Why are we spending so much time on school food photo tips? When people see a few yucky photos of school meals, they think that all school meals are bad. When they see bright, beautiful, colorful foods served in your outstanding programs, they begin to understand all school meals in a different way. Public opinion about school meals is literally in your hands. School Meals That Rock wants the world to see accurate, current, positive images of school nutrition.

That’s why we are sharing tips for better school food photos. Part 1 featured tips on tray color and background; this post offers three suggestions about the food itself.

Salad Bar section from Billerica, Massachusetts

Tip #4: GO WITH BRIGHT COLORS. There’s no need to always show a complete tray. Look throughout your kitchen and cafeteria for brilliant combinations of colors. This small section of a salad bar has a great mix of red and yellows. It demonstrates the variety of produce options available to student and is very appealing. Thanks to Dina Fordyce Wiroll, Nutrition Services Site Coordinator, Billerica Public Schools for taking it and sharing it. You can learn more about their program by following them at Billerica Schools Nutrition Services on Facebook.

Vegetables from the line in Timpview High School, Provo, Utah

Tip #5: SHOW CONTRASTING COLORS AND SHAPES. Whether on a line or on a tray, contrast is good. These fresh, local green beans look nice by themselves, but see how much more appealing they look in contrast to the steamed butternut squash. Thanks to Colleen Dietz for her amazing collection for school food photos from schools in Provo, Utah. She has done an outstanding job of encouraging staff throughout the district to document excellence in school nutrition. You see learn a lot by following Provo’s work on Facebook at ITS Meals at Provo School District.

Dramatic display of produce from Jackson-Madison County School System, Tennessee

Tip #6: SHOW LAYERS OF COLOR. Multiple shelves in a cafeteria line can be an impressive way to display food – and to encourage students to take and eat items. Layers also make dramatic photographs, especially when they are filled with bright colors. Susan Johnson, School Nutrition Director, from Jackson-Madison County School System in Tennessee, share some knock-out photos with us. This one is from Liberty Technology Magnet High School, where some of the vegetables are grown in a hydroponic greenhouse.