Crafting Your Style & Story For a Food Photoshoot
When I was just starting out, I built my portfolio by shooting my own themed photoshoots, using whatever materials I could. And with every cheesecloth camouflaged as a napkin, placemat pretending to be a surface, and natural light-only set, I built my career from the ground up. I didn’t let lack of clients, props, or gear hold me back, I embraced my limitations and got creative with what I had.
Today, I have so much more to work with but I still like to keep it simple.
The food is your story, you don’t need a bunch of fancy props, lights, or gear to do a drool-worthy food shoot.
Today I’m writing the blog I wish I could have read when I was just starting out. I’m detailing how I styled and shot this southwestern chilaquiles photoshoot. Through each phase of the process, I’m sharing with you why I made the creative choices I did in choosing my colors, props, lighting, etc.
By following my process as I navigate styling and shooting this themed photoshoot, my hope is that you’ll leave with a new perspective that you can take with you.
Whether you decide to design your own southwestern photoshoot or you execute a photoshoot with a completely different theme for a client, these tips are universal.
So follow along; get your feet wet, learn something, and collect some tasty photos for your portfolio; because there’s no better way to learn than by doing.
Prepare for Your Photoshoot
Start with a Story
When I plan a photoshoot, I take some time to really think about my client; real or imagined. Why? Because in commercial photography, you need to be able to tell your client’s story; from their brand aesthetics to their backstory. And when you’re really clear on the story you want to tell, it comes through in the photos. They always end up feeling more cohesive, dynamic, and unique.
Everyone has their own process, but I always start with emotion. I ask myself, “Beyond super hungry, what do I want my viewer to ultimately feel when they look at the photos?” In this photoshoot, I wanted the viewer to feel like they were on vacation, so I focused on colors and lighting in particular to bring that fantasy to life.
Create a Shot List
I’ll be honest, I don’t always prepare a shot list when I do my own photoshoot, but when I’m going to be on set, It’s an absolute must. I can’t even tell you how much preparing a shot list ahead of time has helped my workflow. It keeps me organized and makes it so I can easily transition from one shot to the next. Most importantly, it saves me from ever missing a shot!
To learn more about my food photoshoot prep, and to get your own free copy of my food photography shot list template, check out my previous blog, Preparing for a Food Photoshoot (+ Free Shot List Template).
Colors
Whenever I talk about colors, I have to talk about creating a color palette. I do this in the planning stage and always leave a little room for some experimentation along the way (you never know what colors will speak to you).
When I prepare my color palette, I consider two things: The theme of the photoshoot and the naturally occurring colors in the food I’m shooting.
Theme: Southwestern
When I think about the southwest, I think about the desert with all of its earthy, bold, and contrasting colors and materials; from the color of the clay, to the cacti, the found stones, and the sunshine. Here you can see it all together, with clay brown, green, turquoise, and a pop of yellow.
I also considered other organic materials such as silver, wood, and straw and brought them in by selecting this rustic silverware and these round, woven placemats
Food: Chilaquiles
As you can see from the images, my chilaquiles are made with a red sauce, green herbs, and yellow yolks and tortillas; the same main colors as the desert palette!
Coming up with this palette was easy because the subject and theme had similar colors. When you set up your own photoshoot, feel free to use my palette, or search “[theme] color palette” on Pinterest for some quick inspo for anything from “70s retro” to “Moroccan”.
Movement
Ask yourself, “What type of culture does this food represent?”
From the beginning, I knew that if I was going to photograph a southwestern-inspired recipe, I had to bring some life into it! But because this was a recipe photoshoot, and not a lifestyle photoshoot, I had to resist my urge to call everyone in the neighborhood and feed them tequila. Instead, I showed playfulness in my human element shot where I had someone dig into the fried egg. It resulted in a fun, slightly messy pic.
Props
Everything can be used as a prop; from textiles, to tableware, to the ingredients themselves! When you collect props for your photoshoot, think about the following:
Tableware - Select tableware that is not only in your color palette, but is authentic to your theme, and gives an interesting texture to the photoshoot.
Textiles - Textiles are a great way to bring a pop of color and texture into the frame. If you don’t have many options at your disposal, use your imagination. Experiment with textiles such as blankets, curtains, and handkerchiefs.
Ingredients - Think about how you can cleverly use ingredients from the recipe. Things like whole spices and garnishes are perfect as props.
Here’s how I selected my props for this shoot:
Tableware
I always look around my house to see what I have on hand before I shop, then I try to select just one or two items with cultural significance like a vase, a dish, or a placemat
While many of the materials in this photoshoot were from Target for $10 or less or World Market, I’ll always encourage you to support small businesses (if you’re financially able to) and treasure hunting at thrift stores for budget-friendly (often super unique) materials. Oh and borrow from your friends! I’m always calling people to see if I can use this or that from their kitchen (I like to think they’re flattered by it :)
Textiles
When I first started researching Southwestern colors and patterns, I looked up the difference between Southwestern and Mexican. I found out that Mexican textiles often feature straight lines, while Southwestern aesthetics have more interactive patterns. That’s part of the reason I just fell in love with this linen the moment I saw it. It has a bit of an interactive design that is inherently southwestern without being too over-the-top and costume-y. I just love pairing this bright textile with the natural fibers of the round, woven placemat. Together, they bring so many interesting textures and shapes into the photo.
Ingredients
Your ingredients are your story. They’re the opening act and the headliner. No amount of gorgeous flatware or dreamboat lighting will fool anyone into wanting to take a bite out of a rotten apple. So when you go to the market, you have my permission to be shallow. Handpick the very best looking produce and perishables and inspect every single ingredient from all angles.
Tips:
Buy fresh herbs like cilantro at the very possible moment and place them in cold water to keep them bright and fresh during the photoshoot.
Buy spices that are used in the recipe. Consider getting a small amount of your spices whole (instead of ground) so you have different texture options for the photoshoot.
Prepare your produce at the very last possible second before photographing to keep them from losing color, moisture, steam, or shape.
Buy extra. You never know what might get sliced wrong, cook too long, or lose its shape or color on set. You don’t want to have to make a mid-shoot grocery run.
Lighting
Lighting can make or break your photos, especially if you’re photographing inside a studio or kitchen.
When I plan my lighting for a photoshoot, I consider the following:
The time of day people would typically eat this food
The natural lighting of the theme
The gear that’s available to me
Chilaquilles is usually eaten for breakfast, so I wanted my photoshoot to look like it was taken in bright, natural morning sunlight. That’s why I chose to use direct, hard lighting. Hard light is when you point a bright, undiffused light directly at your subject. This creates a high-contrast, pigmented image with bright whites and dark shadows. Since this is such a colorful shoot reminiscent of the southwest deserts, I thought this lighting choice would help set the mood.
If you have the luxury of bright, natural light, you can use the midday sun to get this effect. In the studio, however, this is rarely the case. I put an LED Light at a high angle on the left side of my set to create this hard lighting effect.
Camera + Gear
As I mentioned above, I positioned my LED light overhead and to the left of the set. I used my Nikon Z7 camera on a tripod to keep the shot steady. I dialed in my camera settings: ISO 160, Shutter 125, f/5.6, and SNAP! Magic.
If I can leave you with any advice, it’s this: Focus on the subject and its ingredients first and foremost. You can keep it so simple and have a gorgeous result.
All you really need is a little thoughtfulness, a great recipe, and some beautiful ingredients.
I had so much fun setting up this shoot and sharing my methods for photographing a themed photoshoot. I hope you learned something from shadowing me for a day and that you came out of it with some gorgeous new photos for your portfolio.
Oh, and if you’ve been drooling over this scrumptious plate of chilaquiles, I promise I’m not holding out on you! In my blog, Chilaquiles: Everyone’s Favorite Comfort Food, I share my detailed recipe and a bit of a history lesson on chilaquiles.
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