Smuckers – Food Photography

While at Smuckers, a food photography team and a food stylist shared with us several different easy and practical tips for taking fabulous food photos…using what you have!  Without fancy equipment and without spending lots of money on “props.”  Now we’re talking!

The food sytlist is preparing a plate of cookies.  Here are a few tips:

• Use a bamboo stick to move small pieces of food or crumbs around on the plate. 
• Use unphotographed food/crumbs to replace “holes” and fill in shadow-y spaces.
• Use a small brush with a dab of water to help the food glisten and shine.
• Change the angles and arrangements of the food on the plate until you get the look and feel you want.
• Experiment with colors, sizes and shapes of plates and napkins/placemats

The food photography team also gave us some fantastic tips:

• Shoot the food on its level, or from above…not from a standing position
• Use natural light, in a windowsill or on a table near a window
• Use the macro setting (the little tulip symbol) for the best depth of field
• Use paper towels as white light reflectors
• Use cake “cards” (covered in gold foil) to add a gold warm color to the food
• Shoot a whole slew of photos, move the food around, take different angles…let the shoot evolve until you get the photograph that’s perfect for your subject

Our turn.  We got hands on experience!  I LOVED this part!  Here is the work station.  The possibilities were endless.

I started with the frosting.  I hadn’t used this brand before, so I did a little experimenting with designs.

Then I decorated a sugar cookie with vanilla icing.  With “dots.”  And sprinkled crushed candy canes on top.

Grabbed a pale green oblong plate. Stacked the cookies. Put the plate on a red placemat in the windowsill.

And shot the cookies.  I experimented with the white paper towels, the gold foiled cake “card.” And different angles.

I just loved the hands-on experience of this session!

And here is the professional photograph of my cookies (including the M&M cookie!)

Thanks to Smuckers for including this in our day!!!

Next up…the brands of Smuckers…

Disclosure: This was an all-expense paid blogger’s event. You can read more about the $5 Dinners Disclosure Policy here.