The Project:
Restaurant sauce line launching into retail
When Anh & Chi launched their Mẹ's Marketplace sauce line, they needed product photography that could represent both bottles on their website and across retail channels. Working from Vancouver, we photographed their Sweet Soy Sauce and Chilli Fish Sauce, along with the key ingredients that define each product. The restaurant had built its reputation on family recipes and Vietnamese culinary specificity. The sauces needed images that translated that restaurant credibility into a retail context.
We photographed the bottles with their ingredients arranged to show what makes each sauce distinct. The soy sauce images included soybeans and garlic. The fish sauce setup featured red chilis and dried fish. Each composition was designed to communicate flavor profile and authenticity without visual clutter. The goal was to create photos that worked equally well on an e-commerce page and in a retailer's product catalog.
The Strategy:
Clean compositions with cultural specificity
The approach centered on making the bottles readable while giving each image enough visual interest to convey quality. We included shots of both bottles together to show the line as a cohesive collection. The ingredient arrangements were photographed to reinforce the Vietnamese recipe foundation. Red chilis, garlic, soybeans, and dried fish provided cultural specificity that separated these sauces from generic condiment photography. We kept the compositions clean and the color palette modern, using soft pinks and blues to frame the products without overwhelming them.
Lighting for glass and label legibility
Lighting was built around clarity and dimension. Glass bottles require precise control to keep labels legible while showing the liquid inside accurately. We used setups that preserved true color and prevented hot spots or distortion on the label text. Soft falloff created dimensionality without heavy shadows that would muddy the clean aesthetic. The lighting needed to work across different shot types, including straight-on framings that give the bottles stature, and top-down flats that let ingredients sit naturally around the product.
The Execution:
Shot variety for multiple retail contexts
Each bottle was photographed straight-on to establish it clearly for e-commerce use. These shots prioritized label legibility and consistent framing so the sauces could sit cleanly on a product page or in a wholesale deck. We then shifted to top-down compositions where ingredients could be arranged with more visual rhythm. The ingredient photos provide context about what's inside the bottle. They give the brand storytelling material for social media and brand pages. The compositions included negative space deliberately, leaving room for text overlays or cropping flexibility across different platforms.
The Delivery:
Photo collection covering launch and retail use
We delivered a photo collection that covers the immediate launch needs, including bottle shots for the website and ingredient-forward images that show the Vietnamese culinary foundation. The images are being used wherever the sauces are sold online and in retail contexts. The collection includes both bottles photographed individually and together, plus ingredient compositions that reinforce the family-recipe positioning. Each image was processed to maintain accurate color and texture, keeping the food elements looking true to life rather than overly stylized.
The Takeaway:
Bridging restaurant identity and retail function
Restaurant brands moving into retail need product photography that bridges two visual languages. The images have to function as straightforward commerce photos while still carrying the brand's story and aesthetic. For Anh & Chi, that meant creating a set that could represent premium positioning and Vietnamese specificity without sacrificing the practical clarity that online and retail sales require. As a Vancouver product photographer, I work with brands launching product lines that need to perform across multiple channels while staying true to their culinary roots.
If that sounds like your project, let's talk about building a photo collection that does both.
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Service",
"name": "Artisanal Sauce Product Photography with Heritage Storytelling",
"description": "Multi-channel product photography for small-batch condiment brands combining glare-free bottle shots, ingredient-forward flat-lays, and macro texture details that honor cultural heritage while meeting retailer submission standards.",
"serviceType": "Food Product Photography",
"provider": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Elina Kustlyvy Photography",
"url": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com"
},
"areaServed": [
{"@type": "City", "name": "Vancouver", "addressRegion": "BC", "addressCountry": "CA"},
{"@type": "City", "name": "Toronto", "addressRegion": "ON", "addressCountry": "CA"},
{"@type": "City", "name": "Los Angeles", "addressRegion": "CA", "addressCountry": "US"},
{"@type": "City", "name": "Seattle", "addressRegion": "WA", "addressCountry": "US"}
],
"url": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/projects/ahnandchi"
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "ImageObject",
"contentUrl": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/653c048c7bdcdc4c8f4346aa/688e75796298a4250611945c_686dd5411cb31e7db1ee606a_10.jpeg",
"url": "https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/653c048c7bdcdc4c8f4346aa/688e75796298a4250611945c_686dd5411cb31e7db1ee606a_10.jpeg",
"name": "Anh & Chi Vietnamese Sauce Bottle on Color-Blocked Pastel Background",
"caption": "Glare-free product photography of Mẹ's Sweet Soy sauce bottle on muted peach backdrop with controlled lighting revealing label details and natural amber liquid color.",
"creator": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Elina Kustlyvy",
"url": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com"
},
"copyrightHolder": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Elina Kustlyvy Photography"
},
"acquireLicensePage": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/contact"
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Anh & Chi",
"description": "Vietnamese culinary brand founded in 1994, rebranded in 2016 by siblings Amélie and Vincent Nguyen, offering Michelin Bib Gourmand-recognized restaurant dining and small-batch artisanal sauces based on their mother's family recipes.",
"url": "https://anhandchi.com",
"sameAs": [
"https://www.instagram.com/anhandchi/",
"https://guide.michelin.com/en/british-columbia/vancouver/restaurant/anh-chi"
]
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Mẹ's Sweet Soy Sauce",
"description": "Small-batch Vietnamese sweet soy sauce crafted from family recipe, vegan and plant-based, 250mL bottle.",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Anh & Chi"
},
"category": "Condiments & Sauces",
"review": {
"@type": "Review",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Elina Kustlyvy"
},
"reviewRating": {
"@type": "Rating",
"ratingValue": "5",
"bestRating": "5"
},
"reviewBody": "The translucent amber liquid shows exceptional clarity under controlled lighting, revealing fine suspended soybean particles and natural color variation. The glossy glass bottle and white paper label required precise reflection management to maintain legibility while the viscosity pools beautifully on ceramic, demonstrating the hand-poured, small-batch production quality."
}
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Product",
"name": "Mẹ's Chilli Fish Sauce",
"description": "Small-batch Vietnamese fish sauce with chili flakes, gluten-free, 250mL bottle.",
"brand": {
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Anh & Chi"
},
"category": "Condiments & Sauces",
"review": {
"@type": "Review",
"author": {
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Elina Kustlyvy"
},
"reviewRating": {
"@type": "Rating",
"ratingValue": "5",
"bestRating": "5"
},
"reviewBody": "Individual bright red chili flakes and garlic fragments remain suspended in the brine, visible at macro magnification. The packaging shows excellent light refraction through the pale mint backdrop, and the texture reveals artisanal production methods distinct from industrial bottling—each ingredient particle photographed sharp and dimensional under 45-degree soft lighting."
}
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "BreadcrumbList",
"itemListElement": [
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 1,
"name": "Projects",
"item": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/projects"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 2,
"name": "Food Photography",
"item": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/projects/categories/food-photography"
},
{
"@type": "ListItem",
"position": 3,
"name": "Anh & Chi Artisanal Sauce Photography",
"item": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/projects/ahnandchi"
}
]
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "WebPage",
"name": "Anh & Chi: Multi-Channel Product Photography for Vietnamese Artisanal Sauces",
"description": "Launch-ready asset library for Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant's retail sauce line, combining glare-free bottle photography, ingredient-forward flat-lays, and macro texture details across ecommerce, wholesale, and social channels.",
"url": "https://www.elinakustlyvy.com/projects/ahnandchi",
"speakable": {
"@type": "SpeakableSpecification",
"cssSelector": [".article-intro", ".article-conclusion"]
},
"about": [
{"@type": "Thing", "name": "Artisanal Sauce Product Photography"},
{"@type": "Thing", "name": "Vietnamese Culinary Heritage Branding"},
{"@type": "Thing", "name": "Glare-Free Bottle Photography Technique"}
],
"mentions": [
{
"@type": "Brand",
"name": "Anh & Chi",
"sameAs": "https://anhandchi.com"
},
{
"@type": "Thing",
"name": "Mẹ's Sweet Soy Sauce"
},
{
"@type": "Thing",
"name": "Mẹ's Chilli Fish Sauce"
}
]
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "HowTo",
"name": "How to photograph glossy sauce bottles with readable labels and no glare for retail submissions",
"description": "Technical approach combining high-key lighting, controlled negative fill, and black flags to deliver glare-free product photography that maintains label legibility and accurate liquid color for wholesale catalogs and ecommerce.",
"step": [
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"position": 1,
"name": "Set up high-key lighting with controlled negative fill",
"text": "Use soft, even illumination from overhead and both sides with daylight-balanced strobes. Position black flags just outside the frame to carve subtle definition into bottle contours without creating hotspots on glossy glass surfaces. This setup delivers dimensional form while keeping the lighting bright enough to render every label detail and certification mark."
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"position": 2,
"name": "Calibrate color-blocked backdrops for brand consistency",
"text": "Select matte pastel backdrops that complement the product's dominant hue without competing visually—muted peach for caramel soy sauce, pale mint for chili fish sauce. Calibrate every surface under controlled strobes to ensure consistent color across the shoot, eliminating post-production color correction and maintaining brand palette fidelity across print and digital deliverables."
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"position": 3,
"name": "Compose ingredient flat-lays with strategic negative space",
"text": "Place bottles as heroes in overhead compositions surrounded by authentic raw ingredients—dried anchovies, garlic cloves, whole dried chilis, soybeans—arranged in loose, natural groupings. Maintain deliberate negative space to accommodate text overlays and flexible cropping for different aspect ratios, from Instagram squares to website banners."
},
{
"@type": "HowToStep",
"position": 4,
"name": "Capture macro texture details with directional lighting",
"text": "Shoot close-ups of sauce viscosity, suspended ingredient particles, and liquid refraction using a single soft light source positioned at 45 degrees. This angle sculpts surface tension and reveals grain structure without introducing glare, delivering proof-point imagery that communicates small-batch production quality and justifies premium pricing for press kits and product detail pages."
}
]
}
</script>
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "FAQPage",
"mainEntity": [
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How do you photograph glossy sauce bottles without glare for retail sell sheets?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "The solution is high-key lighting with controlled negative fill: soft, even illumination from overhead and both sides paired with black flags positioned just outside the frame. This setup carves subtle definition into bottle contours without creating hotspots on glass, delivering glare-free images where every label callout and certification mark stays crisp. The lighting is bright enough for technical retailer requirements yet dimensional enough to give bottles form and weight in the frame."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "What makes ingredient-forward flat-lay photography effective for artisanal food brands?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Ingredient flat-lays place the product as the hero in overhead compositions surrounded by authentic raw materials—dried fish, garlic, chilis, soybeans—that tell the origin story and communicate transparency. Strategic negative space allows text overlays and flexible cropping for Instagram, website headers, and menu inserts. High-key, even lighting maintains brand aesthetic consistency while adding directional shadow for ingredient dimension, creating scroll-stopping content that signals craft and cultural heritage without staged nostalgia."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "How does color-blocked product photography support brand consistency across channels?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Color-blocked CPG photography uses matte pastel backdrops calibrated under controlled daylight-balanced strobes to complement each product's dominant hue without visual competition. Every surface is color-profiled for screen and print, so images drop into brand templates without correction and stay true through print vendors. This consistency translates to fewer design revisions, faster time-to-market, and cohesive presentation across packaging, web, point-of-sale materials, and paid media—operational efficiency that matters as much as aesthetic appeal."
}
},
{
"@type": "Question",
"name": "Why do small-batch food brands need macro texture product photography?",
"acceptedAnswer": {
"@type": "Answer",
"text": "Macro details provide visible evidence of quality that justifies premium pricing in crowded categories. Close-ups capture viscosity, ingredient grain, suspended particles, and natural color variation—proof points that differentiate artisanal production from industrial bottling. These images serve specific business functions: Instagram Stories that stop mid-scroll, press kit details for full-bleed editorial use, and comparison references for retail buyers evaluating ingredient transparency. Lit with soft directional light at 45 degrees, macro shots add dimensionality without glare or color washout."
}
}
]
}
</script>
- other recent projects
(001)
Hibiscus Rose Rooibos
Swan Dive hard tea photography balancing holiday warmth with botanical craft identity
(001)
Pierre Hermé's Paris - Macarons
Pierre Herme macaron photography using gradient backgrounds and product stacking
(001)
Ahn & Chi + Kasama Chocolate
Kasama Chocolate collaboration bar photographed with Vietnamese coffee details for Anh & Chi restaurant launch
Superjelly protein powder photography with flavour-matched ingredient styling and texture detail
