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Props and Undergrounds
No worries, I’m not about editing the heck out of my photos all of a sudden and give my kiddo alien eyes, this is just me throwing a little artistic freedom into the equation! I’ll behave now!
When it comes to props, it’s true that as a food blogger you can never have enough. I greedily admit to having half my attic filled to the brim with props, props and more props. I go out and search for them—it’s my favorite pastime—but mostly in second-hand stores; I don’t do expensive china.
I take to old & used things. You know, the kind of props that add to a photo because they have a story and a life of use behind hem. An old and slightly rusty knife, a fork with a worn-out wooden handle, a set of lightly cracked plates that remind me of the ones my grandma used. Old-school soup bowls. So much prettier than any expensive piece of china could ever be.
Having said that, what surprises me is people who step into food blogging and right away invest in tons of new bowls, plates and cutlery. Sometimes really expensive stuff. In all honesty; I feel the underground is the most important. When you have a decent underground, you don’t always need props.
Heck, a piece of crumpled up paper goes a long way, like I used for my Tanane or Roasted Veggies & Salami Bread shots.
I have always invested in wood. Different types of wood: driftwood, floor boards, chopping boards, serving trays, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s made of wood I can use it. I have serving trays in all sizes, shapes, colors, with and without cracks, special handles, you name it I have it.
Changing the underground gives you the opportunity to change the feel of your photos, creating new looks even if you do not own a huge collection of props (yet).
Let me show you the difference the underground makes. Just a few basic SOOC shots.
This is my regular chopping board. Nothing fancy. It’s how you would see a step-by-step photo in my posting on any given day.
Now here are the same green beans. Same angle, same light, same camera settings but a different underground. Totally different feel to it, right?
This wooden serving tray cost me €5,95. The beans were €1,39. The photo opportunities? Priceless.
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That is a mastercard commercial “Priceless” En ja het is waar ik ben gek van theedoekjes ;)
@Arrisje:
Weet ik! :) Vooral geruite theedoeken zijn leuk.
I totally agree about the photo background. Sometimes I think the back/underground is more important than the dishes and other props. It really sets the mood for the whole photograph as you’ve shown.
Thanks for the reminder Kay – I tend to shoot “lazy” with the same white underground and frankly the photos get boring. Without any shopping I already have a million things I can use so will start pulling them out for my shots!
Brilliant! The ‘underground’ is something I haven’t given a lot of thought to in my food photography (yes, I’m a complete novice =). Thanks for the inspiration and ideas!
You know you are my photo blogging goddess. I eagerly soak in all your advice. I am slowly acquiring some pieces and like you the vintage is what sings to my heart…unfortunately all my stuff is at my cabin. Guess that means I need to do some thrifty antique shopping.
I just bought my first DSLR and couldn’t be more excited about taking and editing more pro looking photos of my dishes. I love your photography posts and am looking forward to learning a lot from you, your photos really are the best:)
A friend of mine recently suggested your blog to me. As a new blogger and food photo enthusiast, I am really enjoying your posts on photography and I’m learning a lot. Thank you for all the great information!
Brilliant! I will be going on a hunt at our local flee market. My target would be cutlery & wooden underground! Ha ha…..thanks for your tips!