Food photography:
Buying backdrops and surface
Every great food photographer knows that every great food photography studio relies on great lighting and backgrounds to create great food styling photography.
With this guide, we hope to help you improve your food photography, by giving you a few points on the best food photography backdrops and point you in the right direction as you set out to equip your studio.
Long-lasting, dependable lighting – the bread and butter of food photograph
In product and food still life photography, the right lighting for your subject matter is so critically important. For this reason, Manfrotto offers a host of lighting products, which are unrivaled when it comes to their performance and value. These products can be used conjointly with other Manfrotto products, such as the food photography light softboxes from the Lastolite by Manfrotto product series, to provide you with a variety of lighting solutions to control, diffuse and flag your light source to achieve the desired effect in your images.
You can support your lighting equipment with Manfrotto’s world-renowned stands and supports, like the 3-Pack Photo Master Stand, Air Cushioned Black Aluminium, whichcan be adapted for use with your led or flashlights, as well as other studio equipment. They are lightweight yet strong enough to support up to 9kg of lighting equipment!
Food photography props – the essentials for still life food photography
The backdrop that you choose to accompany your subject matter is nearly as important as the lighting – it should complement the food and add to the effect that you’re aiming for with your photo. The line of Colorama backgrounds and accessories offers a variety of backgrounds available in a huge selection of colours, sizes and materials and are very popular among studio photographers. The Colorama Rolleasy Ceiling Mount for one 3.55m Paper Roll is a sturdy studio background support system than can be mounted either to the wall or the ceiling with a detachable crank to raise and lower the background and lock it into position.
Similarly, the Colorama Rolleasy Wall Mount for one 3.55m Vinyl Background maybe mounted to the ceiling or wall, and thanks to its design, you can use multiple Paper or Vinyl backgrounds of 2.75m or 3.55m wide rolls. You can use multiple mounts next to one another, so that you can choose from a number of surfaces for your food photography.
If you’re looking for more portable accessories that you can take with you on the go, the Urban Collapsible 1.5 x 2.1m Red Brick/Grey Stone background is quick to set up or pack away, providing an instant urban outdoor look in a cinch, regardless of what the weather forecast has in store. It collapses down to one-third of its size, so that you can easily take it with you to your next set location.
You can set up the background together with the Photo stand, Support, Bag and Spring, Complete Set, which is sturdy enough to support up to 10 kg of equipment, while its light frame makes it easy to pack up and take with you anywhere.
Since you’re on the go, you should check out some of our Manfrotto camera bags from the Pro Light Reloader series like the Pro Light Reloader Switch-55 carry-on camera bags protect DSLR cameras through its strong, lightweight construction, as well as 4/5 additional lenses, letting you transport your equipment hassle-free. The bag’s stylish design sets it apart from other camera bags, and they are designed to fit as carry-on items. The ProLight Reloader Tough-55 LowLid carry-on camera roller bag provides a rigid outer shell and padded internal compartments to protect two DLSR cameras as well as 4-5 additional lenses and comes with a tripod holder system.
Hopefully you found our buyingguide helpful as you are selecting backgrounds for your studio. Be sure to check out our guide on food photography for more great tips and tricks of the trade!
