Photography Props You Can Use In Your Food Blogging | For Food Bloggers

Food photography props come in all shapes and sizes. One of our favorite things to do is to find great pieces that we can share with our food blogger friends!

This is our big list of things that we think help make food photography awesome…

Standard Food Photography Props

If you are going to be taking LOTS of pictures of food, you need to have a basic set of food photography props that are you basic “go to” item. These are ones that every food blogger should have on hand and which will greatly improve your pictures right off the bat. Having just food in the picture gives the viewer very little to settle their eye on so make sure to use something in your pictures to make them memorable.

• Plates
• Bowls
• Cups
• Saucers
• Forks
• Knives
• Teaspoons
• Serving Spoons
• Fry Pans
• Cooking Pots

White Dishes For Your Food Photo Props

I feel like something needs to be said here about using white dishes in your photos. There are many times that your colorful food will jump off the page if you are presenting it in a crisp white vessel.

In this photo of Red Velvet Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze from Cooking Classy you can see that the food is the star of the show and the white plate is just there to provide contrast.

Here are our best standard white dishes recommendations from Amazon (#ads).

• White Ramekins
• Large Ramekins – Textured
• Oval White Plates
• Oval White Shallow Bowls
• Round White Deep Bowls
• White Spoon Holder

The only problem with getting white dishes is that sometimes you have to buy a whole set to get one or two that you really like. That is when our White Starter Set comes in handy for your photography needs.

Metal Food Photography Props

There is just something about old metal that makes photos pop. The rich patina that old metal gets when it ages is almost impossible to recreate deliberately. It is funny that “regular” cooks spend all of their time trying to get their pans clean and we spend all our time trying to find amazing metal cookware and trays that looks like it has been left out in the rain too long! Metal can be a neutral in your monochromatic food pics.

• Krinkle Edge Cups
• Black Iron Skillets
• Metal Trays
• Old Cookie Sheets
• Muffin Tins
• Cloth Food Photography Props
• Camping Cooking Pots

Cloth Food Photography Props

There is nothing that can change the feeling of a picture more easily than to have different cloth backgrounds for your photo. Simply by swapping out a kitchen towel or napkin you can add a different feeling for your photo.

Additionally since most food containers are hard textures (think wood, metal, glass) the addition of a soft fabric layer in your photos can add a pop of color and a softer area to focus on!

Savory Nothings uses this kitchen towels beautifully to showcase her World’s Best Brownies.

• Napkins
• Kitchen Towels
• Tea Towels
• Tablecloths

Wooden Food Photography Props

Oh how we love seeing wooden photo props! There is just such a natural feeling that you get when you are using a crunchy granola material like wood. For example, this photo from TheOutCook is actually showing her organic cocoa syrup rather than the food in the bowl. It seems weird to think that brown syrup on a brown bowl would work, but as you can see, it pops and adds texture to her dish!

• Cutting Boards
• Wooden Bowls
• Rolling Pins
• Painted Wooden Backgrounds
• Wooden Knife Handles

Glass Food Photography Props

One of the things that seems really weird is that glass dishes can make your food look amazing, adding dimension and staying in the background of the image. We really like how the bumps on the edge of this plate in Macheesmo’s Easy Homemade Tartar Sauce Post takes a plain dish of tartar sauce and elevates it to a whole new level. On a side note, it is really neat how he is mixing the standard white dishes with a fun glass plate.

• Antique Cups
• Antique Stemmed Glasses
• Anchor Hocking Cooking Dishes

Food Food Photography Props

As you cook, take a peek at your cook space and see if there is anything especially cute laying around in your ingredients. Many times you can use items like lemons or peppers that are also part of your recipe.

• Sprinkles
• Lemons
• Limes
• Garlic
• Peppers
• Spices
• Colored Candies
• Drips

Food Related Photography Props

A lot of the time you can use what you have on hand to styler your photos. A bit of parchment paper, a hint of foil or even a couple of twisty ties can make your photo seem “authentic”.

Right now parchment paper seems to be dominating the food photography landscape and why not! It is affordable and on hand for most cooks.

As you can see in The Girl Who Ate Everything’s photo for Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, the layers of parchment make the cookies more interesting looking.

• Striped Straws
• Parchment Paper
• Aluminum Foil
• Twist Ties
• Bakers Twine

Decor Food Photography Props

Don’t get stuck in the rut of just using food related pieces in your photography. Look around to find things in your home that could add interest, color or texture to your photos.

As a writer I was thrilled to find a really cute little typewriter statue that I can use in the background of my photos. As a cook you might want to “set the table” by including salt shakers, candlesticks or other neat props.

• Candlesticks
• Plate Chargers
• Rattan Baskets
• Felt Balls
• Leaves
• Decorative Figurines
• Salt Shakers

Food Photography Props Wrapup

So there you have it! All of our best food photo prop ideas all in one handy-dandy list. It really is worth the time to start collecting interesting and stylish items to include in your pictures.

By having a nice variety of different photography props you can avoid your photos becoming boring or stale.