Photographing the tasting, the food and the people for TUI


In June 2022, I photographed the vineyard experience at Cantina del Vesuvio for TUI, creating a collection that covered the host’s welcome, wine tasting, lunch and time among the vines. The brief was to show the whole experience, including the conversation, fun and atmosphere that a photograph of a wine bottle alone cannot explain.


I was TUI’s Global Photography Manager at the time and helped develop the approach to bringing more people into its excursion imagery. For this assignment, local TUI Musement staff volunteered as models. I combined photographs taken as the experience unfolded with scenes I arranged, working around a restaurant that remained open to other visitors.


It is a good example of my travel and tourism photography: showing the place, what happens there, and what it feels like to spend time there.



The assignment at a glance


Photographed for: TUI

Location: Cantina del Vesuvio, near Mount Vesuvius, Italy

Date: June 2022

My role: Global Photography Manager, helping develop the approach and photographing the assignment

People featured: Local TUI Musement staff volunteering as models, alongside vineyard staff

Coverage: Hosted experience, wine tasting, lunch, lifestyle photographs, vineyard views and aerial photography


The vineyard was one stop on a wider Italy assignment that began around Naples before continuing to Rome and Milan. The in-resort team selected the TUI Collection excursions we photographed, connecting the shoot to specific experiences the business wanted to promote.


This article is part of my Naples photography series. My Pompeii excursion photography for TUI covers another part of the assignment, using the same local staff as models.

Two women laugh while walking between rows of green grapevines on a sunny vineyard tour, with other visitors following behind.
Three smiling women holding glasses of white wine while walking through a sunlit vineyard with green grapevines during a wine tasting.
Friends raise glasses of rosé wine in a toast outdoors among sunlit green vineyard leaves while a smiling woman looks on.

What needed to come across in the photographs?


The brief went beyond the wine. I needed to capture the talk, the tasting, the food, the setting and the enjoyment of being there together.


That meant balancing several kinds of photographs. The vineyard views establish the location. A host talking to the group shows the guided element. Photographs around the table explain the lunch, while closer details give the food and wine their own space.


The people connect those parts. Someone listening, a shared laugh or a group raising their glasses gives the viewer something to recognise from their own experience of spending a day out with others.


For an operator selling a vineyard visit, that variety matters. A beautiful landscape can introduce the venue, but the rest of the collection needs to explain what the customer will actually do there.



How much was natural, and how much was staged?


The people in these photographs were TUI Musement staff helping with the shoot, rather than paying customers. That gave me room to direct particular scenes while still photographing an actual hosted experience.


I recall the vineyard guide giving the group their usual talk. I photographed around them as that happened, then arranged additional shots where needed. There was no need to script every interaction when the host already had something to show and explain.


The lunch needed a slightly different approach. I arranged the photographs I wanted before everyone started eating, then continued photographing around the table afterwards.


I generally avoid photographing people mid-mouthful. It is rarely anyone’s best look. The conversation, anticipation and laughter around a meal are usually much more useful for this kind of imagery.


For me, directing a scene and allowing people to be themselves can sit quite comfortably together. I can organise a photograph without needing everyone to hold a fixed smile and stare at the camera.



Giving the food its own space


I photographed the food separately on a clean table away from the group. Lovely dappled light helped give these images the feel of an outdoor lunch.


Separating the food photographs from the group scenes made a practical difference. I could arrange the dishes and work on the composition without trying to photograph around everyone’s lunch at the same time.


The two sets of images do different jobs. The food photographs show what was served during the shoot. The photographs with people show the social side of sitting down together. Both belonged in the collection.


It is something I would build into a similar brief: allow a little space and coordination for the food itself, alongside the photographs of people enjoying the experience. Trying to do everything at a busy table can make both harder than they need to be.

Bottles of Vesuvio Lacryma Christi rosato wine with black labels from Cantina del Vesuvio, chilling together in an ice bucket.
Two wine glasses, one with white wine and one with red wine, sit on a rustic stone ledge against a sunlit, blurred green vineyard backdrop.

Working around a busy restaurant


The restaurant was open as usual, with plenty of other people there. We did not have an empty venue to arrange entirely around the photography.


I used quieter areas to set up some of the photographs, particularly the food. Having staff models available meant I could organise those scenes without depending on the movements of unrelated diners.


That is an important part of photographing an operating tourism business. The venue still has customers to look after, and the shoot needs to fit into that setting. A quieter corner or a separate table can be more useful than trying to force a photograph in the busiest part of the restaurant.


For anyone planning a similar assignment, I would discuss those spaces with the venue beforehand. Knowing where we can work, and who can help coordinate the food, gives the photography a much better starting point.



Showing the vineyard from the ground and the air


Alongside the tasting and lunch, I photographed the group among the vines and captured wider views with Mount Vesuvius behind the vineyard.


Those photographs give the experience its setting. They connect the close-up details of glasses, bottles and food with the landscape around them.


I also took the drone up to photograph the vineyard from above. The aerial views show the rows of vines, the buildings and their relationship to the mountain in a way that is difficult to communicate from a table or a path through the vineyard.


I use drone and aerial photography where that wider perspective adds useful information. Here, the ground-level photographs bring you into the experience, while the aerial images help you understand the place around it.



Where are the photographs being used?


In October 2026, photographs from this June 2022 shoot are still appearing on TUI’s Mount Vesuvius crater tour with authentic lunch at a vineyard listing.


The page uses a photograph of the group raising their glasses as its main image, alongside food photographs from the same shoot. It is a useful example of how different parts of a collection work together on an excursion page: the people introduce the atmosphere, while the food adds detail about the experience.


These are photographs from the 2022 assignment. The linked listing is the place to check the experience currently being offered.



Explore the example client gallery


You can browse more of the work in my Naples tourism photography example gallery.


It presents a selection from the wider assignment in the format of a client delivery gallery, with individual locations organised into tabs. It gives prospective clients a fuller view of the work than a handful of portfolio highlights.


Downloads, favouriting and the store are disabled in this public example. The features in your own gallery are set up to suit your project.



More from the Naples photography assignment


This series covers different parts of the same June 2022 assignment, from heritage attractions and outdoor excursions to food, wine and city life.


Plates of spaghetti topped with fresh tomato sauce and hearty meatballs garnished with green basil leaves on a checkered tablecloth.
Three friends laughing and chatting at an outdoor restaurant table with drinks and a bottle of wine under a patio umbrella.
Two glasses of rosé wine sit on an outdoor café table beside a basket of fresh bread and a plate of colorful bruschetta.

Guided-tour photography FAQs

What should we send you before a food or wine tourism shoot?

Send the experience description, the itinerary or service timings, the elements that must appear and examples of where you will use the photographs. Tell me who can take part and who will coordinate things on location. My guide to planning tour and excursion photography explains what to include in the wider brief.

Does an attraction need to close for a photography shoot?

Not necessarily. The restaurant at Cantina del Vesuvio remained open during this shoot, and I used quieter areas for some of the arranged photographs. Whether that works for your project depends on the space, service timings and coverage needed.

Can you photograph a UK vineyard or food experience?

Yes. I work across the UK and internationally. A standalone vineyard visit, food experience or larger destination assignment can all be discussed around the coverage you need and the way the business operates.

Aerial view of lush vineyards and white farm buildings with a volcano rising under a blue sky in the background.

Planning photography for your vineyard, tour or destination?

 

I work with experience operators, visitor attractions and destination marketing teams to photograph the places and activities they want people to discover.


If you would like prices, availability or more information, tell me where the shoot would take place, what you want covered, any dates you have in mind and where the photographs will be used. You do not need a finished brief before getting in touch.

 

Get in touch for prices and more information
Five smiling hikers take a group selfie on a rocky volcanic slope with steam rising and white clouds in a blue sky behind them.

 

About the author

 

Lee Charlton is a commercial travel and tourism photographer with more than 16 years of professional experience. As TUI’s Global Photography Manager, he photographed destinations, excursions and activities for the business and helped develop the approach used on this assignment.


Based in the UK, he now works with tourism businesses, visitor attractions and destination marketing teams across the UK and internationally.

Learn more about Lee Charlton