Food Styling for Flatlays

Portrait (vertical) orientation is most often used for food photography. This orientation has many uses including whole pages in magazines and recipe books, as well as social media such as Pinterest posts and Instagram reels. 

Landscape (horizontal) orientation is used for double-page spreads in recipe books and magazines, billboards, web banners, and blog hero headers.

I have found that the best 5 shots are 4 portrait shots and at least one landscape. You will need one main shot, one close-up, one 'hand-in', one with copy space (negative space), and one landscape shot. 

The copy space image is great for adding text and sought after by magazine and recipe book buyers, but if you are not selling your photography and only using them for your food blogging, then you may want to substitute that with a layout showing all the ingredients you have used to make your recipe. 

If you're just starting out, then the keeping-it-simple-sweetie principle applies best. You will, however, need some basic props: a backdrop, serving plates and dishes, some cutlery, napkin or dish towel, and some of the ingredients or garnishes from the recipe. 

Flatlays are easier to style, especially for backdrops. You only need one, and a simple white tablecloth can suffice. Later you can look for textures such as stone or concrete, keeping to simple white, grey or black colors, especially in the beginning.

The forks and spoons I used in this shoot I found on eBay from a scrap metal seller. They were old vintage ones that I thoroughly cleaned. You can also raid your Mom's or Grandma's kitchen to perhaps find some wonderful gems. They don't need to be perfect, in fact, imperfection is always better by adding more interest and texture to your layout. A touch of grunge can go a long way!

Napkins and towels do not need to be ironed and will look more interesting when scrunched up. Once again, its about adding texture to your layout. 

This is what I call the long shot. Show your completed food with a bit of space around the edges to allow it to stand out. Negative space is a graphic designer's tool to emphasize the main subject of a photo.  

Here I have served the food on just two plates with come cutlery and a little of the parsley garnish casually sprinkled around. 

You can also use a scrunched-up napkin and some of the ingredients as props.

You can change it up, by making the main dish your hero, and then add 1 or 2 smaller dishes to the layout. Scatter some smaller ingredients or garnish in the space in between to create a sense of balance and harmony.

The whole idea of effective styling is to create a sense of harmony. In order to create more interest, don't have things too symmetrical but aim for balance within the whole layout. 

Before you start a photoshoot session, the bulk of your time should be spent on planning and testing your shots. This will ensure that when you start shooting, you can move quickly to avoid too drastic changes in light.

As you plan each shot, remember the ultimate purpose of that image, for example, the hands-in is your action shot. It will make your image seem more realistic and authentic. That's what the viewer needs to see and feel when they look at your food photography.

The landscape shot is necessary for alternate uses such as blog hero headers or double-page spreads, so do not forget to include it. They can be very useful.

Keep your styling and props simple until you get the hang of it. Less is definitely more when you first start out. Plus, the more you practice your 5 basic shots the better they will become.  

And lastly, the secret behind good styling is to create a sense of harmony and balance within your layout. Don't forget to use some negative space, which will add more emphasis to your main subject.