Photography Props Under 500
Gone are the days when food photography was a talent to be outsourced to experts. It is now a basic survival skill for those in the food business – especially home chefs or small-batch producers who need to keep up their A-game on social media every day. Here are some cheap investments that you can make to up your photography skills and make the most of social media.
1. Honey dipper stick
Take luscious photos of honey-covered pancakes or even just a bottle of golden sweet honey with a cool dipper stick in the background. And don’t think it is only limited to honey! This little stick works so well for green teas, iced teas and more – suggestive of the addition of honey of course. But it makes for an excellent prop. Get your creative juices flowing and pair it with other things too!
2. Wooden teaspoons
There is something absolutely dreamy about wooden things in a frame – especially wooden cutlery. Use this set of six spoons to make pictures of almost any ingredient or dish look better – from salt to curries and even sumptuous bakes, this one’s a great investment for all times!
3. Wood and flowers backdrop
Make your flatlays come alive with this placemat that gives a larger than life hue to your dishes and makes your backdrop look as alluring as ever. Give your dishes a floral twist and add a wooden earthy, rustic charm to each picture.
4. Two-in-one backdrops
These dual toned backdrops are everything you need to make your photographs look great! Two absolutely contradictory images to ensure that your images look nothing alike! A dreamy, fairy-tale-ish coffee mug placemat that gives you a wintery, cheery and almost Xmassy feel while the other one makes you taste tangerines and oranges and creates a summery effect. For the price it is being sold for, it is surely a catch!
5. White backdrop
This 8X9 ft backdrop is being sold for a mere INR 339 and it is worth every penny because of how versatile it is. Share it with your other photographer acquaintances and friends because this backdrop is great not just for fashion but also food and product shoots. Create images that talk, against a convenient blank canvas.
6. Jute Napkins
Add a rusticity to your images with excellent layering in natural earthy brown tones with this neatly cropped jute cloth. Great for placing products directly over them or even in the backdrop, slightly out of focus, this one’s a keeper. It is super low maintenance and travels well.
7. Log slices
Wood adds a touch like no other in a food canvas. These beautiful log slices make every picture look bucolic, giving a pastoral yet modern twist to your styling. Use it to directly place products over it or simply create a background with these logs. A plus side – use them as serving plates for your next party!
8. Sheesham wood serving plate
This wooden platter is great for pizzas but can also be used creatively to make styling an easy-peasy task. With a little effort and lots of creativity you can make this serving platter work for a multitude of foods – including Indian foods and curries too!
9. Paper Lace Doilies
These paper doilies are disposable, cute and oh-so-dreamy, almost as if straight out of a Bridgerton household. Create various styling frames using these very posh doilies and make use of them for your beverage shoots and even for dainty cakes and bakes.
10. Wooden Serving Tray
This Mango Wood serving tray comes with charming wooden panels that make it so countryside and charmingly ancient. Paired with glasses or cups or even little trays filled with food, this one can elevate any frame in a jiffy and make it look more luxurious in seconds!
11. Serving Tray with wheels
This cute, super convenient and modish tray-on-wheels is shaped like a small cart. Place your food all over it and give your photoshoot a classy upgrade! You could even make use of this in a miniature foods shoot or use it to channel your creativity into creating something awesome! It also makes for a great mantelpiece in the kitchen when you aren’t shooting with it.
12. Foldable light box
Nothing works quiet like this lightbox does when you don’t have great lighting and need to quickly wrap up a photoshoot. With a neutral white background and the perfect lighting - this is a game changer for any food shoot. Create a canvas and paint it with food in your own colours without worrying about light. This is super compact and convenient to travel with, very light weight and so makes for a great investment.
13. Glass Jars
Glass is a tricky prop to work with but when done right, it creates mind boggling results with food. You just need to ensure that not reflective light bounces off the glass you are working with. Also check for your own reflections in the glass before okay-ing your image. From desserts to savouries, this is a winner!
