FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROP GUIDE
Hi everyone! In today’s blog post, I would like to share my favourite online platforms, brands, and ceramic artists for sourcing food photography props.
Below, I will be covering low-budget resources for those who are just starting out to learn photography for their creative business, as well as some of the higher budget ideas for those who are ready to invest a little extra. All the options that I’ve listed on this blog post are either places that I bought from myself or would love to purchase from in the near future.
If you’re still at the experimenting stage and you’re not sure what to get or still don’t really know your style, I would highly recommend starting with the first section of this post, which covers ideas for sourcing your props on a budget. You don’t want to end up with a bunch of them sitting on your shelf for months completely unused. Happened to me way too many times!
I hope you find this useful! Let’s do this!
LOW BUDGET FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS
These are all great places to start with! In fact, this is exactly where I started, and I still use a lot of the props that I bought from there.
CAR BOOT SALES – I spent quite few Saturday mornings rummaging around my local car boot sale trying to find something that would catch my eye and I certainly did. Some days I would come back with a box full of photography props while spending no more than £10! If you have time to spare, I highly recommend checking your local car boot sale.
FACEBOOK MARKET – I find Facebook Market to be a great option when looking for vintage tableware and cutlery, as well as fabrics and even old newspapers, rustic wood planks and tiles to use as backgrounds. Don’t be afraid to expand your search radius when looking for listings. A few times, I have found my ideal props to be in places like Wales or Scotland, but I managed to arrange an online payment and get the props that I wanted shipped to my address. Usually, people are more than happy to help you out, as long as you cover delivery costs and are not afraid to risk paying upfront. Unlike eBay, you are not protected while buying via Facebook Market, but so far, I haven’t had any issues.
VINTAGE AND CHARITY SHOPS – These are other few great options for budget-friendly food photography prop sourcing. However, some vintage shops can get well pricey, so please do some research in your local area. I have found now a really nice Thames Hospice Vintage & Retro charity shop next to where I live, in Windsor, which has so many beautiful props at very affordable prices, and I visit it on a monthly basis.
EBAY – I don’t really use eBay anymore, because I prefer to use Facebook Market instead, but if you find eBay to be a safer option to shop, this is a great option for buying vintage cutlery, plates, baking trays, old newspapers, and books.
TK MAXX, IKEA, and AMAZON – These are all great options for reasonably priced homeware. You can find very simple, yet beautiful tableware with some character to it, that will be a perfect option when experimenting and trying to find your style.
MEDIUM AND HIGHER BUDGET FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS
H&M HOME – This is by far my favourite high street shop to buy neutral, yet very elegant tableware that is priced decently. H&M home also has some really nice linen tablecloths, napkins and aprons, as well as some beautiful wooden and marble chopping boards. I have bought quite a few pieces from them, inducing scallop edged plates, beautiful grey and completely mat soup bowls, white rustic mugs and linen tablecloth. I highly recommend it!
FODORY – A food photography prop online shop I discovered recently while browsing on Instagram. I haven’t bought anything from them myself, but I’ve seen some of my fellow photographers using their pieces and I have to say, they look gorgeous. They also ship worldwide!
ROSE & GREY – An online shop I discovered last year and instantly fell in love with the tableware they sell! I have bought a few pieces from them so far and I’m very happy with the quality of their products. The main plate and the mug in the shot on the left above were both acquired from Rose & Grey. (UK ONLY)
NOM LIVING – They are all about detail and beautiful textures. I have been dreaming about their plates, mini dishes, and sauce jugs for a good year, until I finally had an opportunity to purchase some of their pieces. Yes, they are quite expensive, but definitely worth every single penny! It’s better to have less, but something that will make your food photography shots truly stand out.
LA REDOUTE – This is a French brand that I must mention! I bought some linen aprons from them, but they also have beautiful linen tablecloths and tea towels. They also have some great tableware and mat cutlery!
ETSY – There are so many gorgeous and unique props you can find on Etsy, but here I would like to share two brands I came across on Etsy that I like for very specific things - linen products and cheesecloths.
MAGIC LINEN – The name says it all! Their products are definitely not cheap, but they are of really good quality and worth the price. Keep in mind they are delivered from Lithuania.
LOVELY HEART THINGS – When choosing fabrics to include in your shots, you want to add something that will have texture, fold easily and create beautiful flow in your food photographs. For this reason, I love using cheesecloths! Lovely Heart Things have many different colours and sizes to choose from. I have ordered 5 different pieces from them and can easily recommend them! Just have in mind that they ship from Ukraine.
INGREDIENTS LDN – Since a lot of people have asked me where I got my Pallarès Solsona kitchen knives, I thought I should add Ingredients LDN to this list as well. It took me some time to find them! I have a medium and small size knife, but if you had to choose only one size, I would definitely go for the small size. I might have used the medium size for one or two shots, but 90% of the time is the small one that I use. Please keep in mind that these are made from carbon steel and require some extra care when washing and storing. If you browse their online store, you will also find a small collection of kitchen tools that are beyond beautiful!
CULTIVERRE – An online shop I discovered just a day before writing this blog post and I love every single item they have on their website. They have some really pretty carbon steel vintage-style scissors. You must check it out! At the moment, they only ship to the USA and Canada, but if you email them, they may accommodate other international destinations.
CERAMIC ARTISTS FOR FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY PROPS
Jessica Joslin – She is based in the UK, and I love love love her work! Mat finish, neutral colours, very simple and beautiful textures. I bought a few pieces from her a few years ago, but I will be visiting London soon to buy a few more of her lighter colour plates and bowls.
Another two ceramic artists that I came across recently are Robynn Storgaard and Olifer Ceramica. They are based in Denmark and Spain, and both create stunning, light, rustic and dreamy tableware. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to buy their work yet, but this is very much the style I adore!
Love_Ceramic – I thought I would add this Instagram page to the list as well, as they feature some really talented ceramic artists that you might find inspiring and end up getting some of their pieces for your food photography prop collection.
That’s all for today! I hope you find this article useful. Feel free to reach out and share your favourite shops and ceramic artists with me. I am always looking out for new ideas!
