A spoon. Napkin. Glass. Cutting board. Some herbs. A small pot of sauce. Now your plate is no longer the star. While props can add a polished look to your food photo, they also have the power to add distracting clutter. This happens all too often with newer food photographers. Every item on its own doesn’t seem to detract from the composition, but put them all together and they all fight for attention.
Your prop’s main role is to back up your food, not steal it. A napkin will fill in space nicely. Cutlery can hint at scale and flow. A wood plank adds contrast to a background. You add crumbs, herbs or a smudge of sauce to suggest texture and freshness. If however, you notice the neat fold of the napkin, the handle of the spoon, the design on the plate, the reflection in a glass and you don’t notice your main dish, then you have styled for distraction rather than to support your food.
A handy way to test your props is to examine the visual flow of your image. Shoot an image, and give yourself one look. Where does your eye want to go? Are you drawn to the gleam of the fork, the vibrant color of the napkin, the deep shadow at the bottom? You have to decide if your image is stronger if the highlight, the focus, the pop of color, the point of texture is all on the food. You also have to consider how your props may mess with the lighting. A reflective utensil will pick up flare from a window. A tall glass can add an awkward shadow over your plate. A patterned textile can change your white balance, especially when paired with white plates or light-colored sauces. Try removing one item from your scene, reposition the light, and give the exposure another shot without changing your light metering. Your window light might actually look better in this scenario.
Think about building your dish from the opposite angle. Shoot the dish without props first. Shoot it next to a window in a clean and simple setup. Then add one prop with a reason for it. A folded napkin to soften an edge or spoon to suggest the direction of flow. Then shoot it again, and then add another item if the image needs more, rather than cluttering your image from the beginning. This method of building your scene will help you understand what each prop does instead of adding props out of habit.
Negative space isn’t wasted space. An area of your image without any distractions can give the eye room to rest and your image the room to breathe. This is especially helpful in flat lays and 3/4 angled shots where there is less texture. Newer food photographers tend to fill up the frame out of fear that an empty background makes their dish appear incomplete. However, that breathing room in the background might in fact make your dish more intentional. By removing any clutter, you give more attention to a drizzled sauce, crumbs or a piece of fresh garnish and allow the texture of the dish, whether from the cut edge or a steam, to take the lead.
Before you finish your shot, consider if each of your items are essential. Does it draw the eye? Does it help tell your story? Does it balance the frame? Does it have a texture that you can play with? If you’re not sure, try shooting without it and compare the two images. Your dish might not need more props. Your dish might just need room to breathe.