• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work with Me

Gourmande in the Kitchen

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Photography » The Language of Food Photography Part 3 | Prop Styling with Paula Walters

    Published: Aug 3, 2011 · Modified: Mar 30, 2022 by Sylvie

    The Language of Food Photography Part 3 | Prop Styling with Paula Walters

    Home » Recipes » Photography » The Language of Food Photography Part 3 | Prop Styling with Paula Walters

    paula walters prop stylist

    Silverware by Jennifer Marx, Pie pan with spoon by Justin B. Paris, Dough in bowl by Stephen Hamilton

    With more than 20 years experience styling for many of Chicago's most successful food and product photographers, she has a wonderful eye for detail and a unique talent for combining tones, textures and shapes to create some truly unforgettable images. Today she shares with us her basic approach to choosing props for an image.

    paula walters prop stylist

    Watermelon on plate and Containers with lids by Paula Walters, Fruit in cup by Stephen Hamilton

    Hello everyone, I am so honored that Sylvie has asked me to guest blog on Gourmande in the Kitchen!  I have been an avid follower here for close to a year now, and very excited that not only do I get to share my passion for prop styling with you, but voice it on one of my favorite blogs.

    Based out of Chicago, my work is primarily shooting alongside commercial food photographers on projects ranging from national ads to recipe books to corporate websites, wherever a food client needs to promote their product. You can see more of my styling at chicagophotostylist.com.

    I also write a blog, Still*Life~Style,  focusing on my love of vintage prop finds that I incorporate into my assignments, my portfolio shots, my home life.  I hope you’ll visit, and come away with some new ideas and inspirations that speak to your own sense of style.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Tate Hunt for Studioside

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Tate Hunt for Studioside

    Sylvie and I both received questions from readers regarding effective use of props in food photos. For many new to food photography, getting a starting direction is a challenge.

    Before you start selecting props you should truly know the food you are shooting.  You need to understand the texture, color, volume, consistency before you can build an effective set. If you have not made the recipe prior to your shoot day, draw on your skills to visualize what it will look like.

    You may find it helpful to make a list of keywords that come to mind when you select your recipe. Jot these down in the planning stages of your post, and use them to gather props for your shoot. If your thought process takes a different turn along the way, go with it. Allowing a natural progression will translate into your image and keep it from looking forced.

    Next you need to zero in on something that will inspire your set, or at least get you started in a direction. Your inspiration can be a tangible prop item, or center around a story.

     

    Prop centered:

    Inspiration can be a propping element, like a plate you wish to use, a fantastic background texture, a fabric. This shot was driven by the surface color & texture.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

    Look for different ways to present your food, alternatives to traditional plating. Keep your mind open to using everyday items, like papers and jars.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

     

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

    You can also explore ideas for propping as part of a thought process with more of a story behind it:

     

    Time of Day:

    Is your recipe a breakfast,lunch,dinner? The props work with both the food and morning light here-

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

    Season or Holiday:

    Establishing season can help guide the color and tones of your props.  Crisp white works for summer seafood, the smokey blues and grays allude to cooler temperatures when a hot grilled cheese and tomato basil soup can make the perfect lunch.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Jennifer Marx

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Jennifer Marx

     

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Laurie Proffitt

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Laurie Proffitt

    Ethnicity:

    Echoing the ethnic roots of the recipe in a subtle way gives it a sense of place and tradition.

    In both of these shots I worked with stronger, earthier textures.  The food cues of red wine and herb infused oil with the crostini, and the fresh squeezed lime in the guacamole work as food props that reflect the origin of the recipes.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

     

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Michael Maes

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Michael Maes

    Person:

    Think about who your recipe would appeal to.  Food photos often have a feminine or masculine slant. Again, color palettes and lighting need to be considered.

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

     

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Laurie Proffitt

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Laurie Profitt

    Ingredients:

    Is there a wonderful or unexpected ingredient that you would like to call out, like the avocados in the pizza shot, or the tangerines used in this pork stir fry?

    Paula Walters photo styling for photographer Michael Maes

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Michael Maes

     

    Paula Walters propping for photographer Stephen Hamilton

    Prop Styling by Paula Walters, Photography by Stephen Hamilton

    In my opinion, the quality of your photography is primary, effective food styling/presentation next, and propping third. The magic happens when all three work together seamlessly.

    When you are just beginning to use props, try to tell your story with as few elements as possible.  Don’t over-complicate until you are comfortable using more props, instead try to choose props with the subtle details that enhance and support your recipe & story. Once you become successful at that, you will be able to expand with more involved sets if you like.  Mood shots and ingredient based shots will be easy to incorporate into your posts because you will have a better vision of what your final recipe image will look like, and a clearer path of how to get there.

    Be patient with yourself.  Prop styling is an art as complex as photography and food styling. In time you will learn to trust your eye, and develop a creative style that will guide you through your prop selections. I hope you find these tips useful, I have posted some additional thoughts on Still*Life~Style this week.

    Thank you Sylvie, for inviting me to be a part of your Language of Food Photography series!

    (Writing and photography submitted for this post are owned by Paula Walters or the originating photographer, and protected by copyright.   All Rights Reserved 2011.)

    Thank you Paula for an amazing look into the art of prop styling!  I hope you will head over to Still*Life~Style where Paula continues to discuss the thought process behind the elements and principles of design when selecting props, including: adding lines, form, color and texture to an image with props.

    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 4 of the Language of Food Photography | Food Styling Q&A with Tami Hardeman

    What are some of your favorite props to use?

    Sylvie

    Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.

    More recipes you may enjoy

    • The Language of Food Photography Part 2 | the Principles of Design
    • The Language of Food Photography Part 1 | Learning the Visual Elements of Design

    Reader Interactions


    Comments

    1. kelly says

      October 26, 2013 at 4:16 am

      I just found your site and I absolutely love it! Can't wait to read more!!!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Trackbacks

    1. 10 Food photography tips & Food Bloggers that are doing it right! says:
      August 19, 2013 at 1:00 pm

      [...] 9.The Language of Food Photography Part 3 | Prop Styling with Paula Walters [...]

      Reply
    2. Tips for Propping and a Guest Post on Gourmande in the Kitchen | still*life~style says:
      August 17, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      [...] thoughts I’ve posted on Gourmande in the Kitchen in my guest post focus on building a set around a chosen prop, using more unconventional food presentations, and [...]

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    FAST, FRESH, FEEL GOOD FOOD

    Welcome to Gourmande in the Kitchen. The recipes you'll find here are fast and fresh with a focus on seasonal ingredients. Head over to the Recipe Index where you’ll find hundreds of naturally gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free, vegetarian and vegan recipes to get started, or click on one of the category buttons below.

      Gluten-FreeGrain-FreeVegetarianVeganPaleoDairy-FreeNut-FreeEgg-FreeNo Refined Sugar

    Winter Recipes

    • Vegan Mushroom Pasta
    • Roasted Red Cabbage
    • Healthy Soup Recipes
    • French Hot Chocolate

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As seen on...

    Recipes by Diet

    Gluten Free
    Vegetarian
    Nut-Free
    Refined Sugar-Free

    Grain-Free
    Vegan
    Dairy-Free
    Egg-Free

    Info

    Privacy Policy

    Disclosures

    Terms Of Use

    Recipes by Type

    Breakfast
    Mains
    Salads

    Sides
    Soups
    Sweets