Born
Harlem
NYC

Food & Restaurant Photography — Charlotte NC

Where Hospitality, Culture & Community Meet.

Name: Apartment5a
Address: Charlotte, NC, US
Telephone: 980-699-8862

Your food has a story worth telling. Apartment5a creates professional photo and video for independent restaurants in Charlotte, built for menus, delivery platforms, and the moments that make people want to walk through your door. No agency. No middleman. Just someone who has worked every position in a restaurant and knows how to shoot it the right way.

Book a Discovery Call See the Work

Founded in New York. Built in Charlotte.

More Than a Name.

Levar Hage — Founder, Apartment5a

Apartment5a is more than a name. It represents where I come from, what I have built, and where this is going.

I spent 20 years working in restaurants — from dishwasher to General Manager. I know what it takes to run a floor, manage a team, and keep guests coming back. I also know what it looks like when a great restaurant has no visual presence, no consistent content, and no one in their corner telling their story the right way.

Most restaurants pay an agency that hires a freelancer who has never worked a shift. That freelancer shoots your food, sends the files to the agency, and the agency sends you a bill. You never meet the person behind the lens and the content never quite feels like yours.

I started Apartment5a to change that. I work directly with you. I understand your business from the inside. And the work we produce together actually reflects who you are.

Every shoot is planned around how your business actually operates, menu turnover, delivery platforms, service flow, so the photos and video we deliver work as hard as you do.

Founded in New York. Built in Charlotte.
20+ years restaurant and hospitality operations
USAF Veteran
Professional photographer and videographer
M.S. Hospitality candidate, East Carolina University
Serving independent restaurants across the Charlotte metro area

Start the Conversation

20+

Yrs Hospitality

USAF

Veteran

What We Do

Photo & Video.
Built to Sell Food.

No brand strategy decks. No social media retainers. Just photo and video that make people want to order.

Menu & Delivery Photography

Fast, repeatable sessions built for menu books, DoorDash, and Grubhub. You prep the dish, we handle the light and the shot. Full usage rights included.

Styled Food Photography

Creative direction and staging for the shots that carry your brand, hero images, campaigns, and the visuals that do more than just document the plate.

Space & Atmosphere Photography

Your dining room, bar, and entrance shot the way they actually feel. Built for a website, a press feature, or a menu that needs to sell the room, not just the food.

Voices of the Business

A short interview style video with a staff member or owner, built for social media and your website. People buy from people, not just plates.

Photo & Video Pricing

Every Shoot Starts
With a Conversation.

Real pricing for real deliverables. No retainers required to get started.

Most Popular
Menu & Delivery Starter
$850
Per 2-Hour Session
Book a 4-week package: $750 per session
For menu books, DoorDash, Grubhub, and any platform where your photos are doing the selling.
Up to 15 dishes per session, top-down, 45-degree, and one additional angle per dish. You prep the food, we handle the light and the capture. Full usage rights included. Additional dishes billed at $45 each.

Creative Tier

Styled Food Photography

$1,800–$2,500

Half-Day Session

For hero shots, campaigns, and imagery that needs staging and direction, not just documentation.

3 to 4 hours on location. Staging, props, and creative direction included. Scope confirmed on a short planning call before booking.

Space Tier

Space & Atmosphere

$1,200–$1,800

Per Session

For your dining room, bar, and entrance, shot the way they actually feel to a guest.

Multiple lighting setups in one visit, timed to the best available light for each area. Requires the space to be staged and guest-ready. Planning call required before booking.

Full Day Package

The Full Day Shoot

Everything, built into one day on location.

$3,500

6–8 Hours On Location

For restaurants that want their full content library built in one visit instead of spread across weeks. One trip, one setup, everything shot and edited together.

Up to 20 menu & delivery dishes

2–3 styled hero shots with staging

Space & atmosphere coverage

3–5 short video clips for reels

Booked separately, this scope runs $4,500+ across four sessions. Built into one day, it's $3,500, real savings from covering more ground in a single visit, not a discount gimmick.

Don't See Exactly What You Need?

Every restaurant is different. If none of these packages fit where you are right now, reach out and we will build something around your specific situation.

Let's Talk

Most clients start with a Menu & Delivery session to see the work firsthand.
Rescheduling requires 48 hours notice, one free reschedule per booking. Cancellations inside 24 hours are billed at 50% of the session fee. No-shows are billed in full.

Add Ons

Build Your Own Stack

Layer any of these onto your session or use them as standalone additions.

Voices of the Business

$300–$500

Short interview-style video with a staff member or owner, built for social media and your website.

Reel Clips

$150–$250

3 to 5 short cinematic pan clips added to any session, built for Instagram and TikTok reels.

Additional Dish

$45 / dish

Beyond the 15 dishes included in a Menu & Delivery session.

Drone Imagery

Quoted per site

Available for select locations, pricing based on site and permission requirements.

Final scope and investment confirmed on a short call before booking. Extended usage (paid advertising, franchise use, third-party licensing) is quoted separately from standard web and social usage.

Common Questions

Before You Book.

How long does a typical session take?

A Menu & Delivery session runs 2 hours on site. Styled Food and Space & Atmosphere sessions run 3 to 4 hours. The Full Day Shoot runs 6 to 8 hours. Editing happens after the shoot and is delivered separately.

How long until I get my photos back?

Menu & Delivery sessions are typically delivered within 3 to 5 business days. Styled, Space & Atmosphere, and Full Day sessions run 5 to 10 business days depending on scope. Rush delivery is available as an add on.

Can I use the photos for ads and delivery apps like DoorDash and Grubhub?

Yes. Standard packages include full usage for your website, social media, menus, and delivery platforms. Paid advertising, franchise use, or third-party licensing is quoted separately.

Do I need to prep the food myself?

For Menu & Delivery sessions, yes, your kitchen preps the dish the way it's normally served and we handle the light and the capture. Styled Food sessions include creative direction and staging on our end.

What if I need more than 15 dishes in one session?

Additional dishes are billed at $45 each beyond the 15 included in a Menu & Delivery session, or the 20 included in a Full Day Shoot.

Do you travel outside of Charlotte?

Yes, for Space & Atmosphere and Full Day sessions outside the immediate Charlotte area, travel is quoted based on distance during your planning call.

What's your rescheduling and cancellation policy?

Rescheduling requires 48 hours notice, with one free reschedule per booking. Cancellations inside 24 hours are billed at 50% of the session fee. No-shows are billed in full.

Let's Talk

Ready to Own
Your Story?

Every great client relationship starts the same way, with a real conversation. Book a free 20-minute discovery call below. No pitch. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about where your brand is and where it could go.

Direct Contact

Phone

980-699-8862

theapartment5a@gmail.com

Location

Charlotte, NC

Service Area

Charlotte, NC — serving restaurants throughout the Charlotte metro area

Where Hospitality, Culture & Community Meet.