The Language of Food Photography Part 6 | Finding Your Style with Meeta K. Wolff
Part one and part two of the series discuss how to see more creatively by using the elements and principles of design. In part three professional prop stylist Paula Walters shares her tips on how to choose the right props for your images. For part four, food stylist Tami Hardeman answers your questions on food styling. In part five of the series, food and still life photographer Ilva Beretta talks about creating moods in food photography.
Today food blogger and food photographer Meeta K. Wolff is here to wrap up the concepts we have explored with some practical advice on where to start when styling and propping your food photos.
A freelance food photographer, stylist and writer, Meeta currently lives in Weimar, Germany with her husband and son. Her blog What’s for Lunch, Honey? is where you’ll find her sharing her favorite fresh, organic and multi-cultural dishes. You can find her professional work at Meeta K. Wolff Photography. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. Welcome Meeta!
The first step to creating a really excellent food photo is neither the styling nor the fancy props. First and foremost is learning how to use your camera and how to harness the light and lighting situations to capture the perfect image.
Capturing a really good food image is a process of many elements and each needs equal care and attention. When I talk at conferences and at our Plate to Page workshops , one of the things we discuss are the 6 basic aspects, as I see it, of food photography:
1. Camera
2. Light and Lighting
3. Color
4. Texture
5. Focus
6. Styling and Props
Each one aspect is as important to master as the next, but it is the process of learning each element and how they complement each other that will give you a better creative control over your images. Once you know how to make each aspect work for you it will be a lot easier to find your own style. And that is what you are aiming for – your style and your creativity – not someone else’s.
Before you go diving into overly styled or overly propped images make sure you know everything you need to about each individual element, like lighting for example. Lighting has the biggest visible impact on your images and, fact is, if your lighting is bad so will be your photograph and no fancy styling will help improve that.
Styling and selecting the right props for your images is definitely not rocket science, they are creative elements and it is just an art one needs to develop. Just like painting (or any other activity), one needs to experiment and practice before the masterpiece can be painted. Eventually you will train your eye to find the right style and select the appropriate props that evoke the required mood or atmosphere for the shot.
Once you know the fundamental elements of styling it is easy to take the next step and build up on the basics. This article is addressed to the food bloggers and food photographers who stand at the beginning of the road to styling and propping.
Usually your budget will not allow you to equip yourself with a complete prop closet (is there even such a thing as a complete prop closet?), which contains everything a professional prop stylist might have access to. I have to warn you though that this aspect of food photography can become addictive and costly along the road. However, with a few clever tricks and essentials you will be able to take first affordable steps towards styling your scene.
So, when does one start thinking about styling and selecting the right props for a shot? Believe it or not I usually begin at the market or the grocery store.
When selecting the ingredients I begin thinking about the dish they will go in. I absorb the color, texture and begin thinking about the props and backgrounds that will highlight them.
Then, while going through the recipe I begin to make the first decisions as to the props I can use. Natural props are a great and easy way to add subtle highlights to your shot. Everything from herbs, spices, fruit, nuts, vegetables, sugar, peppercorns and more, can be used while you compose your scene.
Make a note of the ingredients that go into the dish and save the best looking ones as your natural props. You might eventually decide not to use them in your final composition, but it is useful to have them just in case you do.
While preparing your dish allow your thoughts to explore the atmosphere you want to create, the mood you want to evoke and the story you want to tell.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Is this dish/cake/recipe summery, rustic, autumny … etc.?
- What event am I making this for – birthday, Valentine’s, picnic … etc.?
- What memories do I have attached with this dish/recipe?
Nine out of ten times this process will give you further direction to finding the right composition and style for the shot.
Now that you have your first natural props set aside and you have an idea about the atmosphere and mood you want to create, you can think about the props that will help you to set the scene.
It’s always important to remember that food is your real star and the props you use are there to help you enhance the scene and the appearance of the photograph.
Keep your styling simple and clean instead of overdoing it with extravagant props. Start with just a couple of pieces and evaluate the set-up. Then, build it up from here by adding more – but only if required.
- Use simple colored plates/bowls: whites and pastels work best and highlight the food more.
- Use colorful napkins, accessories, fabric and backgrounds to place a splash of color where required.
- Think about the atmosphere and mood you are aiming to create. Go with deep warm browns and earthy tones for an intense, rich or dramatic look or use pretty pastels for a delicate, feminine or fun look.
For those who are just starting to discover prop styling, having a few basic prop pieces that you can mix and match with each other is quite adequate. If you are on a budget you cannot invest on several items at once but the few basic props will take you a long way.
Basic props to start with:
- Simple plates, bowls, cups and glasses, preferably in light colors. I personally find whites and pastel colors in a very basic design great. They look elegant and clean, allowing me to pair them with bolder colored accessories like napkins.
- A few simple pieces of flatware and a couple of vintage silverware. Remember you are not looking for entire sets of 6 or 8 but just one piece of each and maybe a few cake forks and teaspoons.
- Napkins, fabric, kitchen towels or paper napkins are fun accessories that enliven and break up the image. I usually head out to my fabric store or Ikea and get a meter or two of colorful and patterned fabric that work well as napkins and as backgrounds
This would be the very basic you need to get yourself going. I won’t lie, collecting props will not stop here and eventually you will collect other items along the way. However, with a few of these basic and timeless items you won’t go wrong and they work really well with complementary accessories allowing you quite a bit of versatility.
I’ve always said “Life is like a box of props, you never know what you might find!” With that in mind, I look at the world around me like a big box of props. Think out of the box and be creative when looking for unique and original items you can use as props or backgrounds.
I have no reservations about rummaging through neighbors’ bulk trash. I’ve found some fantastic old pieces that work well for many purposes. The door to an old kitchen cupboard for example, naturally distressed over time, makes a great background, as do old retro pieces of wall paper, kitchen or bathroom tiles, wrapping paper, old wooden crates …. you see the possibilities are endless.
Do not stop at things you can only find at a store, go beyond and look at the world around you as if it was your own personal prop box.
It’s important to analyze color and texture of not only the food but of the entire set-up. Color and texture are two important aspects of photography as both play vital roles on a few levels.
For example, the texture of the ingredients you use and the way you set them up will have an effect on the way the light hits, reflects and bounces off each item. In the same way, light will play the same game with the props you use. Glossy and shiny plates or backgrounds will create more of a glare in comparison to matte colored pieces that provide a more subdued look.
Use color thoughtfully and in moderation. Too many color themes will overkill the image, making the photograph look cheesy and taking away the attention from the main motive – the food. And it will often be the color and tones of the food that will guide you to select a color scheme for your photograph.
Start by analyzing the color and color combinations of your food, then select the background, pick out the bowls/plates and napkins accordingly. There is a lot of potential and room for creativity as you can play around with complementary colors or keep the colors tone in tone, using different shades of the same color, or use analogous colors.
To assist me with my color schemes I sometimes turn to the Color Scheme Designer, which is actually used for web designs but I find it works beautifully for coloring my set-up.
Look at your set-up through the camera viewer. Use your background like you would a canvas and start painting.
The most important advice I can give, however, is while you are experimenting and trying to find the right look for your food images, make sure you stay true to your style and have fun discovering your own versatility. It’s not important to create perfectly styled images right from the beginning. What is more important is taking the time to learn the techniques and finding out what works for you.
My blog best documents my journey through food photography and styling. If you browse through some of my very old posts you will see how I progressed from month to month. I keep these pictures up because I am proud of where the road has taken me over the years. I have learned valuable lessons and have developed my own distinct style. This style now allows me to work more professionally in the field of food photography and styling.
I very strongly believe that copying the styles of popular food bloggers or photographers is definitely not the route to discover your own strengths and weaknesses. Something very vital gets lost along the way to copying – you lose your imagination, creativity and maybe even the passion that drives us. If you do take the jump into professional work you will need all this and also need the flexibility and the techniques to create many different scenes, moods and atmospheres for the magazines or ad agencies you work for.
In our Plate to Page workshops we delve into these and many more aspects of photography a lot deeper and each participant is given enough room and time to research, find and enhance their style. Over a span of an entire weekend we spend a lot of time not only discussing, but with hands on exercises we encourage and guide them to think creatively, out of the box and inspire them with fresh ideas.
Thank you Meeta for wrapping up the series with these wonderful tips on where to start when styling your food photos. For more beautiful food photography and recipes please visit Meeta’s food blog: What’s for Lunch, Honey?
(Writing and photography submitted for this post by Meeta K. Wolff, all rights reserved 2011.)
Read Part 1 of The Language of Food Photography | Learning the Visual Elements of Design.
Read Part 2 of the Language of Food Photography | The Principles of Design.
Read Part 3 of the Language of Food Photography | Prop Styling with Paula Walters.
Read Part 4 of the Language of Food Photography | Food Styling with Tami Hardeman.
Read Part 5 of the Language of Food Photography | Creating Moods with Ilva Beretta.
I hope you’ve enjoyed The Language of Food Photography Series. I’d love to hear your feedback below.
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55 Responses to “The Language of Food Photography Part 6 | Finding Your Style with Meeta K. Wolff”
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A wonderful article! well-written and informative. I really love Meeta’s work.
Cheers,
Rosa
This is so helpful with articulate advice and beautiful photos! Thanks to you both for this.
What can I say? Meeta knows what she is doing, how to say it and how to shoot it! and very well too!
Great piece Meeta. As one of the attendees of the first P2P I can attest to the fact that ‘finding your style’ was the message delivered.
Some great tips here Meeta!
Such a helpful and phenomenal post. So in depth. Thank you for sharing it all, Meeta!
Another wonderfully informative post! There are so many great tips here. Thanks for sharing Meeta!
I love the collection of white crockery, so simple, but so interesting at the same time with the different patterns.
My favorite of the series I believe! Love the pictures and tips and I am definitely going to be getting his book. Thanks a million for this great post series
Super interesting article Meeta! And thanks Sylvie for sharing! We share exactely the same toughts about not copying a style, the way to find your visual voice, etc. as discussed on my last article on Culinographie (in French) http://www.culinographie.com/2011/07/27/chacun-cherche-son-style/
I love Meeta’s work! Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!
Very good article!
Wow….what an enviable prop collection. Meeta, I’m glad you’ve decided ot keep your archives- it helps newcomers like me who and gives us hope. Beautiful pictures.
awesome inspiration!!! Thanks so much!
This post is AMAZING. This is like a good photography book! Amazing! Just amazing. Thank you!
I ADORE this series, Sylvie! Thank you so much for all of the great information and inspiration!!!
wow fabulous tips! Great photos!
thank you for taking the time to create this series. It has been a great tool for learning.
I love this series that you’re doing. It’s so helpful for us bloggers who can’t hire help but can empower ourselves
I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of the posts in this series and have found valuable nuggets of information in every one!!
Thank you so much for putting together this series Sylvie!
Thank you for sharing meeta!
sylvie what an awesome wrapped! appreciate your effort putting all the parts together into one learning room for all of us.
thank you so much sylvie:) you ROCK!
Hello Meeta, thank you for this informative and delightful post!
This has been such a helpful and delightful series Sylvie, I have enjoyed every post
So helpful! I have just started taking photos, and I’m about as bad as anyone can be – you mention so many things I would never even have thought of. Thank-you so much!
Wow these are amazing. Plus its food!
Great post, thanks for sharing! Just discovered your blog – now I’ll have to read the rest of this series.
Thank you all so much for your comments. I am so glad you are finding this (and all of the series) helpful. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!
Great post! I love Meeta’s work as she is a great inspiration.
Meeta is one of my favorite photographers! It’s so great to learn about this from her. Great series, Sylvie!
I couldn’t agree more that prop collecting can be addictive. Please don’t tell my husband. At least it’s cheaper than collecting shoes.
Such great tips and useful hints! Such detail goes into every picture!
Sylvie- you need to bind this up and sell it! I can read this series for hours and hours! I love it!!
Fabulous information!!! If I’m ever half the photographer that you are, I will be thrilled~
What a fantastic food photography article with so many great tips and tricks! Thanks so much for sharing this, Sylvie.
Another great post! Love the Color Scheme Designer, and I am coveting those orange and yellow glasses!
Gorgeous post, and such great and helpful tips to use in our own kitchens! I don’t always have the time to really style a picture, but there are definitely quick and easy things I could incorporate more into my photos.
“Use your background like you would a canvas and start painting.” I absolutely *love* that advice!
What a beautiful post, Sylvie! And the fact that Meeta and you have become iconic in food photography makes the post more readable and informative. Bookmarde for future reference. Great work Sylvie.
Great tut, Meeta! I am really glad about this series, Sylvie! You have brought the best of the lot together and made it easy to try different perspectives! Thank you so much for doing this.
Lovely post Meeta. Informative and very well written.
Sylvie: Thank you for putting together this series. There is just so much to learn from it.
lovely post Meeta; as always, your work is just gorgeous!!!
Meeta has always been such a great inspiration. This post is fabulous. Thanks for sharing her with us
you girls are so good… and I’ve got a lot to learn. Love this photography series!
FABULOUS!! Thanks so much for this whole series Sylvie!!
Meeta is always inspiring! Her approach is perfect and allows us each, urges us to think through the process and achieve something personal. She has a distinct style that she has developed over the years that is unique and so totally her. She is a super talent yet so pure and humble and generous, teaching and sharing her knowledge which is the most inspiring! I love her work!
I’m back from my holiday…Time to start catching up with this interesting series…Thanks a lot!
Styling may be the topic here, I truly appreciate how Meeta highlights that light still has a key role for the success of a good image.
A very interesting series Sylvie.
Informative, Gorgeous and absolutely Inspiring! Great job, Sylvie
Hugs,
Aldy.
I absolutely love this post! It is such a treat .. all that wonderful information and all those gorgeous photos to accompany such an amazing wealth of useful snippets to come back to time and time again! Thanks guys!
A really interesting post. I’m already a fan of Meeta’s and her willingness to share information and remind us of where she started demonstrates her warmth and generosity. Love the colour site link. Great tool.
Im so happy I found your site and your photography tips! I really want to improve my food photography
Thank you for this post!
I’m glad you found it helpful!
Another great guest post, Sylvie! Love what you have done! Gathering all sources
You just gave me more support and inspiration on how to improve on my food blogging skills! Thank you for the brilliant online tutorial (:
I have loved this whole series!! Meeta’s blog was the very first blog I started reading many, many years ago, and it was great to read this from her!
I luv Meeta’s work and was first introduced to her talents when I was part of the Daring Bakers years ago. Great post and insights with breathtaking images.
I’ve missed some of the past posts in this fantastic series you’re sharing, Sylvie. I’m looking forward to reading the rest and am enjoying the subject matter and the featured guests you’ve invited. Thank you for sharing this inspirational series.
Incredible series! Loved it, and it was so useful to be able to print out too, so I can refer back to it, and keep learning. Thanks so much!
Simply elegant and beautiful!!! So much great advice. Loved this. I will also buy scrapbook paper on sale at the craft store to get a backdrop. Will go and visit fabric store to see what is available! Thank you!!