 16:9 for Talabat and noon Food. A single square export gets cropped badly on at least one app. Ask for all crops in the delivery, as Studio502 includes by default.
The second portion matters. Ice cream, foam and fried food lose their look in minutes. Plan two portions of signature dishes; the first is for light and composition.
Usage rights vary more than prices. Studio502 gives full usage including paid ads with no expiry. My Pinch of Wow includes your own marketing but quotes third-party advertising separately. If a delivery app or a mall wants to use your photos in their campaign, that is third-party use.
Video is cheapest on the same day. Studio502 adds three vertical clips for AED 1,500 during the photo shoot. Booking a separate video day means paying for set-up twice.
Shoot before service. Studios work before opening or between lunch and dinner. Shooting during service slows the kitchen and puts guests in your frames, and published photos of recognisable guests need their consent.
How to budget by venue type
| Venue | Typical scope | Budget at published prices |
|---|---|---|
| Home business or cloud kitchen | 8–12 best sellers | from AED 500 (My Pinch of Wow) |
| Café or restaurant | 12–25 hero dishes, refreshed each season | AED 1,500–3,500 |
| Full menu, 40–50 dishes | One session, all crops | AED 2,600–10,000 |
| Hotel F&B | Several outlets, rooms, pool | AED 3,450 (Studio502 hotel day) to AED 12,000 per day (Johns Eye) |
What Savage Media charges
| Savage Media | Special offer | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| One-off photo shoot | from AED 950 | Photos delivered from 24 hours |
| Savage Story | AED 3,500 first month, then AED 4,500/month | 2 shooting days, 8 reels and 15 photos a month |
| Savage Menu | from AED 299/month | Interactive digital menu with photos and video, 41 languages |
Video for the venue: use our video cost calculator. Related reading: restaurant marketing in Dubai and what a digital menu costs.
