Food styling and baking have always been a passion of mine. Growing up I would spend hours pouring over recipe books in awe of the styling and the captures that sat next to mouthwatering recipes. I am no chef nor am I any good at actual cooking but baking has always been easy for me. Along with baking came my passion for setting the scene and styling my creations to share with all of you. At first it started off with just one or two finished photos of my baking but quickly became an obsession with props, angles, and lighting. I have had so many readers ask me for advice on how I style and photograph my food for my blog. Half the time, I used just my iPhone to capture my baking creations and I know everyone wants to hear that it’s because of a nice, fancy expensive camera but it’s just practice. I STILL need lots and lots of practice and playing around with props and lighting for my photographs before I will ever be completely satisfied with them. Someday I would love to be a food photographer for a magazine or cookbook but until then I will keep practicing and sharing them on LTM.
So I thought I would share with you all my here top 5 tips for food styling, in my opinion, as I said I am no professional but this is what works for me.
1. Set the scene before you bake or cook
I usually think first of the ingredients of a recipe, the color palette of that recipe, and what props I would like to used for the photo. I set up a little space whether it’s on the floor, counter, dining room table or on a piece of white card stock paper. This is your background so I choose wisely and then starting building up from there. Think of the color of your baked or cooked recipe, if it’s orange soup use a blue bowl as they are opposite on the color wheel and will pop in the photo. I then choose a platter or a plate to serve said recipe on accordingly. Then I think in terms of what my recipe is and other props I could use. Flowers are a great prop with food. If it’s a brownie possibly a miniature glass of milk and a straw in the background. If it’s soup possibly soup spoons, napkins and bread & butter to the side. Your props are endless and you can use anything around the house as props. But I get an idea of what I want the end result to look like and set the scene so that whatever is coming out of the oven or off the stove, I already have things set up to start snapping and rearranging.
For example, this Neapolitan Yogurt Popsicles I set the scene with popsicle sticks and empty containers and used an old scarf as my background on the counter. I had it right up to the window to use the natural lighting. I always snap a few photos for each step of the way even if I don’t ever use them in my blog posts. It’s great practice and helps you decide what setting on your camera is good for the lighting and scene in front of you.
2. Snap photos in the process
The second step, snap photos as you bake and cook. You can make some amazing captures while mixing batter in a bowl, or cutting up the ingredients for your recipe. Sometimes recipes are complex and it helps to have various photographs of each step so your reader knows what you are asking them to do. Other times, these ‘captures in process’ turn out to be your best photos!
For example, this photo is from my Flaky Apple Cinnamon Squares recipe. I love the flour on the coutner top and the cut apples and seeds to the side. It also shows my readers how I want them to cut and assemble the squares before baking.
This is another example, as my easy Lemon & Salmon in tin foil is stacked on top of each other before I close the tin foil all the way. This shows the readers what to do but I also think it looks lovely with the green and yellow popping from the salmon color below.
My last example is with my Cheesy Bacon Twists, which are so delicious but I preferred some of the before photos to show the ingredients off. It’s hard to see the brown sugar, rosemary and grated cheese on these after they are baked even though you can very much taste them, readers want to see what they will be getting as an end result. This helps them taste it through sight.
3. Use everything around you to style your photo
The word “prop” really just means anything around you. As I mentioned earlier flowers are great to add to any photo. Using whole pieces of the ingredients of a recipe is a prime prop, like a whole apple next to my apple squares above or a whole pepper next to a recipe that may have some diced peppers inside it. If it’s a meal, set the table for two and take a whole scene. It doesn’t have to stop at just one plate or one bowl. If it’s a treat take an action shot with one of your children taking a bite or reaching across the table for it. Hands and people are great props in food styling. Use your home accessories for props. A book, a postcard that has words on it, a pen if it’s a biscuit and coffee type post. Maybe you are in the middle of writing a postcard to someone and have your coffee and baked goody next to it. Styling food is so fun because you get to use your imagination to no end.
For example, in my Butternut Squash Soup recipe post, I set the table for two and had two bowls and spoons set out as if I was having a nice lunch with someone. Below I added a mini glass of milk and some bread and butter to set the scene. Think of your food styling as a scene to something and envision what that scene looks like. I try all sorts of variations and styles for each recipe. 
Another example is my Fizzy Lemon Cocktail recipe which was a favorite shoot of mine. I used everything in the recipe as backdrops and accessories to the photo. From the shaker, whole lemons, to sugar in the shot glass. It’s cocktail hour and I am setting the whole scene not just focusing on the actual cocktails but they are very much the focal point still. Even close ups of how I iced the rim of the glass was shared.
Another example is in my Raisin Croissant Pudding post I added flowers from my mother’s garden. I had the sauce and whole croissants set to the side to show you what’s in the recipe along side it’s finished product and a big spoon. Spoon, forks, spatulas, and graters; any kitchen gadget you use for that particular recipe is great for photo props. A flour sifter is a common one to use too. Try to buy miniature versions of these as they tend to fit better in the frame. I have numerous small dishes, miniature cups and utensils. Even the cocktail glasses above are miniature size but appear normal size in the photo.
4. Take photos from various angles and lighting
My best advice is check your lighting and angles before and while you are photographing. I always try to turn off any lights in the room and use all natural light which means you need big windows or to be as close to the window as possible. My house is murder for lighting too so I also have to use a light reflector to help bounce the natural light back onto the scene so I don’t have shadows. Unless that’s the look you want, some people are amazing at gorgeous shadow effects on food styling. I haven’t got there yet, more practice and advice on that at a later date. But for now for bright and airy photos I use the window and light reflectors. You can get them on amazon so cheap. Or even just use a tin foil wrapped around a piece of cardboard. Either way, I pull a table straight up to the window and wait for the best natural light of the day to set my scenes. You don’t want direct sun as it changes the lighting and colors of your photos. Overcast but bright days are best. I love using different angles too. I always start off straight overhead looking down onto my scene, then I take photos at a 45 degree angle from all sides, zooming in and out of the scene and moving props around as I go, until I am happy. Then lastly, I take a few looking straight across the scene and zooming into only corners and pieces of the scene to capture the detail. Maybe a close up of the spoon, or a shot glass or a bite taken out of the recipe.
Like I did here, this is straight overhead looking down at my Fruit Puff Pastry Tart. I have used flowers and powdered sugar on parchment paper to set the scene behind it. 
Another example is looking almost straight across at my Balsamic Watermelon Salad recipe. The grass in the background made it appear like a picnic on a hot summer’s day. It helps set the scene for me. This is harder to do indoors as you usually have something in the background that isn’t a good backdrop or doesn’t help set the scene that may distract from your actual recipe. Always look beyond and behind your immediate focal points so that it is free of clutter or anything unrelated to the recipe.
This is an example of forty-five degree angle shot from my Blackcurrant Croissant Cheese Cake recipe. It’s focusing on the detail and cutting the background and the sides off so you have to stare right into the delicious berries and pie filling. This is probably the most popular and most common shots in magazine that I see. It always seems to be my favorite shots in my own food styling too. 
5. Take a bite, cut a slice, scoop it
I also recommend getting involved with your photos. Test out your creations, take a bite, cut a slice or two, or scoop it and use that as your captures. Put those props to work for you in your photos. If it’s soup put your spoon in the bowl and then set it on the side of the bowl so you can see the dirty spoon. Don’t be afraid to make a mess of your scene too. Spread flour or sugar at the side of your recipe, or have sauce dripping off the plate onto the table. It gives it detail and makes you interact more with the scene. Have a hand in the photo, holding the fork with food on the end and the finish product in the background blurred out. The options are endless. Make your photos work for you too!
Here, I scooped out a spoon full of my Blackcurrant Cheesecake Homemade Ice Cream in the ice cream scooper and set it on a cutting board so you could see all the ingredients in the ice cream. Then I grated some chocolate and left some whole pieces next to it to create a mouthwatering effect for this capture.
Another example of this is cutting a slice out of my Lucky Charms Cake. I wanted to show that there was a layer of frosting and marshmallows in the middle of the cake. It also shows how deep and tall the cake is with a slice cut out. Sometimes putting a slice on a plate next to the cake is a great capture. You can focus on the slice with the main cake in the background using the actual cake as a prop too.
The beauty of food styling and photography is there is no wrong or right way. We all take photos differently and with different devices it’s just playing around to find your style and what works for you. I hope you have enjoyed my tips and what I do when styling my recipes. If you love to style food photos, I would love to hear what you do and if you do things differently than I do. Please comment below.
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great post. i also love to bake and take photos of my creations…..your suggestions will come in handy next time I’m in the kitchen.
Thanks Laura. Glad you like it. I always like to share what I learn as I go along. I still have so much more to share and learnt too in the process.
Great Tips Jenny, thanks so much for sharing, I have been really trying hard with my images at the moment. I mean I wont pretend they are anything like yours, they are stunning, but they are better than when i started a year ago!! 🙂
Thanks again for sharing x
Thanks Becky, oh don’t worry I only started 20 months ago and if you look at my first photos they are completely awful. It just takes practice. I have so much to still learn and practice on too.
I’ve always really admired your photography, these shots are absolutely stunning. I’m definitely bookmarking this post for my new food post 🙂
Oh thank you Toni. That’s so sweet of you to say. Made my day. Glad you liked it. Always like to share as I learn too.
They really are gorgeous pictures! Such helpful advice. I’m very much a beginner but have defiantly improved my food pictures in the short month I’ve been blogging. Still v embarrassed about my first one! This has given me so much more helpful advice, thank you! #tastytuesday
Oh glad you like it Hunny!!! I am still a beginner too. I would love to get better at cooking and baking so I can practice more. Glad to pass what I have learned on and keep learning so I can share more.
These are great tips Jenny, you style so well 🙂 Interesting tip about buying miniature utensils, cups etc- I would never have known those glasses weren’t full-sized! #tastytuesdays
Thanks Becky. Yes miniature items fit into the frame better but look normal size.
You are brilliant! That is all I have to say. I wish I had your eye and patience! It is very much a huge skill and you are fab at it!
Thank you so much Vicki. That’s so lovely of you, you made my night.
Some really useful tips there, will definitely have to try them. Your photos are gorgeous
Thank you Alison. Glad you liked my top tips and taking some on board. I love sharing the things I am learning. I still have so much to learn yet though too.
Wow, those are actually really great tips Jenny!! You make me want to bake/cook something just so that I can take photos. #tastytuesdays
Aghh thanks darling. Glad you liked it and found it helpful. Yes do its so fun. I need a chef so they can bake and cook and I can just style and take the photos. Lol wouldn’t that be the life? Bliss.
Such great tips honey, thanks for sharing 🙂 My biggest problems with food photography is poor light in my kitchen (really poor!) and also the fact that my island is a dumping ground and almost never clear enough to set a scene. I always think about the photos last, but need to get into good habits and be thinking of the photos before even starting to cook!
Yes that’s what I do. I have horrible light to. Think outside the box. I have takes a side table into the front living room pushed it against the window and set the scene there with the plate and goodies. Don’t let your kitchen limit you. Use your whole house or even outside with a side table. So fun to get creative.
This is such a helpful post Jenny! I’m not so much into Food Styling, but i think alot of these tips could be applied to taking pictures of other things too. I’ve definitely learnt lots! Thankyou chicky xx
Thanks hunny. Oh yes these could be used for reviews and product photography too. I think the concepts are the same all around when thinking in terms of light, angles, background clutter etc. Glad you liked it.
Wow Jenny you are making me want to make more of an effort! I don’t really do food on my blog but if I ever start I am definitely going to use these tips!! Years of pouring over recipe books have paid off! x
Thanks darling. I don’t know I still have lots to learn but have come along way just look back at some of my first recipes it’s so embarrassing but all part of the journey. lol
These are all SO GOOD! I am terrible at styling photos of any sort and I am also a terrible cook but I will definitely be trying my hardest to remember these tips the next time I’m trying to capture something tasty!
Thanks Charlotte. The beauty is you can apply these tips to product and review photography as well.
Wow, those are actually really great tips
Thank you. I love learning all about all kinds of photography and putting it to practice.
These are some really great tips, thanks. Food styling is something I really struggle with as I am not naturally artistic. I really want to improve it though so will be putting these ideas to work..
Oh Emma I am not artistic at all. I don’t do craft what so ever. Honest and food styling is just a thing you practice and learn I think. It doesn’t come naturally. Just look at some of my first recipes so embarrassing but they are all part of the journey and it’s not been long since I was snapping horrible food shots. Promise you could do it too.
I loved reading this Jenny- I think you are oh SO talented when it comes to food styling. It’s been a pleasure watching your journey as your passion grows and grows. I still need me one of those lucky charm cakes. 😉 x
I will mail you one Hunny. Lol thanks so much for all your love and support.
You are amazing at food styling. I would love to one day take food photos like this but for now they are purely the best photos I can take of the things I make with limited staging. When I have time to set the scene a bit more I will be doing exactly this – great post! x
Thanks Donna. You are good at it too. I think sometimes it’s just thinking a little outside the box or getting an idea of something before you bake or cook.
Great advice, lovely. You’re right: pretty much anything can be used as a prop and your photos are beautiful! x #TastyTuesdays
Thanks Mel. You are sweet. Yes props are anything and everything right down to the twigs outside my house. Hahaha I use it all.
Wow Jenny I really loved this post. Absolutely brilliant tips. I need to do more with styling my food I have an artificial grass rug in my conservatory and use that for ALL my food pics and it gets a bit samey you know? I think i need to get some wooden boards from somewhere for sure and perhaps some prettier bowls etc. Oh the possibilities are endless. Such food for thought (pun intended!) Thanks my love xx
Food for thought indeed my lovely. Sounds like you didn’t need any tips from me. I love going to the fabric store and getting fat quarters for background drops. Your backgrounds are endless that way. Or place mats too. Wooden cutting boards are also a great one. I could find a prop in anything I think. Lol
Okay, so we know I will never be a good blogger, but this is such a fab post Jenny. Really crammed full of tips to really help people get gorgeous photos like yours. And a lot of the tips would apply to product photography for reviews or interiors too. Fab! x
Oh thank you so much Lucy for such complimentary words. You are so amazing you could easily do it too. Yes I never thought to use the same for reviews and product photography great idea. Thanks for all the love and support.
You’ve got a real talent for food photography! Thank you for sharing these expert tips. I’m nit much of a baker, but can surely use your advice for my food photos.
Thanks Tarana so lovely of you to say. I love food styling and practicing my photography.
You are so talented and should definitely be snapped up by a magazine. I struggle for time to set things up, as I am always looking after Baby too and we too have shocking light. But is is an area that I really want to up my game in, so thanks for much for the tips x
Thanks Aby. Oh yes I have my two babies at my feet all the time too. It’s tough isn’t it? I usually let them stir or help me set up so they get involved too. And they love testing the food too. Lol
Great tips Jenny – your food photos look amazing. Thank you for sharing 🙂