It's tempting to snap a picture of your homemade spring rolls right after you throw them on a plate, but wait a second! A few inexpensive props will make them look oodles better! In fact, you probably have them laying around your house right now.

Before I dive in, it would be beneficial to read Part 1 and 2 so you're up to speed on what equipment I use to shoot photos for my blog and how to style a recipe so it looks delicious. (Make sure to open them in new windows so you don't lose your place!)

• Food Photography (Part 1): Behind the Scenes!
• Food Photography (Part 2): How to give your pictures the "YUM" factor

How do props help?

Even if you've utilized all the suggestions from Part 1 and 2, without a few props, the image is likely going to look incomplete. In an otherwise simple dish (something that has only a few ingredients or very little color/texture) it can add if you add a tablecloth with some color, or have fresh produce in the background.

Look at the difference in these two images of a Sweet Potato Cran-Pistachio Tostada. The image on the left has much less context than the one on the right with tostada shells, limes, and a bowl filled with black beans.

How will I know what to use in each recipe?

This is the trickiest part. It generally takes me a dozen shots before I start seeing a composition I really like. I'll add props, move them around, take them away... and sometimes feel the need to go through the whole rigamarole again after I've served the recipe on a different dish or remade it entirely.

Here's what the progression of a photo shoot might look like (and what I was saying after every picture):

↑ Hmm... not quite enough happening here. What if I add some fruit from the recipe?

↑ Oops, that looks chaotic, there's too much happening now. Those dark blueberries are distracting and that lemon is up to no good. What if I move it and add a mango?

↑ Eek the mango looks huge! Let's reposition.

↑ Looking better! But I think there's still a little too much going on.

↑ Ah, finally! The blueberries aren't too dominant, there's a sliver of each mango, and the other bowl adds context. Success!

It takes practice, but soon you'll only need a few adjustments before the scene is balanced.

Opportunities for props (I'll explain each of them in detail below):

• The serving dish(es)
• The base of the scene
• The background
• To create levels

The serving dish(es)

No need to go out and buy a fancy new set of dishes, but I'd recommend getting at least one proper dish for each type of recipe. In other words, try not to throw everything in a bowl or plate every single time. I've actually gotten a lot of my bowls, plates, glasses, platters, and ramekins at thrift stores. Keep in mind that sometimes a contrasting-colored dish can define a light/dark-colored recipe, and other times it can overwhelm it so try and find the happy medium.

Here is an example of how I've used a colorful bowl and wooden cutting board to showcase the bright color of the Guajillo Pepita Butter...

...and then a stemless martini glass to display the Velvety Cacao Mousse and tie in with the strawberries in the background:

The base of the scene

My best trick for pulling a food scene together is the tablecloth, cloth napkin, or makeshift surface you place the recipe on! The best part is, these things are dirt cheap at thrift stores (especially if they are slightly flawed...which doesn't make much difference here) and even cheaper if you use material you would have otherwise thrown away.

I'll share a little secret. In this picture of the Vegan Monkey Tails, I recycled some cut up paper bags! It gave exactly the "scrappy" look I wanted to imply for a kid-friendly recipe. Plus, it's just a great texture!

The background

Don't feel like you have to buy extra things to jazz up the background. Use what you have, or create it yourself. I hinted at this earlier, but here are a few things you can add to the background or near the dish to add some variety:

• Extra ingredients you used in the dish (such as spices or produce)
• A complimenting or contrasting background color
• The texture of the background (like tile or wood)

For most of my recipes, I use leftover white Crescent Boards from when I was in the Graphic Design program in college:

In this Indian Spiced Baked Cabbage recipe, I pinned up a yellow tablecloth in the background:

To create levels

Levels and layering are your best friends. They'll have a flat salad looking abundant, a stack of pancakes making your stomach growl, and a big bowl of guacamole making you run for a chip! Let the food help you create these layers by:

• Stacking the recipe (think waffles, cookies, etc.)
• Adding more to the base than you need (this goes for salad and pasta especially)
• Using a "filler" to take up most of the dish (for instance, sometimes it's effective to fill a large dish part of the way before adding your recipe in)

In this case, I filled this large salad bowl almost entirely with spinach before adding the rest of the ingredients:

Pro tip: When you think there's too much on the plate for the picture, there probably isn't.

Here is a recipe where layering (what seemed like too many Cashew Pan-crepes) helped create the perfect composition.

If you enjoyed these suggestions to help you create your own delicious-looking food scenes, please up vote this post! 😋 Follow me if you love food photography, long naps on the beach, and tacos.

All the best,
Britt