Tips on how to select props for Food Photography

Food photography props can be defined as materials used in photographing food. Plates, cutleries or silverware, napkins, glassware, background surface, raw foods, and so on are some of the materials classified as props. The process of selecting props can get a bit complicated when you’re limited by the color of the plate or pattern that takes away the beauty of the dish. It can be more daunting when the dish does not match the size of the prop and many other factors. In today’s write-up, I will be sharing tips on how to select props for food photography.

• Acquire more neutral-colored props
Neutral colors are unarguably the best type of color in food photography and they enhance your ability to create mouthwatering food photos. Any type of dish can be photographed on a neutral-colored plate or cup.

• Shapes and Sizes
Food familiarity goes a long way in understanding shapes and sizes. Round shaped plates are more appealing to the eye but due to some type of dishes, you should consider acquiring some square-shaped props. For instance, a bread loaf pan would be great to tell a fresh out of the oven photo story or a cooling rack for a brownie and so on.

• Cutleries or Silverware
There are two classifications of cutleries in food photography. They are vintage and modern cutleries or silverware. Vintage cutleries are the old cutleries from the 1900s to the late 1980s. They are beautifully crafted with patterns and visually appealing. Vintage cutleries are used frequently due to their matt quality and ability to stop light reflection while modern cutleries are known for their lovely shapes, they do not have the matt finish hence the possibility of more human and light reflection. Depending on your taste and style, you can decide on what’s best for you.

• Napkins
My mum is a napkin lover. In my early days as a child, she would hoard beautiful napkins for special days like Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. When they make their special appearance, I always admire them. Napkins add an interesting perspective to your food photo. The best types are the cotton ones either plain or patterned.

• Glassware
Glassware is used for drinks and semiliquid foods. The same categories for cutleries apply to glassware. Sometimes, the vintage version of glassware has beautiful patterns that add to visual appeal. One day, I walked into a large grocery store, selected all the glassware options they had, and paid for it. You can be like me if you’re that adventurous.

I discovered that one of the best ways to navigate props selection is by creating a mood board for every shoot. While going through your mood board, you can pay attention to the types of props used in photographing the dish. Don’t forget I’m a DM away if you need further clarification.

Anjola Awosika’s love for food birthed the idea to photograph it. He is self-taugh and a graduate of YouTube. He started shooting food professionally in 2018. Since then, he has shot hundreds of dishes. Currently, he works as the official photographer for Livvy’s Twist Cake Company. He has also worked with chefs like Chef Fregz. He is passionate about the food industry in Africa and I want to be among the game changers. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.