THE BEST DIY

FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
B A C K G R O U N D

H O W T O G U I D E

TWOLOVESSTUDIO.COM
with Bea Lubas

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKGROUND

CREATE YOUR VERY OWN DIY BACKGROUND IN JUST 4 SIMPLE STEPS

A FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY BACKDROP IS THE BACKBONE OF YOUR SHOT.

Great things are built on a solid foundation, and your food images are no different.
The backdrop that you choose is the backbone of your food scene. It will set the
tone of the story you are trying to capture. Choose a backdrop that isn’t premium
and say goodbye premium and hello mediocre.

Here are a few tips to help you get started before you pick your colours!

THE DO'S
The key to a premium background is one that subtly adds to the overall feel of an
image instead of competing with the food. Choose backgrounds that have
inconspicuous texture and aren’t too busy with lines and fall within a neutral
colour palette, whites, greys, hues of blue or desaturated browns.

THE DON'TS
Stay away from warm coloured woods with yellow/orange tones. The reason for
this is that food looks fresher, crisper and more enticing when the temperature of
your shot is more towards the blue end of the spectrum.

Warm coloured woods can be too saturated and overpower the other colours in
your shot. Just flick through any prestigious food magazine and you’ll see a
tendency to stick away from this type of backdrop.

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STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
THE TOOLS YOU NEED
This food photography backdrop doesn't require a lengthy list of hard to come by
tools. Rather, just a few simple, but effective ones.

A wooden board, 800mm x 800mm. 10mm thick.

Washing up sponge.
Tester/Sample Pots of paint. 4-3 shades of one colour.

STEP 1 - USE A STURDY WOODEN BOARD.

I go for the biggest plywood board available and ask to cut it into 800 x 800 mm
at the DIY store. 800mm x 600mm would work great too. (If you are in the UK,
B&Q has a great selection!)
Go for at least 10mm thick as anything thinner might bend too easily.

STEP 2 - ADD THE COLOUR.

I use ordinary matt wall paints that I always get in small tester pots.
Go for at least three different shades and pour a small amount of each paint in the
middle of the surface, next to one another. If you run out, repeat.

STEP 3 - COATING THE BOARD.

Blend it by using a sponge but DON'T OVER MIX. Dab it all over the board.Try not
to use paint too heavily, just enough to cover the wood and don’t be too precise!
One coat is always enough.
I don’t put any sealant on the top, just wipe it with a damp cloth after every use
and it keeps fine. However, if you work a lot with easily colouring food or spices
like for example turmeric, you might want to put an additional layer of matt
lacquer on the top.

STEP 4 - LET IT DRY.

The drying time will depend on what kind of paint you use but for fast drying time,
you can always paint it outside or leave it indoors by an open window.

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IMAGE INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS

Don't judge before you try it. The camera and our eyes can see things differently!
Utilise both sides with different colours to save on space and material costs.
Beeswax is also a good sealant to coat the board with.

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