Since I start taking food photos I had a problem with the props. At first, was difficult to find the right bowl or plate, background or cutlery for the photo. After seeing a lot of photos on the web, I was so desperate to find not only props but also good props. I was looking in all the shops around my town, but nothing made me happy. And then, I discovered 2 second hand shops. It was like paradise for me. I manage to find a lot of great old things and the most important thing, very cheap.
My husband still makes jokes about this, but I am a happy person. We have in the kitchen 2 or 3 sets of tea and one of plates, but in rest, everything is different. Different color, shape,texture,size, but we got use to this.
You can find props on the internet: eBay,Etsy or your own country sites. You will be surprise what people will sell online.
Don’t forget about the flea market. If you have something like that around your house go and check it out. If you hear about a yard sale, go and check it out. Ask your friends or family. There are some treasures hiding in their houses. Never be afraid to ask. You will be surprise that people will be happy to help you, even with information.
For the table cloth check the stores, your grand mother or mother closet. Use pieces of old shirts or skirts, blankets or anything that you like. Take everything, because you never know when you gone use it.
You will need to have:
– Wood, metal, colorful surfaces. The more the better.
– Linen fabrics. Different colors and textures.
– Plates and bowls. Different colors and textures.
– Cutlery. You don’t need a full set. 2 or 3 of each kind will be O.K. at the begging
– Chopping boards. Different sizes and colors. Check the ones that your family doesn’t use them anymore
– Baskets. Any material will do: wood,paper,plastic,metal,etc
– Fake greens/ plants. It will help you to establish the mood even when you shoot inside.
I firmly believe that you don’t need lots of fancy equipment to take great food photos. Just a few simple junk drawer tools can truly make your food pop
– nonstick cooking spray – restores that glow and allows the food to catch the light a little bit better.
– white flower sake towels – having a white towel in your photos gives you a definite white point that you can use to accurately set your white balance in editing.
– stained cookie sheets – use it as background
– parchment paper – use it as background because you will have a great texture in your photo
– hand mirror – for bouncing the light
– white printer paper – use it as a small reflector
– clean cardboard shoe box – great background
– sheer white curtains or white t-shirt – can be used to soften harsh light and create more of a soft glow
Good luck shopping!!!!
Cooking Without Limits 
Wow! What wonderful finds!! So fun! Your pics are great! And thanks for all the wonderful tips!
Thank you
Great tips!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you
Nice collections and I love blogs with photos! Thanks for the tips.
Thank you
Thank you so much for the lovely tips!!!
You are welcome.
Thanks for the tips! Too often I skimp on the props and planning. Just a simple checklist like this helps a lot.
Collecting props are such fun!
Good and informative read.
I am longing to find such items, thanks for the great post….
Great tips especially the backgrounds! Funny I just arrive home from Value Village with props to start using in my photos. Definitely hitting the local flea market and it is garage sale season around here. Happy hunting!
Thank you. Great light and inspiration!
Thanks for the info! I have to keep that in mind with the other food pix that I take!
Beautiful cutlery…
Thank you
Thank you so much, Gabi 🙂
Thank you for good advices! Totally need them for my pastries photos 🙂
My husband thinks Im crazy too with all the food props! We have a giant thrift store down the street from us here in Germany that sells all of its plates and glasses separately for about 20 cents a piece. I’ve found so many beautiful antique things for cheap!
Good work!
Thanks! This was very inspiring to me! 🙂
I am a new blogger, so thank you for providing me with some info that I need to improve my food photography skills! I really appreciate it!
You are welcome.
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Hi Gabi ! I can see I am not the only one who like your blog and loves reading your posts! I want to let you know that I have nominated you for The Quintet of Radiance Award 🙂 Congrats! You can accept it and check the details at: http://lapetitepaniere.com/2014/06/24/award-post/ Linda x
Thank you very much.
I love picking up things like this as I love a beautiful table setting. These are great props too.
Thank you
Your props look great !
Thank you
Some great advice here, I love visiting charity shops, you never know what you’ll find, one of my favourite purchases has been a crystal basket that I picked up for 50p
Thanks for the helpful info! It will help me a lot for sure in my own photography!
-Lauren
You are welcome
I love thrift stores except for the old dust smells, I hate that. I like to set the table for friends with my thrift store mismatched plates and glassware. That way I can justify buying more because, “it’s for company honey”. Ha ha
Thanks very much for the tips, I’ve been struggling with props-but no more! Thanks for visiting messykitchenhappybelly.com too!
You are welcome
Thank you for those great ideas!
Like I already said in my post, your blog screams perfection! I enjoy reading your posts a lot and really love your photography style. Thanks for sharing these precious tips and I would like to nominate you for One Lovely Blog Award, even though lovely is not enough to describe your blog! All the best, Noemie
http://noemieskitchen.com/2014/09/23/one-lovely-blog-award/
Thank you very much, Noemie. I am happy you like it.
We love shopping thrift stores for props for our photos. Since we are still rather new at this we don’t have a lot, but these are some great tips! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome.
What do you mean by the following statement:
“white flower sake towels – having a white towel in your photos gives you a definite white point that you can use to accurately set your white balance in editing”?
I’m very new at trying to photograph food. Just trying to get a decent shot for my recipes! Thanks so much!
We set our white balance to get accurate colors in your photo. I will write a post about white balance today and I will explain it so you will understand
Oh my goodness, I have been a charity & boot sale shopper for years and yes it is amazing what can be found inexpensively that sets a scene of brilliance!
Thanks for publishing this! I am starting a business, don’t know a thing about making people want to eat the brochure/ computer screen my products are pictured on, and will likely be working with amature photographers initially. Your guide is a great starting place for creating a professional look!
Thank you
Reblogged this on How's it, B? and commented:
A post about photographing food for maximum impact by a lady whose pictures send me to the grocery store!
Thank you
Lovely pictures – the most important part of recipe blogging that I have been avoiding! Your props are beautiful, love tableware!
Thank you