Since I’ve been photographing while out and about the past few weeks while traveling, backgrounds have been top of mind for me. A few weeks ago, I wrote about embracing your background to create a sense of place with your photos. Today, I want to bring things back to basics with some ideas for things to use as backgrounds and how to capture them in your set.
It’s easy to create a background for food photography and there are loads of options including things you may have around the house.
Vinyl surfaces
Let’s start with a more obvious one - vinyl surfaces. Because these are so light, they can easily be taped or tacked to a wall to create your scene.
In the first photo, my vinyl surface is taped to the wall and the table is pushed up against the wall to meet it. In the second, same for the wall, but I have another vinyl surface on top of the table to create a new look.
Hanging painted canvas
You can hang a painted canvas behind your set to create a textured wall. I’ve done this by draping it over a scrim or reflector arm holder in the past, but you can also use any kind of bar such as rolling hanging rack and drape it over or secure it with clamps.
The photo on the right is the start of the final photo that was used as the cover for my cookbook, Beer Bread.
Draped linens
Sometimes you simply need to dress up a plain white or cream wall. A great way to do this is to install a closet hook at the top of your shooting wall. You can then add a standard hanger or create one with a rod and twine to drape a long linen or table runner.
Propped up boards
I have a habit of propping up anything I can find to create the look I want for a photo. Sometimes this is a little risky because it isn’t quite as secure and could topple onto set, but for the most part, if I work quickly, I propping up boards or leaning solid surfaces against the wall works well.
In the left photo, long boards are resting on the floor and leaning against the table. In the right photo, I have a vintage wood drying tray sitting on the table and leaning against the wall.
Curtains
I love backlight so it’s pretty natural to let curtains in a window work as my background. This is the same set, shot in two different ways. First, I draped a dark linen tablecloth over the curtain rod. When bright light hits it, it highlights the sheerness of the fabric. In the second, I used a sheer white curtain.
Cookie sheets
If you have an old cookie sheet with a patina, it can make a dramatic background for a tight shot.
Contact paper
Prints are an acquired taste for food photos, but I love them. Taping or tacking contact paper onto a wall is a fun, affordable way to create the look of wallpaper. I leave the backing on and just tape it up, but you can also remove the backing and stick it to a foam core board to create a more stable background you can prop up.
I hope this sparked some new ideas for backdrops!
UPDATES
My latest cookbook, The California Farm Table Cookbook, will publish June 18 and I cannot wait! Not only am I excited for it to be out in the world, but I have so many photos in it to teach from. I can’t wait to start sharing them with you.
As a part of the release, events are being planned with more to come. You can learn more at the Events Calendar here on my website. The first one is in my home county where we’ll be having a launch party at Dresser Winery.
Looking even further ahead, I’ll be in Snohomish, Washington again this September to teach flower photography with Fleurs Creative. More details to come.
Club CreatingYOU.® has been running for several months now and I’d love for you to check it out. I’m keeping the membership at a super affordable rate on Substack with lots of helpful content to build your skills released each month.