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.

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.