Let’s say you wanted to start a photography business. And because you have an inherent aptitude for creating banger IG food photos, you’ve set your sights on becoming a professional food photographer.
So you’ve scrounged up enough camera gear and have mastered the technical side of photography in preparation for your next big career leap. Problem is, you can’t stage a set for your food photography to save your life.
If that sounds like you, don’t worry! Focus on getting the most essential pieces of food photography props first and build your collection from there. So whether you’re looking to make money as a professional photographer for the first time, or a pro looking to expand their skillset, these food photography props will help you get started with food styling.
Oh and if you’re looking for other props in other areas of photography, checkout are recent article on the Best Newborn Photography Props.
#1 Neutral Dishware – Matte White Ceramics and Enamelware
Neutral Dishware Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash
Let’s start with the basics. You probably have nice dinner plates and bowls lying around at home that you can use for your food photography. However, make sure that the plates don’t have too many loud details and patterns, as it’ll take the attention away from the food and into your dishware instead.
So if you need to go shopping for a new set of serving items, go for something that is a little more neutral to start. This set of 4, matte white ceramic plates with an elegant accent on the rims will do beautifully. As you can see from the image above, the clean design on the dinner plates don’t take away from the subject, but rather giving it a nice “pop” and draw a clear line between the dish and the background.
#2 Wooden Utensils – Ladles, Spatulas, Spoons, Forks, Sporks!
Photo by Ala on Unsplash
You wouldn’t want your main dish sitting lonely at the center of the shot every time. Adding visual interest in your photos can be easily done by including relevant visual elements that’ll build more of the look you’re going for.
Simple silverware can do the job most of the time, but there will be scenarios where you’ll want to follow a motif to your shots. For example, if you were going for more of a farmhouse theme for a set of dishes, you might want to look into wooden kitchen utensils to complete the theme. Simply including a wooden ladle, spatula, or a salad fork next to your bowls and plates is a surefire way of getting rid of too much negative space.
#3 Linen Tea Towels – Introduce Soft Textures
Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash
Get a nice balance between the hard and soft elements in your shot by using linen tea towels, also known as dish towels. Their soft surfaces and often interesting patterns and textures lend a nice contrast to the otherwise brutalist aesthetic of just using pure hard surfaces.
You could also use dishcloths to instantly evoke a certain feeling to your images if you know what you’re doing. For example, a nice set of clean folded white napkins could connote a classy dinner, while these gorgeous linen tea towels just like in the photo above can introduce a sense of handiwork poured into preparing such meals.
#4 Use Food as Props!
Photo by Shree Iyer on Unsplash
Now here’s something that you might not have considered when coming up with a shopping list for food photography props. One of the best things you can do for your photos is to use other types of food to add more depth to your shots,
One thing to note about using food as props is that they should be contextual. You wouldn’t want eggshells randomly strewn around the frame… when you’re trying to shoot a bowl of pasta. It just wouldn’t work, and frankly, it wouldn’t look good. Find connections between the types of food you want to include in your photo and your subject. The photo above uses coffee beans as a nice foreground element, and it just makes sense because coffee and cakes go well together.
#5 Get Interesting Chopping Boards – Add Dimensions to your Composition
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash
Add depth to your compositions and start thinking about layers. There’s always the foreground, the middleground, and the background. Whichever area you choose to place your subject on, one trick you could use to make your dish pop is by literally elevating it using a nice chopping board.
Chopping boards are the Swiss army knives of food styling, as you can use it as a sort of serving platter, or another background element in your shot. So if you do decide to pick up a couple of cutting boards for your stash of props, look for something more interesting than a plain, sad plank of wood. Pick chopping boards that have beautiful wood grains, and preferably, those that have an aged look to them as they lend extra authenticity to the shot. Clinically spotless utensils wouldn’t sell the “real, worked-on” kitchen look as effective as more vintage-looking ones.
You can find really good deals on these at Ross, TJ Maxx or Home Goods.
#6 Pick up a Set of Photo Boards – Dress up your Set in Seconds
Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash
Not a lot of people have the storage space to keep three to six, honest to goodness tables with varying textures and moods to match any project that’ll come their way. So the practical thing to do is get yourself familiar with some Hollywood movie magic and pick up a nice assortment of photo boards.
These awesome photo boards will let you overhaul your set in less than a minute. Did you start styling a scene with a fun, vibrant set but now want a slightly moody, rustic theme like the photo above? Just put on a photo board like this one with gorgeous wood grain and get pretty much the same look going in an instant. Quality artificial backdrops have non-reflective surfaces, are waterproof, and looks super realistic, so stock up on these and make your life as a food photographer a lot easier.
#7 Get Nice Tablecloths
Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash
As we’ve established pretty early on the list, linens are awesome for food photography. So it won’t be surprising to know that linen tablecloths are a staple in every food photographer’s bag of props. This material just has that soft, beautiful, natural texture that is not too distracting and is a welcome presence in a lot of compositions.
Again, if you’re not sure about which colors to get, stick with neutral colors like white, slightly off-white and beige sheets. This elegant, 100% pure linen tablecloth could be a very good starting point for new food photographers looking for an easier “canvas” to work with, especially when going for more straightforward compositions like the shot above.
#8 Gold Flatware – Bring a Touch of Luxury to your Photos
Photo by Hanna Balan on Unsplash
Gold spoons, forks, and knives will look fantastic on compositions where you’re trying to bring out a festive or luxurious vibe to your shots. Traditional foods and desserts come to mind. So if you think you’re going to be shooting where you’re not afraid to go a little fancy with the props, then this amazing set of golden cutlery will do nicely. For the flatware, I’d recommend matte to cut down on the reflections.
You’ll get a lot of mileage from these stainless steel flatware with an expertly done gold coating to sell the effect. Just imagine your favorite confectionery on a ceramic luncheon plate, nestled in a nice and dim set, and with a gorgeous looking golden spoon perched on the plating’s rim — now that’s how you style desserts.