15 Props for Food and Product Photography

In the past 10 years, I went from a photographer who hated the idea shelves stacked with a clutter of props to a food and product photography prop LOVER. I can’t see anything - a cup, a spoon, or even a salt shaker - without envisioning a photo.

I try to be cautious of repetitively using the same items to prop my food and product photos. But there are some that I love so much. I just have to have them around. 

These are a few things that make it to set with me for nearly all my shots with examples of them in food, candle, and flower photos. I hope they give you some creative ideas for things to keep around your set.  

Reused and Upcycled Props for Food and Product Photography

A little while back, I showed a glass on my Instagram Stories that formerly held a candle. I’d cleaned it up to use as a juice glass in my food and product photography prop collection.

I do this a lot - reuse and upcycle everyday things and keep them as props.

When I asked if you all would like me to go through some examples of these items in my prop collection, I got a lot of yeses. So here you go.

In this video, I go through several props and finish up with photo examples of how I’ve used them.

*Also, minor typo. I said copyrighted when I meant trademarked. Sorry, it was too minor of a mistake to reshoot a whole video so I corrected it in the captions.

One Photography Prop Four Ways - Colander

My prop collection is minimal compared to other studios I’ve toured. I carefully evaluate each piece I buy - can I use this multiple times without it looking like the same photo?  

When it comes to something I will use a lot, like a colander due to all my produce photography, I know I’m going to need different types in my collection to create unique photos. For me, that warrants keeping a few extra around and jumping on the chance when I find something a little unique. 

Today I’m showing you the diversity of the three I have and how they can be used to create different moods of photos. I include why I chose them for this look. 

The first is a handmade ceramic colander from Fringe and Fettle. The style and color of this one leads to some comforting photos that don’t have to go too dark and moody. It looks great on white wood with berries. 

This is another handmade ceramic colander from Honeybee Pottery. It’s much larger and the handmade quality allows for use in rustic, farmhouse type looks while the color provides for some vibrance in the shot.

This basic mesh colander is what I turn to when I need to create more of a modern kitchen look. 

This green metal colander is a bit of an outlier for me. I use it when I want to create something a little different, outside of my usual style. This is from a personal single-tone project I did where I kept all components of the photo the same hue. I also added some lace in my light source to create pattern in this one.