Hello! It might feel like an obvious, easy or even cliche backdrop choice, shooting on white, but they've become a firm favourite for a reason; they're so blooming versatile!
White goes with everything and can be used throughout the year for different products, food, moods, styles and lighting effects.
Following a recent callout to feature on our website we were inundated with generous offers of content to share, and naturally a lot of it was beautiful photography on white backdrops - so here to talk about their content creation and show you how they style with white are some of our wonderful customers!
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 1.
SIMPLE, LIGHT + AIRY BY AMANDA HAY.
'When creating my photos I like to have the food be the main focus and love using the white backdrops for a clean and bright background. I keep my set up simple and photograph on my kitchen table using natural light from a large window.'
We love it! Just goes to show how less is often more and good natural light (or natural light managed well) can be all you need.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 2.
SPLIT HORIZON BY BHAVISHA SURTI.
‘Believe it or not this gelato shoot took place in the middle of a shopping centre after closing! It was shot for a Gelato stand in Milton Keynes. I created a simple set up with one soft box from the left which created a nice soft light that drifted off to the right. I needed a background that was subtle but still added some texture to the shot.’
I really like how Bhavisha used two different backdrops to split the frame and give more contrast behind her subject - it gives a really nice feeling of depth to the image and its clever how she used another neutral colour to let the food shine.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 3.
SOFT FRAMING BY DOMINIQUE DEBLOIS
'Dried okra: I simply placed everything by the kitchen window and experimented with the harsh afternoon light. The dried okra has an incredible and unique appearance, and this photo was all about highlighting its strong texture. The white backdrop with a cracked paint effect perfectly complemented the wooden plank and the okra.'
'Lemony drink: Despite its simple appearance, this photoshoot took a long time to get right! I struggled to capture the image I envisioned. I used a flash to ensure the liquid appeared as crisp as possible. I aimed for a monochrome scene with a bright backdrop, wanting a rustic and homely feel rather than something too polished. The "flaky" old painted wood backdrop, very subtle in the background, worked well in my opinion.'
We couldn't agree more! And that soft focus foliage in the foreground creates the most inviting, etherial frame pulling you into the scene.
Dominique created this look with the FLAKY backdrop.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 4.
WHITE WITH MOOD BY ANNIE.
‘I really enjoy photographing meals that I make and posting them to Instagram. Apart from the lovely people I have met doing this, I find it’s a great way of keeping track of the meals I cook throughout the year and also a lovely creative outlet.
My photographic set up is very simple. The vast majority of my photos are shot in my south facing kitchen in front of 2 large French doors using natural light. If the sun is too bright, I use a large diffuser to soften the harsh highlights and shadows. I have a Nikon D750 and a tripod with an overhead arm. For these two photos, I used a 24-70 zoom lens. I shoot tethered and import my photos to Lightroom for editing.
My ‘look’ is light and bright, so I really love these two backdrops and use them often in my photos.’
Oddly i wouldn't describe Annie's style in these photos as light and bright! But thats creativity isn't it?! Very subjective and the reason why commercial photography briefs require both visual references and descriptors!
Whatever it is, this style works beautifully on the light, white backdrops - I think what changes it from feeling dark with the deep shadows is the high contrast and punchy highlights that give it a really dynamic pop.
It makes me want to see how Annie edits them in Lightroom, maybe thats another topic for a blog feature; 'Show us your before and afters'! In my workshops and training I always say that natural light photography is 50% in camera, 50% in the edit to make it sing.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 5.
BRIGHT + PUNCHY BY EUTONNE TAM
We love these punchy edits by Eutonne - really bright and vivid even though there are only a few colours used.
Its very effective to use monochrome colours in the backdrops and set (you see this a lot with grey and black too) to make the subject in this case the food really jump off the page.
I like how Eutonne has left the highlights and whites super bright too - many photographers might disagree but i don't think there's anything wrong with white being white and officially over-exposed according to your editing software as long as you're not loosing detail or interest where you need it. Beauitful!
WHITE BACKDROP LOOKS 6 + 7.
MODERN + GRAPHIC BY ED STEMP
ICE CREAM SHOT.
'We aimed to highlight the rich colours and textures of the raw ingredients, ensuring each scoop of ice cream is not just a treat for the taste buds, but also a feast for the eyes. The simplicity of the top-down shot allows the natural beauty of the ingredients to shine, while the marble background enhances the luxurious and traditional aesthetic.
To achieve the perfect lighting, we utilised bounced light from our studio setup, creating large, natural-feeling light sources. A ceiling reflector and a smaller beauty dish added highlights and shine to the fruit and ice cream, capturing their lusciousness and freshness. The matt laminated background played a crucial role, making clean-up easy and ensuring that any melting ice cream did not mar the pristine setup.'
FOOTWEAR PHOTOGRAPHY.
'Trainers from Calla Shoes, presented in a stylish still-life setup. We wanted to give these shoes a unique look by making the foot appear to float over an inverted cube made from a salt stone texture. This setup turns a simple shoe display into an eye-catching visual.
We mounted three sheets of salt stone texture onto MDF boards, holding them in place with c-stands and clamps. This straightforward arrangement provided a strong and appealing backdrop.
Our lighting design aimed for a high-contrast look, mimicking the effect of a sunny but slightly hazy day. The warm tones of the lighting were chosen to enhance the trim colours against the white leather, making the shoes pop.
Our lovely client Jenni modelled the shoes, bringing them to life. We also snapped a fun behind-the-scenes shot of her dog (Billy), who couldn’t resist joining the shoot!'
We especially love seeing how you've used our backdrops as 3D sets!
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 8.
CLEAN OVERHEAD STYLING BY EMMA BRIDGEMAN.
'I love to use white and light backdrops for my food photography, I really feel it lets the food do all the talking. I always shoot with natural light, right next to my patio doors which are south-east facing, so it’s a great spot in the mornings and early afternoon.
In terms of set-up, I use a low folding table with an A1 foam board I put on top of to make the surface a little bigger before laying down my backdrop. I also use a white foam board at the top and the opposite side of the table to my light source, held up by backdrop stands. This helps to reflect more light onto my scene and soften the shadows. If the sun is out and shining directly on my set up, I’ll hang a light diffusing sheet in front of the door to soften the light. '
I can't believe this was shot with natural light; its so clean! Again I would love to see your editing process on these, that HAS to be another blog post to share soon!
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 9.
HARD LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY BY Fitzpatrick Creative Photography.
They wanted fresh and clean images so I chose the Black Velvet backdrop as it was just right.
I set up near the window and when I was taking this shot, the sun really came out and cast a lovely shadow over the products, almost like direct flash photography, so instead of a flash, we had direct sunshine! So I went for it! And loved the result!'
And we couldn't agree more! You see a lot of this flash style on flat colours and graphic backdrops but the texture of our Salt backdrop works beautifully to give a softer, more relaxed lifestyle feel with the hard shadows.
Edel created this look with the SALT backdrop.
HARD LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY BY Audrey Marie Bufalini
The colors of the fruit and veggies paired with the dressing created a really striking color palette that was emphasized by the specular highlights I was able to capture using hard light from a bare speed light.
To make it feel like this was an appetizer being served at a dinner party I shot three different versions and then made a composite image that shows all three hands in frame.
The chips and salsa photo was completely on the fly! I was wrapping up a shoot for the beer shown in the photo when I had an idea for this particular image.
Similar to the peach and tomato salad photo, I wanted to tell a story of several people enjoying each other's company while also enjoying some good food and drinks!
The hero of this shot is the salsa, so it was important to me that it was in the center of the frame, perfectly in focus, and all the different ingredients were visible.
This was another composite image made up of three separate photos. My husband generously offered to be a hand model for this one so it's not just my hands this time!'
Such a brilliant atmosphere in these shots; the light feels dramatic and warm which i think can be tricky on white but Audrey has kept it feeling fresh and vibrant while giving golden hour vibes!
And we love the hands - they really help give a sense of the joy of sharing food and good times :)
Audrey created these shots with the SALT backdrop.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 10.
CHRISTMAS PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA DUNHAM + MRIDULA WARD
MINCE PIES BY MRIDULA WARD + STRAWBERRY TREE BY EMMA DUNHAM
Its great to see our white backdrops in Christmas photography! Usually we go dark and cosy for festive styling but i think this really works.
I love how soft and tactile these images are - there's a lot of texture and detail to enjoy but the minimal colour pallet of red, green and white in both let the food shine.
Mridula shot her mince pies on the LONDON backdrop and Emma created her strawberry tree set with the NOAH and HVAR backdrops.
WHITE BACKDROP LOOK 11.
CAKE PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA WALLACE.
'Believe it or not, these photos were actually shot in my bedroom on a fold out table. This room has a lovely wide window and, after a certain time in the day, gives lovely natural light. (See Emma's set up in a previous blog here).
I try to always keep an element of ‘realness’ in my photos. It could be a hand doing an action (like sieving icing sugar), crumbs being scattered over the backdrop, or simply a half eaten cake (which I’m more than happy to accommodate, haha!).
I chose a neutral/light backdrop and props for this particular cake, as it’s what I would call an ‘evergreen recipe’. Meaning, it’s something that people might make at any time of year.'
So true! White backdrops are timeless in style and season - they work all year round in myriad styles as shown on this very blog!
Emma's also very good at creating lovely soft shadows to help shape her food, as well as flowing compositions that leave space for an airy feel - beautiful!
Emma created these shots with the SALT backdrop as both the base surface and back wall surface - another neat trick for creating a cohesive look without a contrasting horizon line.
I hope this post has given you lots of ideas and sparked new ways you can use your white photo backdrops - its almost impossible to go wrong!
You've probably noticed our SALT and SHIRLEY backdrops are used a lot (here and else where) and I guess thats because they're such classic textures, especially for food photography, giving just a hint of detail and interest beneath your subject.
They're both best sellers of course but I wouldn't be put off by the thought that lots of other people may have them as, as you can see here, they can be styled and shot in so many different ways to make the shot your own and unique each time.
If you're new to photography, whether thats for your own brand/content or shooting for clients, white backdrops should definitely be in your first bundle of backdrops; not only do they go with everything but they're the easiest to shoot and work with - a very wise investment, you won't regret it!
Just make sure to go with the wipe clean, waterproof vinyl if you need to get messy or shoot liquids as white backdrops are of course the easiest to ruin and stain on the paper material.
All thats left for me to say is a big THANK YOU to our contributing customers!
The response to my call out for content to feature on our blog was overwhelmingly positive and we have so much to share with you I already have several other features in the pipe line! I was very touched, thank you.
Let us know what you think in the comments below or get in touch with any questions!
Happy styling,
Sophie
