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A quick post for you today with some super simple tools that I find essential to food photography styling.
So let’s say you have $10 to spend. These are the exact things I’d buy. They are things that I use to style food and drink photos for nearly every shoot. Often I use all four, but I always use at least one of these tools.
Where you buy these and the type you buy will determine if you come in at $10, but it will be pretty darn close.
If I had $10, these are the essential styling tools I would buy…
Curve Tip Tweezers
These are hands-down the best for styling. Place an herb, remove a crumb, and rearrange a lettuce leaf or garnish. The tip is small enough that it won’t disturb your whole plate.
Tip: Be careful around soft foods, such as adjusting potatoes or beans in a soup. The sharp end of the tweezers can stab the food and leave a mark that will show up in the photo.
Estimated cost: $5
Small Spray Bottle
I use this to spritz on water to get a glisten of freshness without drowning a subject. I spray fresh fruits and vegetables, leafy greens in a salad, and the tops of soups and stews to keep things looking flavorful. The bottle in the picture above came in a multi-pack on Amazon, but a good place to find an inexpensive single option is the travel toiletry section at a drugstore or Target.
Estimated cost: $1
Q-tips
Every time I need to wipe a splash on a plate or the inside edge of a soup bowl, I fight with paper towels. It seems like I wipe something away and something else gets smeared on. The solution for me are Q-tips. The small size allows more control to wipe away exactly what you want to get rid of.
Estimated cost: $2 (go for the generic, they work just as well)
Paint Brush
You don’t need anything fancy here. You can buy an inexpensive artist’s brush set, but for something super cheap option, that’s still effective, head to the kid’s art section of the store for a watercolor brush. I use these most often to brush on olive oil to make vegetables and meats glisten.
Estimated cost: $2
Arranging garnishes, wiping up drops and splashes, and making things shine or glisten - these are all tools I use on a regular basis to accomplish all of these tasks. And they are by far the least expensive tools used in creating food and drink photos!
