Liesel Bockl Photography

02/06/2026

June newsletter is coming next Monday.

It’s taken a bit of a back seat recently, but I’m bringing it back, just once a month at the start of each month.

Expect practical tips, industry insights, and trends around food branding, retail listings, and my world of food and product photography.

This month I’m focusing on what really makes products stand out on platforms like Ocado - from the details that catch attention on a crowded screen, to the three key things every food brand should get right before sending your final files to major supermarket listings.

If you want in, you can subscribe via the link in my bio or on my website.

29/05/2026

Why I love event photography.

Capturing the energy, teamwork and stories behind the food industry in real time. Recently I documented a spice masterclass at West London College, hosted by Women in the Food Industry, bringing together incredible talent and future chefs.

Huge thanks to Mex Ibraham and the Women in the Food Industry team, alongside Anjula Devi (author of 15 Minute Indian and Consultant Chef for Manchester United), Chef Aida Khan, and Chef Lecturer Kyla Bertrand for creating such a powerful, hands-on learning experience for students.
These are the moments I love most — real collaboration, mentorship and passion shaping the next generation of chefs.

26/05/2026

Most restaurant content focuses on dishes.

But often, what people actually remember is the atmosphere around them.

The lighting in the late afternoon.
The textures and interiors.
The rhythm of service.
A drink arriving at the table.

The details that make people want to stay longer. It reminded me why I created Align & Curate.

The service is built around 7 visual storytelling themes designed to help hospitality brands create clearer, more consistent content without the overwhelm of constantly trying to think of what to post next.

Each theme focuses on a different part of the customer experience — helping restaurants build a curated library of purposeful imagery and video that can be used across websites, social media, marketing and PR.

One of those themes is Restaurant & Ambience — capturing the feeling behind the experience, not just the menu.

Because great hospitality brands don’t just serve food.

They create places people want to return to.

Featuring a few favourite Richmond spots:

Want to have a chat about how this can work for your venue? Book a Brand Purpose Call via the link in bio.

Now taking bookings for June/July.

13/05/2026

Happy World Cocktail Day.
My favourite cocktail? The Espresso Martini.

Fun fact: it’s not actually a true martini (no gin or vermouth involved) and was originally created for a supermodel (rumuored to be Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell) at Soho Brasserie as a “wake me up” cocktail.

The famous three coffee beans on top represent health, wealth & happiness.

Still one of the most photogenic cocktails to shoot — especially when you get that perfect creamy foam!

05/05/2026

What is the visual style of Align & Curate shoots?

Say more with less.

Ingredient-led. Beautiful light. Richness and depth. Stronger intention. Capturing moments that are uniquely yours.

Imagery that feels considered, curated, purposeful.

Because meaningful stories don’t need noise.

From a Align & Curate Menu Essentials shoot with Bistro 3.

Lovely feedback from the marketing manager.

“Simply put, Liesel was a pleasure to work with. From the offset, she took the time to review our website and social media pages to understand our business further and to put herself in the best possible position to offer creative ideas on the day of the shoot. She styled the dishes herself and was explorative with her camera angles to ultimately provide a wide catalogue of images of our new dishes.
 
After the shoot, we received our high-quality images back promptly and we were really pleased with how they’ve turned out! We’ve started to share the images on our social media pages, and they’ve lifted our pages, and we’ve received increased engagement as a direct response of the shoot.”

30/04/2026

Left your summer content too late?
You’re not the only one!

The 2-hour Express Shoot.
A simple way to update your visuals for summer.

Summer menus.
Fresh cocktails.
Terraces in use.

What’s included:
– 2 hour on-site shoot
– Art direction
– Styling
– 15 professionally shot
+ ready-to-post images
Designed to get hospitality brands ready for summer quickly & simply.

Now booking May / June sessions.

A simple, structured way to bring your content up to date for the season ahead.

If your content needs a refresh for summer, get in touch!

26/04/2026

26/04/2026

Can you guess what part of this image is real and what’s AI?

I’ve been experimenting with AI a lot lately… it’s still very inconsistent and often too perfect. I get the best results when I add AI into real shots rather than generating everything from scratch.

Zoom in to AI food images and things often fall apart — so I still rely on good old Photoshop to comp and avoid quality nightmares.

This one worked really well, so I thought I’d share. A fun way to get more out of the images you’re already shooting.

Still experimenting but the best results come from combining both.

Pitas & dips shot for
Food Styling by
AI model: Seedance 2.0