Tuesday, November 24, 2015

My Food Photography Table & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #60


Granted my food photography table is sort of an odd item to feature for Vintage Bliss Tuesday. It's brand spanking new after all. But I bought it with my assortment of vintage and not-so-vintage dishes in mind. Rather than keeping the mismatched plates and cutlery mixed in with the daily family dishes, I wanted them to be kept separate and handy for food photos.

I bought the cart for something like $90 plus tax at Costco recently. I had looked at a number of other kitchen carts with a couple of desirable features in mind - particularly wheels so they could be moved around and shelves underneath the table top to hold a selection of plates, cutlery and cloths. I opted for this kitchen cart/chef's table for two reasons - because it is cheaper by at least half than the others I saw and because it has a solid bamboo top, meaning it provides a nice surface for pictures.


The bamboo top is quite nice and sturdy. The benefit of having a separate table for food photos is that I don't have to clear everything off the table before I start. As you can see, though, I usually have a book or two waiting to be reviewed on there. Just under the bamboo top I have tucked a couple of dish cloths and some burlap. I have more to add to this area.

We had already installed the Dyson cordless vacuum on the wall in this area and didn't want to move it, but sometimes I have to take it down when I want to take a picture while standing on the left of the cart. A small inconvenience.


All that silverplated flatware that I quickly cleaned up in last week's post went into this lidded box, where it will stay free of dust and be handy to pop into a photo. I put a stack of plates on the shelf next to the cutlery box.


The bottom shelf holds a basket containing an assortment of plates, bowls and one lone mug. I have piles of vintage dishes in the basement that I need to go through, so this collection will likely get much bigger. All of my china collections will remain in the dining room armoire.



I placed the cart in front of a small window. At the side, I tucked in white boards, which I use to reflect the light back onto the food (or book or thrifted purchase). A couple of the white boards also have stick-on designs on them (like faux marble and chalkboard) so they can quickly be popped onto the tabletop for a new photo background. I really want to make a bunch of wooden backgrounds too, but that will come later. (And I'm pretty sure my husband will be called upon to do it.)

I wanted a wheeled cart so that it could be moved in front of the doors (open if necessary) when light is in lower supply. Most times I have to use a chair to stand on to take pictures. The great thing is the kitchen table is a few feet away, so it's easy to grab a chair.


The food photography table took over the spot that had previously been used for this old table, above. It was used as both a homework station and a photography table, but the surface was a bit small for photos and I always had to move the homework supplies carousel to take pictures. My husband had hoped I would take the homework table out of the kitchen once the new table arrived, but I of course just moved it to the other window!


Seeing as the food photography table is right next to the cookbook shelf, I agree that there are quite a few tables in one small area. But I find it cozy and I like having things handy. I would like to keep my camera equipment on the cart too, but I tend to tuck it away in a closet when I'm not using it to keep it safe.

What do you think? Where do you tend to take your photos?



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10 comments:

  1. Hi Joann. Thank you for Vintage Bliss. I enjoyed seeing your tables/and their many uses as well as your photography areas. Good lighting.

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  2. Thank you Joann for showing us your food photography table. I found it very interesting and I liked that you talked about the white boards and backgrounds. It got my creative juices going for my own photography table.

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    1. I'm so glad the post was helpful! I would love to have some more backgrounds - a whole big bunch to choose from would be ideal. :)

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  3. How organized you are! I usually just take pictures wherever I happen to be at the moment lol :)

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  4. Thanks for hosting Jo. That cart is perfect for your food photography. sb

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  5. Congratulations! I offer congratulations as someone who has NO natural light in the kitchen and has to walk to the opposite end of the house for the best spot with a big window...! I'd love to have everything for food photos in one place, currently the props are at the front of the house, kitchen is in the middle, food photo area at the back of the house!

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