Five Ways to Photograph Bread

With over 10 years spent being a food stylist and photographer, one tends to gather a lot of photos of the same subject. It’s fun to look back at all the different ways I’ve managed to style and photograph the same type of food - a soup, cookies, and bread, for example. And I find that sharing these photos is a good way to help spark ideas in others who feel stuck.

In my recent post Idea Generation: How to Brainstorm Ideas for Food and Product Photography, I shared that coming up with new ideas seems to be one of the biggest challenge many people face. (If you feel that way, be sure to read that post.)

This challenge is never greater than when you are tasked with styling and photographing multiple photos of a single subject at one time. 

When I wrote and photographed my cookbook, Beer Bread, I was definitely feeling those creative blocks.

But it was also a lot of fun. The challenge lead to some ways of thinking that hadn’t come to me before. 

These are some of my favorite five ways to photograph bread with photos from that book. 

Inside the loaf. 

No need to cut multiple slices. Just give us a peak inside that beautiful loaf. 

Whole loaf in the pan. 

A simple idea, that is often forgotten. Show the bread inside the pan and resist the need for a lot of propping around it. Use a surface you love and let the loaf shine all on its own. 

Slices neatly stacked. 

I love how these shots show the inside while also inviting you to reach over and grab a slice. 

Slices scattered. 

Give the photo the casual feel of a snack board and scatter the slices. 

Whole loaf overhead. 

When the bread is a pretty loaf, let it be. Give the scene some color and let the loaf stand on its own. Or…

Slices folded over.

A little bonus with a sixth idea, because this can really only be done with the right loaf. For large round loaves that allow for big, long slices that tend to flop over. Keep the slices tightly intact at the bottom and let them gently unfold out of the loaf. 

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Creating the Three Tiers of My Small Business

I’ve always wanted to do a lot of different things. To learn about a lot of different things. To experience a lot of things. To create many different things. 

It’s always been in conflict with the business advice I routinely receive that I should pick one thing and focus only on that. That is the key to success.

It has always felt like an unadventurous decision to me. A recipe for becoming bored with what you do, day in and day out. 

I tried it. And as expected it didn’t work. And fortunately, around that same time, I started to run into more and more people who do a lot of different things. 

What I realized is that I did need a base, a focus. But from there I could branch out - I could create different types of photography, offer different types of courses, do commissioned shoots, and sell prints. 

It just all needed to relate back to my core mission for my business. Which is what I had to spend some time figuring out. 

I created three words or phrases that reflect why I do the work that I do. 

Freedom. Better system. Inspire pause. 

Freedom relates to my time and the flexibility in my schedule. I can work three 10-hour days, seven 5-hour days. Work remotely while I travel. Overwork for 2 weeks to start the month so I can travel the following two weeks. 

I’m not afraid of work and don’t strive to maintain a 20-hour work week or a month of vacation each year. I just enjoy being able to push hard when I want or need to, and pull back when I want or need to. 

Better system relates to who I serve. I enjoy helping those who create a better system for the foods we consume and the goods we buy with the work that I do. Food and drink companies, agriculture boards and councils, and artisans are examples of those I enjoy working with most. 

Inspire pause relates to what I create and what I teach. I have one goal for all of the photos I create, for them to inspire pause. For others to stop for even a split second and think - that’s beautiful, I want to learn more about that, I want to travel there, or even simply, I bet that tastes good. My goal with teaching is to show others how to inspire pause themselves. 

With these three things at the core of my work, it allowed me to categorize the work that I do. 

Commissioned work. Teaching. Affordable stock photography. 

Commissioned photography. Whether it’s recipe shoots, product shoots, or for editorial and books, this type of work through my company Fake Food Free Productions sustains my business so that I can maintain that freedom. It also allows me to work with those creating a better system. 

Courses and workshops. It turns out I’ve always been a teacher, even though I didn’t see myself as one. It started with teaching group exercise and personal training when I was in college. Then I created health curricula and lead trainer-the-trainer events as well as cooking workshops when I was working in public health. I didn’t realize how naturally it came to me until I started my CreatingYOU.® family of courses and workshops by teaching my Confused to Confident: Food and Product Photography for Food Makers, Growers, and Artisan Creators that helps small business owners create their own photos. 

This work leads back to helping those who are creating a better system. It also allows me to focus on my creative work to inspire pause and to help others do the same. 

Affordable stock photography. My third tier is something I created to help those who don’t fall into the first two categories. My Farm Fresh Photos monthly membership is intended to help those who can’t yet afford to hire someone like me for a commissioned shoot and who also don’t want to take their own photos. I get to stay creative and true to my inspire pause mission with my photos and help those creating a better system with affordable photos that they can use for digitally marketing their businesses. 

Doing a lot of different things can definitely feel disorganized and overwhelming. But it’s settling in on the key things within your mission that’s important. Who do you serve or want to serve and why are you doing this work? Once you have that, outline the things you want to do in a way that ensures they push that mission forward. 

When each thing you do leads back to your overall mission, then you know that each has value and the time you put towards each is worth it. 

Essentially this how you give your work focus without feeling forced to do only on one thing.

Berry Photography for Berry People, LLC

My recent commissioned styling and photography of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries ,and raspberries for the Berry People, LLC.

Objective: Seasonal idea generation, styling, and photography for the company’s line of berries for publicity, and internal and external collateral use.

Food and Product Photography Linens

This post contains a couple affiliate links which means if you buy one of these linens from Etsy, I receive a tiny commission.

I admit I’m a little obsessed with linens. 

For my shopping personality, they check all the boxes. They’re less of a commitment than, say, a big piece of handmade pottery. They are easy to store in my prop collection so I have the freedom to go overboard. They make great travel souvenirs because they pack light. 

For my work, they add that special touch to a photo that speaks to our individual styles. They serve as a baby step for venturing out of our comfort zones when we want to add something a little different - in color, in pattern. There are so many textures and colors that can support the moods we aim to create with your photos. 

I have many people ask me where I get my linens, so I’m sharing three spots I love below. 

Lakeshore Linens makes up the majority of my linen collection. I absolutely love the colors, textures, styles, and sizes.

112 James Street is a spot I discovered a couple years ago. I have a few of their linens and I need to order some more! I love the deep, natural colors that are available.

Craft and fabric stores are where I turn when I want to have fun with prints. Look in the handkerchief section. There are usually brightly colored options and they are super affordable so you won’t be afraid to take a chance on a few. 

Want to read more about linens. I wrote a post a while back about 6 Types of Linens to Diversify Your Prop Collection. 

Tips for Flower Photography and Floral Design

One subject that I’ve enjoyed working with more in recent years is flowers. There are so many ways to capture them, so many tones and moods you can set with them.

Of course, I’ve incorporated them into my food photography. 

Through edible flowers. 

And with dried lavender when it’s been in a recipe. 

But photographing flowers in the wild, on farms, and in arrangements has been a new challenge that I absolutely love. 

I’ve had the opportunity to teach about flower photography and I’m thrilled that I’ll be co-teaching an in-person workshop this September with Alicia Schwede at her Fleurs Creative studio in the Historic Downtown Snohomish, Washington outside of Seattle. 

You know her on Instagram as Flirty Fleurs and her skill in floral design is unmatched. What she creates is absolutely stunning. 

It’s hard to tell if I’m more excited to help people photograph the beautiful creations she helps them make or about the opportunity to be able to photograph them in her beautiful studio. It’s in a 100+-year-old building with all the historical touches, like exposed brick, that you’d expect! 

In preparation for our teaching together, I asked Alicia if she had three tips for floral design and prep so that I could pair those with my three trips for photographing those creations. 

Here are her tips:

Remove foliage that will be below the water line. By doing this you'll keep the water cleaner as foliage under water creates an environment where bacteria grows.

Trim stems at an angle. By trimming at an angle there is more surface area to take up water and rehydrate the blooms.

Use a clean vase. Between uses be sure to clean the vase out with soap and hot water to remove any traces of bacteria. This easy step will ensure longer-lasting flowers.

And once you have your beautiful, long-lasting arrangement together, here are a few of my tips for capturing its best qualities.

Know your photography style. Flowers look great in bright, vibrant settings, with muted, comforting tones, and with dark, drastic contrasts. What are you going for? Knowing this helps you control your light, set your camera, and prop your set. 

Turn your hero spot towards your light. Even with a large arrangement, pick a hero spot as your point of focus. Then turn that towards your light source, not away from it.

Move yourself to capture all angles. Flower photography is not the time to strap yourself to a tripod. The best shots often come from unexpected angles. And that comes from moving yourself and the camera.

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