Playing with Food – A Glimpse into a Food Styling Workshop

MAKE • 2020

Food Styling

This past fall, 2019 the studio was invited to participate in an intimate food styling workshop at the Fort Garry Library. In attendance, a group of passionate amateur food photographers, avid cooks and readers who were seeking guidance on photographing food for social media, namely Instagram – a powerful platform to showcase and curate personal and/or professional photography endeavours.

Exercise: Building a breakfast – a morning scene

It is important to use a visual reference for composition – an inspiration shot drawn from the internet, for example (not as replication, but as guidance). We built the following in situ with the participants, touching on still life scenarios, the addition of the human element, and general tips on composition:

Coffee, toast with cheese, and jam scene – still life – front angle
Granola and yogurt – with human element –front angle
Granola and yogurt with egg in cup scene – top down

Outlined here, is a simple guide for you to begin the process of food styling and photography for Social Media

Things to consider / ask yourself as you begin

What are you curious about?
What is your style?
How do you like to engage other people with the food you make?
How do you present the food to real-life guests?
How do you want to be creative and exploratative?
What mood would you like to convey?
(dark and dramatic or light and airy; naturally lit or controlled lighting).
What platform are you documenting for?
(e.g., Instagram, blog, cookbook (print) etc.)

Props

Surfaces
Backdrops – dark, light, textured
Linens
Utensils
Florals
Small vessels for condiments, spices, herbs, etc.
Plates – small, salad, dinner
Bowls – large, shallow, small, very petite

Note: Look through your grandparents’ or parents’ antique collections. Collect, collect, collect. Look to local makers and artisans.

Prop Quality

Nuanced, with patina – especially with cutlery
Neutral tones – to let the food shine
Wooden boards (e.g., cutting, serving, etc) in various sizes, but avoid orange tones. Go for grey or darker brown wood tones
Natural materials (e.g., ceramics (real clay), wood)
Smaller-sized glassware and stemware
Linen – use real linen (real linen photographs better than blends and synthetic materials, and falls or manipulates nicely on flat surfaces).

Sourcing Props

Leanne Muir – small bowls, mugs
Karen + Jason Hare – The Root Cellar
Old House Revival
AAA Consignment
Value Village and The Salvation Army

Types of Shots

Top down – primarily 1 element or repeated elements.
Front angle – offering a sense of the human perspective Front angle – framing vertical space (flowers, bottles, etc.), or photographing with a dynamic background (e.g., in front of a window). Or, horizontal space (landscape), straight-on. Or, capturing depth of field.
Human element – adding a human action, such as drizzling a sauce or dressing, dishing out the meal, sprinkling a dry ingredient like maldon salt, nuts or seeds, and shaving parmesan, etc.

Principles of Composition

Compose elements in threes or odd numbers.
Integrate raw ingredients that are part of a dish or are used to garnish or flavour a dish (e.g., citrus, herbs, spices, etc.).
Consider the placement and angles of the utensils (either in interaction with the food, or alongside)
Plate individual portions alongside the vessel in which it was made or is served.
Authenticity – ask how you would eat this and at what stage (i.e., just plated or half-eaten).

by Violette Jiang

Good Mornings ft. Natures’ Farm Granola

MAKE • 2020

Food Styling

Please enjoy this brief entry into the world of food styling. The item in focus: sweet bunches of Nature’s Farm granola.
You would be surprised what manifests in our little kitchen and eastern studio nook where most of our styled food photography takes place. With a star ingredient like granola, there’s no need to whip out our tiny portable oven and cookware. Only a little dairy (or dairy alternative), an assortment of berries, some soft morning light, and we have all the elements to make magic.

Setting the Scene

First, we establish the various contexts in which the item could be featured or consumed – in this case, granola – and from there, build scenes that we can ultimately connect with and identify with. Here, we were inspired by the experience of packing lunch in a rush, a mother’s day worthy breakfast, a snack for the road, a morning picnic, a market haul, grandma and grandpa’s kitchen counter, and snacks at work.

Mood + Styling

Each scene may or may not convey the same mood. The mood is informed by the light, the backdrop, the surface and the props selected.

Clear glass vessels were used to feature the textural quality of the granola and showcase the variation of ingredients unique to each flavour.

Brown paper bags add a sense of informality and material movement.
The layering of neutral ceramic plates and bowls add interest to a simple scene with a clear focal element.
Vessels and linens with simple patterns and colour bring lightness and vibrancy.

Utensils used as props are slightly tarnished to avoid any reflected light and to convey a sense of use.

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