We have asked our corporate photographer Masha to share some tips with those who just get into food photography on how to choose their first food photography backdrop.
Masha has been a food photographer for 4 years working with Woodville since 2017.
Camera she uses: Canon 6D.
Lenses she prefers: Canon 100 mm f/2.8 Macro (mostly for 45 and 0 degrees shots) and Canon 50 mm f/1.4 (mostly for overhead shots).
Masha’s blog about food photography (in Russian): https://altynbaevamasha.ru
I’ve been working as a commercial photographer for few years now shooting for different projects, brands, restaurants. And based on my own experience I know that choosing the food photography backdrop is usually one of the key challenges for the new photographers
For the commercial photography I do always recommend choosing the photography backgrounds which look like the real countertops (either wooden or stone/concrete-like). Better pick the neutral colours - dark brown, beige, grey or black - they won’t distract viewers attention from the main object.
White surface is also a good idea, just bear in mind that technically white color is more difficult in terms of shooting than grey or beige.
As for the coloured boards - it makes sense to add them into your collection when you already have basic ones.
Working with various clients for few years, I see that some colours and finishes are usually chosen by, say, meat restaurants, others - by cafes or sweet-shops etc. So if you don’t know what to start with - I’ve created a list of finishes I recommend depending on the aims of your photoshoot.
Dark concrete-like finishes (probably with a slight or semi-pronounced texture) are usually being chosen for shooting burgers, meat, Asian and Italian cuisine. Among Woodville food photography backgrounds I would recommend you first of all checking out the following ones:
Light grey stone-like or concrete-like photography backdrops are usually picked for Kinfolk-styled projects, for healthy food cafes, pastry- and coffee houses. The popularity of this kind of finishes is growing up with the spring and summer seasons coming (Woodville: btw - for these seasons we do highly recommend a trendy pink - say, Osaka - it would suit the sweet-shop treats and drinks so well!). I would recommend you looking at the following neutral finishes:
Light and dark brown wood is badly loved by Italian or BBQ restaurants. These colours and textures become generally popular among any restaurants in autumn and in winter - one of the most popular options for the new year photoshoots as its so easy to create a moody and cosy photo with them:
The key conclusion I’ve made over the past years working with the clients - they usually prefer simple colours and laconic textures, the creative patterns and bright color solutions aren’t a frequent choice in that case, unless it’s a specific creative project.
Of course I’m using Woodville food photography backdrops for my personal and commercial shoots (outside of the situations when the clients want to shoot in restaurants’ interior or use any specific surface like natural marble or old, naturally aged wood). Here are the reasons why I choose Woodville and recommend this brand to all my friends and colleagues:
- It’s a leading company at food photography backdrops’ market who is always in trend with their finishes.
- They have a wide assortment of concrete and wooden boards - even in stock there are usually more than 100 premade photography backgrounds available which makes it so easy to get the desired finishes asap (Woodville: worth to mention that we ship worldwide and delivery of the backdrop to, say, USA takes just 3 days!)
- Woodville offers such a wide range of basic finishes! You could pick any of the ones I have listed above or make your own choice - and I promise, the surfaces would entirely meet your expectations!
- I have so many food photography backdrops from Woodville and still almost all if them are in perfect condition (okay, I’m using them quite carefully but so intensively! :))
- The boards are being packed really well so you can be sure they would arrive safely. In case of any delivery issues, there is always a supportive customer care team ready to help you fixing the case asap.
- You can choose among 7 various sizes from the smallest 54x54 cm (21’’x21’’) to the largest 72x120 cm (28’’x47’’). As for me, I do usually prefer either 72x72 cm (28’’x28’’) or 60x90 cm (24’’x35’’) - these sizes work fine for the majority of my photoshoots and it’s convenient to transport them when you have the photoshoot on client’s side.
- It’s such a convenient option having natural wood on one side of the backdrop and concrete or stone like finish on the other side!