Light Talk about Food Styling 1 : Property

Where did you buy your cutting board?
Where do you normally go for props hunting?
Wow, your bowl is so pretty. How does it match nicely with other props?
. and so ...
. and so ...
and never ending questions regarding the food styling come to me.
Food styling is not only about props. It's about styling the food and the elements around it. Food, props, art, knowledge are involve to produce a stylish food photo. There is no shortcut to create a good artistic photo and there should be an effort behind each good image.
Ok, for now, lets talk about props.

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Property/PROPS

Where do you get them?
Answering the question, where I bought my props;
Hmm... they were bought from so many different places.

- While Travelling
I do like travelling, and during the trip I always spare my time to do the props hunting. Local crafts are the most interesting target as they have their own uniqueness. Traditional market is on the must-visit list, and as a bonus I got so many interesting props with affordable price that I couldn't find in other places.

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- Clearance Sale
One important thing is ...open your eyes and ears for any clearance sales from good brands. II'm willing to postpone my other schedule for this kind of rare opportunity.
Two weeks ago I got good deal price from Kemala Home Living on their clearance sale, after I got the information from their Instagram. *happy wallet.

- Online Shop
Many of good online shops are out there. Easy to access with big range of props they sell. Actually I'm not really a big fan of Online Shop, because I like to see directly and touch the items before I decide to buy. But some of the props I couldn't get from any conventional stores. The online shop where I purchased some of my props are @Koenyit.Store (IG) and @Bagusbaguswrapping (IG).

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- Exhibition.
Don't miss exhibitions where some special props can be found easily in one place. My most favorite one is Inacraft. Normally held on April, every year in Jakarta It's the place where I bought many traditional props from different provinces in Indonesia.

- Flee and Vintage Market
Vintage props could be a good treasure for food photography. Actually you can get it from your parents, relatives, or grandparents kitchen. The other option is visiting flee or vintage market. Almost every city or town in this country has its vintage market. Find out and spend your time there.

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- Here and There
Traditional Market, Department Stores, Ceramic Store, Glassware Store or even the building material shop can become a good option when you are looking for specific props. 
Find and purchase the items that fit to your style.
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Choosing the match props for the food (as the hero) is another important part of food styling job. The color, size, shape and texture of the props have to be balance with the food to create a nice harmony.

How to learn those elements?
Answer: Look, Read, Think and Practice.

Good looking images in magazines or in websites or wherever it is, doesn't mean you should copy it. It's not a good idea, you can't grow up and sharpen your ability.

Learn the Color Wheel before mix and match the food and props. By practice you can feel the balance proportion between the food and props that you use.

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That's all for now.
I'll see you in the next episode of Light Talk. I'll write about theme, garnish and working tools.

Comments

Oline said…
Duh mba Van, props nya lengkaaaap bingitsss..
Sari Novita said…
ih saya suka sama postinganya..jadi pengennnnSa