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Emily Benson 4/6/21 Emily Benson 4/6/21

Food Photography Tips & Prop Ideas

The first type of photography I learned was food photography. It also happens to be my favorite! Getting just the right angle, creatively staging the menu, and, of course, tasting the food or drinks is something I love to do. If you’re looking to take some food or drink photos, here are some tips and props I have found useful over the years:

Have a plan

It goes for any photography, but know what the images are going to be used for and plan accordingly. For example, if it’s going to be used for instagram you’ll want to make sure all the elements fit into a square. If you’re looking for a hero image for your website with text overlay, you’ll want a horizontal image with blank space in the area the text will go.

Avoid using a flash

Avoid using a flash with food photography as it can create a glare on the item. Shoot in natural light to capture the true color of the food items.

Reduce the clutter

Don’t add objects into the photo unless it serves a specific purpose. If the item is looking lonely by itself, adding the individual ingredients that go into the food item can bring a nice dynamic.

Play with the focal point

Which element in the picture do you want to pop? In the first image below I focused in on the smoothie. In the second, the ingredients.

Get the close-up shot

If you’re using the photo for social media, make sure to get some nice close-ups! From my experience, these photos get the most interaction.

Utilize motion & add a human element

Pouring a drink, cutting a cake, or reaching for a plate are easy ways to add a sense of movement to the photo. Tip: ask the model to keep moving as if they are actually eating the food, taking a drink, etc and keep snapping photos. It’ll look less staged than if they just hold a pose.

Graze Kitchen Coffee and Valentine’s Day Charcuterie Board

Use a Tripod

For overhead shots, use a tripod to get steady and consistent shots. Tripods are also great for capturing photos you can later turn into stop motion videos.

keep it Neutral

Use neutral backgrounds to make the colors in the food pop or for when you will need to create a graphic with text overlaid.

Get the group shots

After capturing the individual shots, I always make sure to take some group shots. There’s something a bit more interesting in seeing all the items at once versus by themselves.

I don’t use a lot of props with food photography but these are a few favorites:

Walnut Jut Board & Napkins

While I think letter boards can be tacky sometimes, I love this walnut board! It is great for when you want to add some description to a photograph. I also like using napkins as a way to incorporate texture or a pop of color to the photo. The one pictured below is made by The Indigo Tribe and is sold at KitschVA.

Fruitive Meals at Home Cooler Bag with Walnut Jut Board, The Indigo Tribe Napkin, Crate & Barrel Plate, and Glass from MacDonald’s Nursery

Newspaper, Menus & reusable straws

There’s nothing quite so nice as reading a physical newspaper. A newspaper or paper menu are easy prop ideas to add an extra element to the shot. Capturing a drink? A metal, glass or bamboo straw can make for a fun addition.

Fruitive ABC Waffle & Dragon Berry Liquid Meal

Fruitive Peaches N’ Greens Liquid Meal with Reusable Glass Straw

Vessel Craft Nitro Cold Brew with Reusable Metal Straw

Hand carved spoon

If you need to use a spoon, make it unique! I got this hand carved spoon from a local wood worker, Nelson Wooden Boats. I use it as my daily coffee scoop but it also makes it into a lot of my photography that features dry ingredients like coffee beans or tea leaves.

Wood board

In the shot below, the wood board helps break up the white space and ground the objects. When it comes to adding materials, I love using natural woods. This particular board is from Target but I have a couple of Hill Woodwork charcuterie boards which I love to use, too.

Fresh flowers or seasonal items

Fresh flowers in the summer or items like pumpkins and pinecones in the fall can help subtly signal a seasonal menu change.

Graze Kitchen FaPumpkin Smoothie — Graze Kitchen Fall Pumpkin Smoothie

I hope you found these tips helpful! I’d love to know, which food or drink looked the tastiest to you? Comment below!

Cheers,
Emily

Emily Benson 10/1/20 Emily Benson 10/1/20

Q&A with Owner of Purely Elderberry & Wellness

I recently had the opportunity to take product photos for Perry O’Rourke and wanted to introduce her with a Q & A! Perry is an entrepreneur, mom and owner of Purely Elderberry and Wellness, where she makes delicious elderberry syrup and teas.

How did the idea for your business come about?

The idea for Purely came about when my son turned one. His sweet little immune system was not great and I worked very hard to help him get adequate nutrients to stay healthy. Then we started using my homemade Elderberry and it completely transformed our lives. My son was not catching colds as often and was able to sleep through the night without a stuffy nose. I knew it was helping him and I knew other mothers needed this. So I started sharing with other moms and things just took off.

One thing you’ve learned this year?

I’ve learned so much this year. I’d say the most important thing I’ve learned is to put my marriage first. I was putting my son and business first, of course these two are incredibly important but I’ve learned when I put my marriage up there with as important as my son and business I’m the most successful.

What inspires you?

There is so much that inspires me. I’m inspired by the healing journey I see so many people choosing these days. To get healthy and stay healthy. Choosing to live and not just survive. Choosing to use holistic approaches instead of conventional. That is inspiring to me. I’m inspired by other women entrepreneurs that have families and are still getting it done and being successful. I’m inspired by healthy marriages and friendships. I’m inspired by people who keep their peace when everything seems to be thrown at them.

If you could give yourself advice when you started your business what would it have been?

Pace yourself. I’m very thankful for my start and how quickly things grew and succeeded. I’m so thankful. I would have just paced myself and hired my team sooner than I did. It was just me for a while. Then my husband said I needed to hire someone, so we did! And I’m so thankful for her.

How do you relax after a stressful day?

I try not to have stressful days anymore. I work hard to stay calm and focused by drinking a lot of water, one cup of green tea and keeping a balanced diet. Stress can cause a lot of health issues. So I take CBD and certain vitamins, minerals and supplements to help my body stay in a peaceful state. If a stressful moment sneaks up on me I will use calming essential oils and sit in my portable sauna for 30 minutes to sweat and read some scriptures to help.

Are there any tools you use that help you in your business?

Emily has been a wonderful resource and tool for Purely. I have a beautiful website because of her and I know my business runs better because of her help and expertise.

Any new products or exciting things in the works for Purely Elderberry? Or future dream?

Purely will be announcing new products this winter! We will have our first full line of nourishing Teas. I’ve always loved tea, and I’ve always been a green tea drinker. There are so many benefits to drinking tea or sipping on it through out the day. It’s filled with minerals and nutrients that our body needs. I’m excited to share this line.

My future dream is to have Purely Elderberry and Wellness in every Whole Foods, MOMs Organic Market, and Natural Food Store across America! I know how much it has helped our family and the many families that have purchased, so I’d like to grow and help millions.

You can learn more about Perry and order her delicious products at www.purelyelderberrywellness.com or by following her on social media at @purelyelderberry.