Choosing Backgrounds In Food Photography

What draws me to food photography is not just the cooking (and eating!) of a dish, but telling a tale through styling, lighting, color, and all of the creative elements that go into a scene. That’s the fun part, where we can really have a sense of control, and our creative voice shines through. Two people could make the same batch of scones and style and photograph them in a completely different way, which ultimately tells two different visual tales. Choosing the right background is just as important as all of the other fun bits and accessories that we use to style a scene. Determining the background or surface is actually where I begin first when I map out how I want to shoot a recipe or a baked good. The background is simply not just a surface where the dish will rest, but it subtly describes the rest of the mood and feeling of the scene. Take, for example, a worn farmhouse table with coffee stains a few scratches, with a patina look. Not only does it look old and well-loved, with many stories shared around it, it feels old. It has character. It has a warmth to it. Now, depending on how you edit it, you can either enhance that warmth by making it a touch warmer on the white balance scale or, alternatively, edit it a drop cooler for a more moody feel. Like props, surfaces can be placed on the tonal spectrum. A marble slab is cool, crisp, and minimal. It has a sleek finish that inherently feels cooler. It doesn’t have the same inviting feel as a patina farmhouse table. Take, for example, a fresh loaf of bread out of the oven and placing it on the farmhouse table vs. a marble slab. See how different they feel? You can see how the marble scene is cooler in tone even though I processed them with the same preset. (It’s taken a slightly closer angle but you get the idea. I only have a marble slab so I didn’t want the wood table to show underneath!) The old farmhouse table enhances that let’s dig in, slather it with butter, or rip a chunk off. The marble is still beautiful, but it has more of a polish, a reserve, and a coolness in nature that creates a lovely contrast between the colors. Neither is right or wrong, it just depends on the story you want to tell.

So, when you are working for clients, take note of the emotions you want to convey. If you are shooting something that is a very polished and elevated dish, maybe you will want a crisp linen cloth. Or maybe that feels a bit too stuffy, you opt for a marble surface that has that crisp feel of a cloth but doesn’t carry the same upscale fine-dining feel to it. Once you have the feeling you're going for, you can decide which surface would enhance the story best. How you pair the remaining props into the scene once you’ve chosen your background is a whole different post. Here’s just one quick example: take the same farmhouse table, a wood-handled bread knife, a brown worn tea towel, an old vintage bread plate with vintage motifs and highly detailed, an old cracked brown teapot and chip cup and saucer, the whole scene may come across as very homely, cottagey, too “Hansel and Gretel”; maybe too much of a good thing (being the rustic farmhouse feel.) But again, it’s neither wrong nor right; it’s all about what you want to impart. It’s subtle, but the surfaces and props we use can dramatically change the feel of a scene. Personally, I like the mix of the two contrasting feelings of a warm farmhouse antique feel matched with a cooler, crisp aesthetic. It’s all down to your personal aesthetic and knowing the story you want to convey. Regardless of what your style is, it’s important to be aware of how surfaces translate emotions, feelings, and colors across the camera. Sometimes, we just inherently know why this looks better than that, and it’s because our mind and eye are reading it, the feeling of it whether we know it or not. It’s hard to describe it in words, but for practice's sake, next time you bake a loaf or buy one from the local bakery, place it on different surfaces and notice how the bread and scene feel. How it reads. How the colors change.

One thing I do suggest to photographers when sourcing backgrounds or using what you have in your home is to try and use “real” materials i.e. wood such as maple, oak, walnut etc, marble, stone, tiles…nothing artificial or fake. A marble surface pairs beautifully with etched glass, crystal, or anything reflecting light. There are so many surfaces available right now it can be overwhelming what to choose, but simple and real has been my guideline. It feels authentic and doesn’t come off as commercial and cheap. Personally, I use the furniture in my house and don’t have any surfaces actually. Antique and charity shops are where you can find beautiful pieces that aren’t a fortune and will become loved pieces in your home. And depending on your style, you really don’t need a closet full of surfaces. Maybe just one or two, but I like to keep it as real to life as possible. Use and love what you have, but do keep in mind the different feelings that surfaces convey. I have a marble slab that sits in my kitchen holding some spirits, and bring it out when I am going for that cooler, crisp tone. I would love to have a marble-top work table, but alas, those are hard to come by in Maui! They need to take up space in your house, which is why I suggest, with any prop, that you use what you use every day. I don’t have specific props, only items or a closet of surfaces; what I have is what’s in my kitchen and in my home.

Another thing to note about surfaces, whether its 3’ x 3’ purchased backdrop or an actual tabletop, is how it reacts and reflects your light source. I personally don’t like shiny surfaces such as granite countertops or steel, but that's all up to your creative discretion. Bright white linen, marble, and light-colored stone will all reflect light back into your subject and scene. Darker materials, such as a rustic antique table, will absorb the light more. Depending on your style and what the brief is, one may be a better option than the other. It’s hard to explain in words, but the more and more you shoot and style, the more you will instinctively know what would suit the scene best for what you are creating. The clearer you are on the story and the feelings you want to convey, the easier it will be to decide what surface to use.

Happy shooting,

Alanna