How to Style and Photograph Food

Please welcome our guest couple, Carrie and Andrew Purcell, from Pictures & Pancakes.

When styling food we really try to keep things natural and not too fussy. There are definitely some tricks used in food styling but we hardly ever use those for the blog ? we want it to feel real and like what you?d be served for a meal in our home! The only things that I use for the blog that I use when styling for editorial or advertising clients are my q-tips, tweezers and paint brush ? all used for tiny details like picking off a stray piece of parsley or moistening dry meat with a little water or oil. And we definitely eat everything we shoot!

We have a cupboard full of props and are always adding to the collection. Whenever we?re in home or kitchen stores and see a bowl, napkin or spoon that we love, we pick one up knowing it?ll be put to good use helping the food look pretty for our readers. Some of our favorite places in NYC to shop for props are Global Table, Fishs Eddy, ABC Home, Ochre and all the different flea markets around town. We love collecting things when we travel as well.

With photography, and more specifically food photography, we really try and keep the food the hero. With the blog, it's really about the recipe, so we want the photo to obviously be beautiful, but also let the food have the best light it can. On our end, we almost use all natural light, using a few reflecting cards to bounce some light in and lessen the contrast. We also like to use a fairly shallow depth of field, something that we think adds to the mood and feel of the shots. But really, most of all shooting food is about the balance of your perspective and the foods perspective, keeping the food the main hero, but also letting your individual style come through.