Food Photography Tip #2: try using small plates, bowls, and utensils
In most cases I much prefer to use small bowls, plates, and utensils in my food photos because:
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the food looks contained and doesn’t wander on the plate
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easier to fill, ie: like when photographing ice cream in multiple bowls
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the amount of food looks more plentiful
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brings more focus to the photo
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highlights the food instead of distracting attention away from it
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easier to fit multiple plates/bowls into the frame
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small props cost less
I like to check Crate + Barrel, Anthropologie, CB2, and World Market for small pops. Crate + Barrel is one of my favorites because they have a lot of matte colored items and change their stock frequently [search “appetizer plates”].
This smaller bowl helps bring your eye to the center strawberry, as opposed to the above photo where the strawberries kind of wander..
$3.95, 5-inch bowl from C+B
Too much white space.
Using a small plate in this photo creates shadows around the edge and contains the toast without causing a distraction.
$3 appetizer plate from C+B – [same plate as above, only smaller]
In this photo using a large plate leaves a messy feeling.
However, using a large plate is still okay! Try adding a few extra touches to bring more interest to the photo.
These smaller, 4.5-inch wide bowls from World Market [very old, not sure on price] were perfect for this soup. I was able to get everything I wanted in the frame and still leave open space to help balance the photo.
$2.95, 6-inch plates below from C+B
Check out these tiny, 3-inch wide bowls from Anthropologie. I have four and absolutely love them. I think they were $3 each? The mini spoons were from C+B years ago and were $1-2.
It is so much easier to fill up a tiny bowl when shooting ice cream!
Small props rule. Don’t you think?
Hope you enjoyed another food photography tip!
Ashley