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Dark, moody, mysterious. Even the brightest of photos can benefit from black elements added to your food and product photography set at home. It’s an especially fun element to add during October when you want a touch of festive Halloween in your photos.

If you don’t want the mysterious and moody to take over, though, use black sparingly. The color is best used with a combination of lighter subjects, props, and surfaces to bring out its best qualities.

These are three ways to add more black to your photos this season with tips for creating a sense of balance and highlighting your subject well when doing so.

Use black cheesecloth. Black linens which also have a light texture are perfect for food and product photos. Black cheesecloth is my favorite option, followed by black lace if you can find it. (shown in above image)

Black plates (but only if you have the right supporting props). As those who take my courses have heard me say time and time again - you can’t shoot a dark food, on a dark plate, on a dark surface with a dark linen. Well, you can, but you likely won’t love how it looks.

One or more of these components of your set needs to capture the light and soften the look. Lighter foods that can be highlighted with natural light like work great on black props.

Black utensils. If you are interested in a little touch of black that won’t overwhelm your whole set, black forks, knives and spoons are by far the best option.

Tinted glassware. I found a glass several years ago at a vintage shop that had a unique black shade. It’s clear, but tinted black. I don’t use it often, but when I want to add subtle darker shades, it works perfectly.