Introduction
With the advent of Instagram, food photography has gained immense popularity. Every meal has become a potential subject for photographers looking to share their food creations through visually appealing photographs. In the world of #instafood, high-quality imagery often leads to more likes and engagement. However, achieving that styled look in food photographs can be challenging, especially when you’re on a budget. Many people do not have the financial means to invest in a complete styling kit comprising tableware, linens, and backgrounds. But, as the saying goes, ‘necessity is the mother of invention.’ In this article, we will explore creative ways to stretch your budget and achieve captivating food photography.
Shop Your Home
It may seem obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many useful items you can find right in your own home or even in the homes of your friends and relatives. The best part about shopping your home is that everything is free! Start by exploring your kitchen – look beyond crockery and flatware. You’ll find that ancient baking trays can make fantastic backgrounds, and quirky glassware can add interesting details to out-of-focus backgrounds.
Don’t limit your search to just the kitchen. Take a trip to the bathroom and see if any clean soap dishes, with beautiful colors or textures, can serve as a platform for your food. Moving to the living room, vases can hold freshly cut flowers to enhance your food photography scenes. Bedrooms are treasure troves of trinket dishes, baskets, boxes, and fabrics that can be incorporated as textural elements in your shots. Finally, don’t forget to check outside – weathered plant pots and pieces of interesting wood, once cleaned, can bring life to your food stories.
In addition to shopping your home, make regular visits to local thrift shops. The staff there may even start putting aside interesting flatware, ceramics, and linens knowing your preferences. The best part is that items at thrift shops are significantly cheaper compared to buying new ones.
Creating Backgrounds and Surfaces with Interest
When setting the scene for a styled food photograph, the background plays a crucial role in making or breaking the shot. While you can purchase pre-made background boards specifically designed for photographers, they tend to be quite expensive. However, you can create your own backgrounds that are equally effective and budget-friendly.
Head to your local DIY store that sells sheet materials, such as plywood. Ideally, find a store that offers free or minimal-cost cutting services. A 2.4m by 1.2m sheet of plywood can cost around £25 in the UK, which can be divided into eight neat 60cm square boards. Additionally, you can paint both sides of the plywood, allowing for more versatility. By using cheap emulsion paint samplers, you can create backgrounds with bold and unique designs. Experiment with different colors, as dark backgrounds can be just as interesting as light ones.
Build the Set
Once you have created your backdrops, the next step is to assemble a set for your food photography. Place one backdrop on a table next to a window and prop another backdrop vertically behind it, creating a wall-like effect. This simple setup mimics a professional table set but at a fraction of the cost.
While at the DIY store, consider browsing the flooring section. Often, DIY shops sell sample flooring tiles for people to try at home. These tiles, which can be quite affordable, can serve as interesting backgrounds for close-up shots in food photography. They may also be suitable for photographing jewelry.
Customized Table Linens
Table linens can add a touch of elegance and elevate your food shots. Look for linens with unique textures or fancy trims that catch the eye. Buying expensive linens is not necessary; you can create your own designer napkins at a fraction of the cost.
Visit a fabric store that sells dressmaking fabrics and look through their selection of linen fabrics. Opt for heavyweight fabrics with interesting textures. Purchase half a meter of fabric, which should yield at least two large squares for napkins. To achieve a more polished finish, you can sew the raw edges with matching thread, or you can fray the edges for a different look. Consider the color of the fabric to complement the mood you want to evoke in your food shots. Start with neutral colors and gradually venture into more vibrant hues once you have established a solid foundation.
Many fabric shops also sell ‘fat quarters,’ which are rectangles cut from a meter of fabric. These cuts are the perfect size for single oversized napkins, allowing you to create more intricate designs once you have mastered the basic techniques.
Embellish Your DIY Props
Designer table linens often feature intricate details like trim or hand-stitching on the edges. You can achieve a similar effect by adding coordinating trim to your DIY napkins. Head back to the fabric shop and search for trim that matches the fabric you’ve chosen.
Secure the trim around the edges of your napkins by sewing it or using fabric glue. Remember that functionality is not as important as visual appeal when it comes to food styling props. Arrange your props in a way that hides any mistakes, ensuring that only the best side is visible to the camera.
The Proof is in the Pudding
In food photography, success is measured by how much the viewer desires to consume the subject. By applying the strategies mentioned above – shopping your home, creating backgrounds, buying fabric and trim, and incorporating embellished props – you can create captivating food photography sets without breaking the bank.
For less than £15, you can assemble two completely different food photography sets that can be reused time and time again. Additionally, if you find yourself dissatisfied with the backgrounds in the future, you can simply paint over them and continue experimenting. Now, it’s your turn to unleash your creativity and build your own props. Try shooting some food photos using the backgrounds and props you’ve created. Feel free to share your unique creations and ideas in the comments below.
Remember, with a little ingenuity and resourcefulness, you can achieve stunning food photography on a budget. Happy shooting!
The article is compiled and compiled by tipcamera.com
