Who will argue that the background for food photography is very important?

I think no one. A well-chosen background will always make the picture better. And a bad background can spoil the impression of even a very appetizing dish.

The most obvious background option is the countertop. It can be wooden, marble, stone, etc.

Unfortunately, beautiful countertops are very expensive. Therefore, at the very beginning of my passion for photographing food, it was nice to know that most often boards or special photo backgrounds serve as the background. They can be wooden or with imitation of marble, concrete, stone, etc. (this is in trend). Many masters make such backgrounds, but you can also make them yourself.

In photographs, really old boards always look better than artificially aged ones. Therefore, if you have an old fence that no one needs in mind, do not hesitate to give it a new photo life. And save even more!

How to choose a photophone? 5 simple rules

1. The background should be matte, so that there are no unnecessary glare and reflections.

2. It is better that the background is textured. The texture will make even an empty space in the picture interesting. It is very beautiful when the texture of the background is in harmony with the texture of the dish.

If you order the production of a background with imitation of concrete, stone or marble, then ask the master to make more texture (but not too much). Otherwise, the background in the picture may look like a boring monochromatic slab, especially when shooting with a small depth of field (that is, when a small part of the picture is in sharpness). The conclusion is based on my own mistakes)

3. Suitable background sizes are 70*70cm or 60*80cm. The bigger, the better. Smaller backgrounds are harder to work with, there is always something that doesn't fit in the frame.

4. The background must be moisture resistant. Often during the shooting something pours, pours. It is better to be able to wash the background (well, or wash it).

5. The most versatile colors are white, gray, beige, dark gray, black and brown. With bright colors, you need to be careful, because the background should not distract attention from the dish.

Be very careful when ordering backgrounds. In the catalogs and instagrams of many masters, the photos are so heavily processed that the backgrounds do not look like themselves in reality. Therefore, before ordering, be sure to ask for a background photo without a filter.

Here is a list of masters from whom I myself order backgrounds. They have never let me down, the result has always been excellent.

1. Workshop woodwille

2. Workshop foodphotoprops

3. Master Anna @wood4good_

About the types of wooden backgrounds

Wooden backgrounds are collapsible (a set of boards) and assembled (boards are interconnected and cannot be disassembled).

The advantage of the collected backgrounds is that they can be used as a background.

Plus collapsible - they are easier to transport; there are more options for use (stack the boards or put one on top of the other).

When ordering or self-manufacturing dark wooden background, pay attention to the fact that the sidewalls of the boards are painted over, at least half. Planks are almost always slightly different in thickness, so unpainted sidewalls can be seen when shooting.

When choosing a background it is important to think big and be creative. After all, anything can be a cool background! The main thing is that the background helps to tell the story in the picture and emphasizes the beauty of the dish. Let's see what non-standard background options are.

Ideas for custom backgrounds

1. Fabric, such as a tablecloth, towel, napkin, bed linen, bag, blanket, etc.

2. plate, tray, cutting board, baking sheet, parchment

3. Floor. Don't forget to consider it as a background option!

4. Any aged surface (chair, drawer, door, shutter, etc.)

5. Often the person himself can be a great backdrop!

6. Leaves, grass, flowers, hay, moss and other vegetation - interesting option. This background emphasizes the freshness and naturalness of the dish.

1. We need to understand what story we want to tell in the photo. This should be taken into account when choosing a background. If, for example, we want to shoot potatoes in a rustic way, then it would be logical to take old dark boards that will create the atmosphere of a rustic kitchen.

2. The background should be in harmony with the dish in color. Preferably also in texture.

3. The background should be combined with dishes, textiles and other props in style and color.

4. If the dish itself looks like a work of art, then it is better to take a simpler and more inconspicuous background.

Happy pictures!

Good afternoon, our dear readers!

Today, as part of our Photo-JV "Learning Together", I, Ilona Yozheg, will tell you how I make a wooden photophone with my own hands.

I’ll make a reservation right away, I didn’t specifically study this anywhere ... I just watched how others were doing something similar, figured out what to replace, where to simplify, and of course, it wasn’t without the advice of my husband, his profession and experience allowed me to facilitate a good piece of work.

And now to business. I will show you how to make a relief wooden double-sided photo background.

Stage 1. We show the relief of wood.

Actually, the wooden blank of the photophone itself;

A brush with metal rods or a screwdriver and metal brush nozzles.

Important! This process is very dusty, I do it on the balcony, covering the floor with newspapers and still then I have to vacuum everything carefully)

What is important - with a brush it is necessary to insert (both manually and with a nozzle on a screwdriver) along the fiber of the tree so that the metal of the brush "gnaws out" softer (in the photo they are lighter) fibers. The more relief you want to get the surface, the longer and more thoroughly you will have to rub.

This is what the board looks like after brushing.

Stage 2. Surface grinding.
For this step we need:
- again our wooden blank of a photophone;
- sandpaper or an emery wheel and a grinder. I have a grain size on an emery wheel - 120 (this is a fairly rough sandpaper).
Important! This process is slightly less dusty than the previous one, but not by much, so I also do it on the balcony.
I work with a grinder at 4-5 speeds, I grind at an angle, i.e. the very edge of the circle - it both smoothes and further deepens the grooves

You can dry it and leave it like that. I don't stop there and move on to...

Stage 4. We paint the photo background.

For this step we need:

Photophone treated with stain (aka, a wooden blank));

White acrylic paint and colorants or ready-made colored acrylic paints;

Tray for acrylic paint;

foam roller;

Emery sponge with fine grain;

Acrylic varnish (matt or semi-gloss) for wooden surfaces.

Note! I buy all of the above materials in a building supermarket. A 5 liter bucket of acrylic paint has been enough for me for the 3rd year and the bottom is not yet visible)). The colorants aren't finished yet. Basic knowledge of the color wheel allows me to get any desired shades of paint in the quantities I need and experiment with color.

Voila! This double-sided photophone now lives with our Yulianna Neginskaya!

This article is useful not only for photographers, as we photograph any of our work for demonstration on the web or for our portfolio. There are many simple tricks with which you will create beautiful pictures, which means you will arouse people's interest, because beauty always attracts.

Filter

This do-it-yourself filter option is very easy. You need a plastic bag (white, colored or transparent - depending on what result you want).

It is best to take a transparent one and paint with markers on the part that is enough to wrap the lens. Look at the photo below.

We tied the package

Got this result

reflector

A set of materials: cardboard, kitchen foil, glue and adhesive tape.

It is desirable that the foil is not too thin and has an area of ​​​​1 square meter for the same area of ​​\u200b\u200bcardboard. Having generously smeared the cardboard with glue, you put foil on it, pulling it a little and securing it with adhesive tape at the back. This is the result you should get:

Lightbox or black tile

If you want to do a subject photo session, then a lightbox that you can make yourself is ideal for this. I warn you, making a photobox is a very time-consuming process. The frame can be made of anything: cardboard, wood, plastic, iron slats. Here are some options:

You stretch a perfectly white fabric or paper onto the slats. In this case, the inner front part should be without bends.

If you don't have time to fiddle around with a photobox, but you or someone you know has black tiles, that's pretty cool. After all, it will serve as an ideal backdrop for subject photography. And if it's glossy, it will reflect the subject, and it will add impact to your shots.

flash diffuser

The function of the diffuser is to remove shine on the face, too sharp transitions, shadows, and also make the light softer. Such a useful tool is very easy to make. A sheet of paper attached to a flash with a rubber band, a plastic or paper cup, a table tennis ball, even a pack of cigarettes - all this can become a diffuser.

Time lapse and kitchen timer

Mirror

In the case of this item, you do not need to craft anything. Just remember that with a mirror you can create some very original shots. Here are some hackneyed ideas, look at them and create new ones!

A tutorial on creating a stylish background for those who like to photograph food and objects.

Wooden photophones are gaining more and more popularity. If you want to have a unique photophone now, it is better to buy it from an experienced master. But you can make a beautiful background yourself, albeit not very vintage, but textured. To begin with, it is better to make a background of classic colors, one side of which is brown, the other is white.

Creating a background begins with the choice of a tree. In any hardware store you can buy boards, saw them to the desired length, or choose a solid pine canvas right size. You can use boards from a pallet, but they will be unfinished and it will take a lot of effort to get them textured and not leave splinters.

Pay attention to the pattern and knots on the tree, the more there are, the more textured the background will be.

Materials for work:

• Primer for wood (you can use PVA glue)
• Acrylic paint white, gray, brown
• Acrylic matte lacquer
• Wide brush with natural bristles
• Wide synthetic brush
• Gloves
• Sandpaper (fine grit 80 or 100)
• grinder (if any)
• Respirator (Required! Fine dust during grinding very easily penetrates into the lungs)
• Rag or rag
• Paper (newspapers, film on which the tree will lie when stained)
• Before work, cover the surface with paper on which you will process the photophone.

Let's start making the first side of the background - brown.

The first stage of work is to prime the surface of the tree, let it dry. Apply a second coat of primer. If after that the wood becomes rough, go over it with sandpaper, it is after the primer that the pile has risen, which often happens when the wood is poorly sanded. Brush off sanding dust with a dry brush or cloth.

After that, you can apply the first layer of brown paint. Apply with a dry brush, as if rubbing into the surface. If you plan to make the wood pattern strongly visible, then the layer should not be thick and try not to leave brush marks. After drying, the color of the paint may be lighter and it is better to apply a second coat. If desired, after the second layer has dried out, you can walk with sandpaper in several places (at the junctions of the boards), give it a shabby look, or you can leave it in this form. Keep in mind that when photographing on a monitor screen, the background color will be slightly lighter, so do not be too zealous when sanding. Wipe the entire surface with a rag.

To make the background last for a long time, it is better to cover it with acrylic varnish, apply one layer, let it dry, and then a second.

Let's make the second side white and create a shabby chic effect. In this case, we will not see beautiful drawing wood, but we will create the effect of time-worn paint.

Do the same with primer and sander. Apply one coat of gray paint, let it dry. This is the basis of the color that will be visible from under the white paint.

Now you can apply the first coat of white paint, let dry and then the second. After the last layer has dried, at the joints of the boards, rub with sandpaper at intervals over the surface, doing it randomly and to varying degrees in terms of the amount of abrasions.

Wipe off the sanded paint with a dry brush, wipe the surface and cover with two layers of varnish alternately. Your photophone is ready and will serve you for a long time.

Adviсe:

• It is necessary to grind the wood in the direction of the wood fibers and be sure to wear a respirator and gloves.
• Buy high-quality acrylic paints so that you are sure to get the expected result. Cheap paints do not cover the wood well and when dried, a different shade of color is obtained.
• If the acrylic paint is very thick, you can dilute it a little with water and mix well.
• Each layer of application must dry well.
• Keep the photophone away from heat sources and not on a balcony, even a glazed one. The wood very readily absorbs moisture, it also dries well, but during these processes it can lead and there is a risk that the background can bend.

If you are fond of product or food photography, like to shoot still lifes, then you know that one of the components of a good shot is the right background. Repeating from shot to shot, the background can become part of the photographer's recognizable style.

For photography, both light and uniform surfaces and textured ones are used: vintage wooden tables, various fabrics, as well as surfaces made of real or artificial marble, brick and even asphalt are used.

How to find a good background? It’s good if your apartment or studio already has a “textured” table (although it’s still not very easy and pleasant to wipe off the consequences of a busy food shoot from it). Photographers often use real or specially made pieces various materials, but all this wealth needs to be stored somewhere and it is very inconvenient to transport.

Read the instructions on how to make a photophone with your own hands with minimal cash costs. Such backgrounds are almost weightless, easy to move and (not least) very easy to clean.

Method 1. Photo printing on foam board

Printing on foam board is widely used in photography. Such prints are often hung on the wall - they are inexpensive, while bright, light and durable. What if we use this technology for our task?

1. Find the source. There are no restrictions on what kind of image you can use for printing: plastered wall, old wallpaper, painted old boards in shabby chic style, brick wall, marble... You just need to take a photo of the surface you like or find it on one of the stock sites. Make sure the image resolution is at least 250-300 dpi.

2. Where to print. You can easily find a photo center, a photo lab or a printing house offering a foam board printing service - choose the one that suits the price.

3. Select options. The thickness of the foam board must be at least 5 mm. Choose a matte print (a glossy surface will give unnecessary highlights and reflections, which is not at all suitable for our purpose). Choose the right size according to your taste. From experience, the size of 50x70 cm is well suited as a surface for unfolding objects, and 100x120 cm can be used as a backdrop (wall).

4. Evaluate the result. Photophones made in this way most often turn out to be really successful. However, some prints may look unnatural. Do not be upset - just turn them over to the other side. Since the underside is white, they can be used very effectively as reflectors. Another option is to imitate the surface of the window sill. Perfect if yours isn't white enough, is still stone (hello USSR), or is just always stuffed with much-needed stuff.

So, it's worth a try. Be prepared for the fact that not all prints can turn out perfectly, but if you are lucky, you will get a photophone that is durable, light as a feather and pleasant to work with.

Method 2. Vinyl wallpapers / backgrounds

They are available in all possible colors and textures, from wood to granite - you just need to look well in the wallpaper section of the building supply supermarket. The print is made on a vinyl sheet that can be easily rolled up and placed in a corner/carried away. Of course, before using such wallpaper as a background for photography, the edges need to be pressed with something, or even better - glued so that the roll does not curl.

You can also buy special vinyl photophones. Companies like Swankyprints ship them all over the world. But be prepared for the fact that the quality can be different. On some, the seal is impeccable, on others not so much, and which one you got - you will find out only by unpacking your package. And the price for delivery bites, it is better to order several at once. In Russia, there are also online stores for vinyl photophones. It may be easier and cheaper to choose their products.

Method 3. Self-adhesive film

If you are not too lazy to work with your hands, then you can create a stylish background literally for a penny. You will need all the same foam board and self-adhesive film. The film is sold in building supermarkets (here is an example of a “marble” coating for 127 rubles), and foam board is sold in shops for artists (it costs 204 rubles).

Materials:

• self-adhesive film;
• binding cardboard;
• dry clean rag;
• ruler;
• pencil;
• stationery knife.

Step 1. Draw on the cardboard the shape of the required size. Draw a shape on the film of the same size. Cut out the shapes with a utility knife along the ruler.

Step 2 Peel off the protective film from the paper. Gently attach the decorative pattern of the film with the adhesive side to the base, press it with the palm of your hand. With one hand, continue to remove the paper from the film, and with the other hand, smooth the design using a clean, dry rag.

Step 3 After gluing, check if bubbles have formed on the surface. If the film is stuck unevenly or wrinkles appear, it can be quickly re-glued. But after an hour it will be impossible to separate the film from the base.

That's all

The stylish surface is ready for your photo experiments. Share in the comments which method you liked the most or suggest your own version.

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