Fun Backgrounds For Your Food Photography Shot

I LOVE seeing all the different backgrounds that food photographers use for getting just the right food photography shot! There are almost 18,000,000 #foodphotography pictures on Instagram right now and some obviously look better than others.

I KNOW that how the food looks is important and how the food photo props look matters, but what about the backgrounds of the shot, that unsung hero that can really make a huge difference in how your pictures look!

I have looked at THOUSANDS of pictures and am obsessed with finding out super cool backgrounds that will add to the photo in a really obscure way that might never be noticed, but that adds depth to the picture in a really compelling way.

This is part of becoming your own food prop stylist!

Here are some really stand out backgrounds for your food photography shots….

Black Background

To start, let’s take a peek at the grandaddy of backgrounds, a black foam core! The absolute easiest way to make a great, clean background is to have just a black background.

ginnywilliamsphotography

Reflective Background

I really like how this one looks! It is either a mirror or a piece of glass that they are using to bounce the reflection of the food off of. I feel like there could be really interesting things you could do with this technique.

elenatorress1

White Beadboard

You can get bead board at any Home Depot or Lowes. Occasionally it is already painted white, but you can definitely find it as raw wood and paint it white yourself.

I am fascinated by adding texture your background without having HUGE patterns. The lines of the bead board make the photo more interesting than having just a plain white foam core background.

stylesweetca

Corrugated Metal

I had never thought of this until I started this post, but now I am smitten! Using this kind of background adds colors AND dimension to the photo and since it is not super shiny, it reflects light without being a distraction.

CobblestoneCourtyard

Typical Grey Backdrop

THIS is your typical background that you as a real photography prop. They generally have some play of pattern, but do it with shades rather than with bold colors. It does make a nice photo but isn’t all that original.

sarah_fel

Wooden Board

This is my favorite kind of background. I love the play of color and shading PLUS the neutral natural background makes for a great contrast to your food photography.

sugaretal

alenafoodphoto

Textured Background

This black stucco background is pretty darn neat! I like how the light is hitting the peaks of stucco but do think that it is a wee bit distracting.

brutal__garden

Now this textured background makes me so happy. It seems like it is probably part of a wall in house. Oh my, the play of light and dark are super interesting and add a lot to the picture.

maridol777

Brick Background

I admit it, I am in love with brick background and these two are super cool because they don’t follow that old standby red brick. Each of these brick walls add a play of light and dark in the background.

PinchofYum

svetlana_elli

Wicked Cool Finds

Last but not least is this fun background that I included to remind you that color can sometimes be very matchy and NOT be too distracting or take away from the composition of the shot. All of the colors of the cone are matched in the parts of the van and make the whole picture look amazing.

bangfoodtruck

Backgrounds For Your Food Photography Shot Wrapup

It is fun to find interesting backgrounds that can add one more layer of dimension to your picture. As you start looking around for fun backgrounds you will start noticing all kinds of things that will make your food photography more interesting.