Tips for a Home Food Photography Studio

Want to get started with Artificial Lighting? Check out our FREE mini course, to help you Pick Your Perfect Light at thebiteshot.com/pick-your-per...
Find more food photography resources at thebiteshot.com
Sign up for Joanie’s weekly food photography tips at thebiteshot.com/subscribe/
For a full listing of all my gear see thebiteshot.com/food-photogra...
Love a free workshop? We've got one coming up! Sign up here: thebiteshot.com/food-photogra...
Rather be reading? My latest book, Picture Perfect Food is at thebiteshot.com/picture-perfe...

[@lefthandright01]

I will say this. For many the studio is the dream for the simple reason you can leave gear set up and not begin to blur the line between your working space, living space and your partners sense of home. You get all excited for the first 1-2 years of having it, and then one day it hits you. You have shot in this space so much that there is no surprises anymore. You kinda go into auto pilot. There is no angle or corner you haven't shot at every focal length and aperture. Creativity begins to suffer, imagination diminishes and lazy habits develop because there is no flash sync or output you don't automatically know. I can't give a solution for this. When I do magazine work it is from the space, but I feel more alive and engaged when doing restaurants. You have explore the space, re-engage with your settings and problem solve. If you let yourself, a dedicated space can ake your photo's worse. You begin to become set in your ways and approaches. The cautionary tale is, just because you have it now..i wouldn't recommend using it everytime. Make the time to go set up on a public bench in a low foot traffic area etc. You'll be better for it.

[@TheBiteShot]

Love that idea to get out and explore! A change of scenery is so good

[@SimoneDeGasperis]

I love your perspective! I notice that I do my best when I'm in a new space and I love to be surprised when I find a good spot!

[@livefirecook1346]

Great info as always! One thing to remember is that the table you shoot on doesn't have to be normal table height, I went a lot lower than typical table height. Pick a height that's as low as possible and still comfortable to style on. It makes life much easier for flat lays.

[@TheBiteShot]

Such a great tip!

[@madst7521]

Maybe even an adjustable height table for full flexibility? It would be relatively easy to slap a nice top on an electric standing desk.

[@livefirecook1346]

@@madst7521 I built carriage bolts into the legs of my shooting table, mostly for leveling it, but I can raise it by 3-4" if need be. Buying apple boxes in sets of 4 also works!

[@pratibhasingh7262]

Very valid point... I shoot at a normal height table... which sometime really effects my work and composition... With lower height table i able to experiment more with composition.

[@ChefSaraHaas]

Love that you took that you took the color checker card with you to the paint store! So amazing!

[@yittopaws]

Thanks for sharing. You're always so helpful with your ideas! And we heartily agree with having a studio mascot!

[@rhenceocampo3253]

Lol the grey wall is a nice hack 👍🏻

[@latiajenae]

On the kitchen table. It’s near the biggest window in my apartment, so that gives the most natural light.

[@charleshanson9467]

I got started on a crash course to photograph my wife's cookbook. Never done that work before, but I have a BFA in Photo, so I know the ropes for the most part. I had my whole setup in the garage (thanks for all the equipment tips btw), and running freshly styled plates from the kitchen to the garage was annoying. And it was COLD in Feb-March when the work was happening! When that project ended we vowed to do the next one in another space inside the house. We have a den/library room with some storage for equipment, and it's become the new studio space. The next cookbook isn't happening for a while, but product shots and some light portraiture is going well in the indoors.

[@TheBiteShot]

sounds like it would have been the perfect setup for an ice cream shoot! lol!! Glad the equipment tips helped!

[@YourFavoriteHaji]

Currently practicing in my lovely 375 sqft studio apartment! It's slowly being taken over by props, stands and all the lighting modifiers haha.

[@yazminrojas6351]

Great info, as always. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@TheBiteShot]

My pleasure!

[@supriyagupta7619]

Mostly in my bedroom where I can shoot undisturbed. But all the gear and props has to go back everyday. Sometimes setting up and packing up is exhausting. On the other hand I love going to locations like cloud kitchens and commercial kitchens and shoot. The productivity is many folds

[@shehlaiftikhar7586]

I started from my kitchen table and now took an extra bedroom and converted it into my studio. The thing which I'm not loving about my studio is that it is not on the same floor as my kitchen, which makes me run up and down the stairs all the time when I'm shooting a new scene or recording a video, but I still love it :) I am going to paint my main wall some neutral color after watching your video. at the moment all the walls are white, and I hate that I have to use a backdrop for every single shoot. Thanks a million for sharing all these helpful tips and tricks Joanie - really appreciated!

[@TheBiteShot]

Wow! That would be quite the workout to go up and down the stairs! Glad to hear you're still loving food photography

[@aliciamyers6176]

A few years ago, we built out a 16x40 portable building into a studio that could easily be converted into a cabin and moved to the lake upon retirement or career change. It's very easy and inexpensive to have moved (around $600), so I wasn't forced to rebuild when we built our home, just packed the glassware, anchored the big stuff down, and moved it up the road. Now, it sits back in the woods a short walk from the house, overlooking a huge pond. I needed the separation from work and home so badly, and it was the perfect decision for us. If only I'd known that eventually I would rather have had the wall space than the extra windows we installed...

[@TheBiteShot]

Sounds like a beautiful location!

[@Thatgeekishfamily]

Still on the corner of my dining room table next to the back sliding glass door with poster board for bouncing :D

[@ItsRainingFlour]

I love seeing your space! I've had such an evolution of spaces: First I used my bedroom when living with roommates. Then got married and for a bit I was shooting in my small Manhattan living room, and with a new puppy it just became unrealistic (since she wants to eat everything). So we somehow found a gem of an apartment upstairs with a huge kitchen & 2 extra work rooms that flow into each other. Not sure how we found this affordably (relative, but still great price for the city) in the city, but we did!! It truly makes such a difference to have enough space now to have a clear mind and makes me feel more confident going into shoots & taking on more clients. But I made it work in a smaller space beforehand and you just gotta do what ya gotta do to make it work!

[@TheBiteShot]

Absolutely! And those spaces make you so appreciative of having more room. So glad you've found a great space!

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Dalya I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@TheHappyWhisk]

Shout out to your mascot! I took over part of the office. It's perfect because I tether to the computer on the other side. Great tip for the outlets. And I'd probably add USB to some of those because I'm always charging stuff that way too now. Cheers and boogie boogie.

[@TheBiteShot]

Ooh, yes, good call on the USB!

[@flightsandfoods]

We’ll be renovating our basement soon so I plan to add a bedroom which I’ll use. I was thinking white walls so I’m glad you mentioned the grey so maybe I will do a grey ascent wall. There will likely be a day bed on one wall and a closet on the other so it won’t be a big space but thanks for the tips.

[@TheBiteShot]

Awesome! Good luck with the renovation!

[@pratibhasingh7262]

Same here... Repainting our house and i thought to change my ascent wall to plain white... Watched the video at right time :) Thanks Joanie...

[@JayneNicoletti]

I am blessed with a great kitchen we had a designer do prior to us doing videos. Sometimes light can be challenging but I make it work (10 lights later lol). I painted my basement walls... some grey some blue. I have to start setting it up down there. I think I will get those black and white cardboard stand up thingies thanks!

[@TheBiteShot]

That's amazing!!! But also LOL on the lights..i feel ya!

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Jayne I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@basilandbaystudio]

I have taken over the end of the living room and partitioned my little studio space off with shelving units Goal eventually is to either extend the house for more space or build a studio in the garden 🤩❤

[@TheBiteShot]

Gah!! That sounds amazing to have a studio and a garden!!! What a dream!

[@AlexanLupen]

Hi Joanie. First of all thanks for all your videos, they really help me to improve my skills. I'm working now to transform my new kitchen into a KZbin cooking channel, the hard part it's to set everything for a proper audio, lighting and keep using it on daily cooking usage. Wish you can see how the project goes 🥲. I set many rolling stores to bounce light and use kind of cove lighting. So I can set everything for a video in just few minutes.

[@MawyasDiary]

Thank you Joanie for this short yet informative video! I wanted to ask about the huge diffuser you use. I already checked your gear link but the huge one is not available. Is it 150cm by 200?

[@TheBiteShot]

Hi! The huge one is here: geni.us/4TjA

[@michelegarcia289]

In a bedroom with yellow walls, lol. It's tight because I also have my music workstation in there too, but it's nice because I can leave everything setup.

[@TheBiteShot]

Seems the yellow walls are popular! lol!! That's awesome, though, the convenience definitely wins out!

[@padmamohan1622]

I have rented a space and ensure I have a nice bricked wall as the back drop wall. However lighting has been an issue. Need to learn a lot in that space

[@MarinaKristensen]

Oh, yes! I always shot in the living room and we once had just the one small panel in the front in an orangy tone... So glad I noticed it early that they always made my photos look kind of dirty and - white it was. The space is big enough for me, still I always have to put up a table, the backdrops are provisional ajar against a wooden magazine holder, the soft box has to be placed. Because having this in the living room all the time, would not be so nice. So I am looking forward to move to an nother house and have that separate room for moi.

[@TheBiteShot]

Awesome that you caught that! Here's to great future spaces!

[@olyakraynova5849]

Great info! Than you for sharing. What a beautiful studio you have! I currently shoot in my garage...I live in Arizona so it gets very hot in summer so basically I do photoshoots and hot yoga at the same time :)

[@TheBiteShot]

Hooooo!! That would get toasty!

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Olya I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@careyjaman2596]

Hi Joanie. Thank-you for all the videos you put out. Just about everything I've learnt has come from you and the content you put out. Even the book you did is fabulous! My studio has definitely evolved since I started doing this in Sept 2018 but I've always been in the unfinished part of our walk out basement. My table is up against a large picture window but the deck over head does interfere with getting as much light as possible. Also the walls still have the plastic wrapped insulation with no drywall and the ceiling is not finished. I'm still mainly shooting in natural light. I am still learning artificial light. My overhead flatlay shots need more light, even with natural light. What recommendations do you have for me in this case short of finishing the basement?

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Carey I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@maem.zadegan9070]

Editing in a blue office was not the smartest idea but it was a pretty office. Grey walls now. Small bedroom and our large kitchen. All grey and white with no accents to cast color. I try to keep it really simple and that has helped me a lot.

[@TheBiteShot]

Totally, simple can be the best

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Zadegan I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@sylwiavaclavekphotography]

Oh Joanie, yeah, I'm in the kitchen, garage, extra room, master bathroom (we don't use it) and in my workout room :). Oh and then I hang all the backdrops in the door frames while shooting 😆 Fortunately my husband very tolerating (lil annoyed) of my stuff being everywhere. It is organized chaos, but yeah still spread out thru the entire house. Actual photography is happening in my room. After we move, the plan is to have it all contained in one studio-room space :) at least that is the plan 😂

[@TheBiteShot]

I love it!!! Yay for understanding family members! 😂❤

[@frankuvlkan]

Hi Sylwia I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@fatimamohamed7278]

At home and outdoors

[@holidaysweetsntreats1277]

Ahh Joanie!! I’m working from home in rental (can’t paint) with yellow walls 😂😂 it’s kind of a weird spatial layout but maybe I should look into obscuring them somehow. Did you notice a tint even when you used flash?

[@TheBiteShot]

Unfortunately yes, it will bounce and reflect no matter the light source. But, a black poster board can do wonders, and just try to get a fair distance from the wall to minimize the reflected light off the wall. I'm sure they're beautiful, tho! I love yellow

[@VJFurhana]

I am just getting set up in the back bedroom which is also my workout room. Going AL! I have a West facing window, a light grey wall next to it while the others are a very light sky blue color. Now that I've watched your video, I'm thinking about moving my table that is parallel to the window to the grey wall. What are some black curtains you can suggest and should they be solid black or sheer? Thank you for these fantastic tips. A bit of a tight squeeze now with my all my dumb bells, workout gear and giant trampoline :)

[@TheBiteShot]

ha ha!!! I've been there and done that for sure! As far as black curtains, I don't know of any off hand specifically, but the thicker and darker the better in my opinion. Mine were ones I already had on hand so it didn't make sense to buy new when I had perfectly good ones but they don't fully block light to the degree I'd like.

[@robertad242]

Liked before watching cause you deserve it ❤️ ✨ Now I’m gonna watch!🤎

[@robertad242]

And you’re literally the only person that “made me” activate the notifications!😂

[@TheBiteShot]

Hope you’re doing well Roberta!!!

[@frankuvlkan]

@@robertad242 Hi Roberta I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@svaracena]

Completely unrelated, but your dog is so cute and fluffy! 🐶😍

[@TheBiteShot]

We love Bruce!!

[@svaracena]

@@TheBiteShot Awww! 🥰

[@frankuvlkan]

@@svaracena Hi Susana I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? Thanks God bless you….🌹🌹

[@micheledaulerio]

I'm photographing at home in a tiny NYC apartment with almost no natural light. There is definitely no "extra" room to turn into a studio. 😂 I'm always struggling for space and light and clutter free backgrounds. I guess it's true if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. p.s. love the 18% gray walls.

[@chefdavestable741]

I'm currently in two spots. My kitchen while cooking and I have a front room that I use for stills and money shots for my blog. Would love to have a bigger kitchen area to do both in and would've loved having a white kitchen too.

[@TheBiteShot]

That's awesome! Yeah, I laugh that "reversible cabinets" would be so nice! Then I could have the best of both 😂

[@chefdavestable741]

@@TheBiteShot You might be on to something right there!!

[@brianrodriguez6897]

Unfortunately, I live in such a small studio that I can only dream about even having a dedicated corner some day.

[@rimuruslime23]

I wanted to photograph my cookies with a yellow-green backdrop 😢. Should I do white and edit the green afterwards?

[@gerrifortecaster7007]

Hello Mrs. Joni, what type of Nikon camera do you use? I use my Nikon D7200 for food and macro photography but, I think I need to upgrade to a better camera and especially one that has WiFi which would save me steps from removing sd cards to the computer… help?

[@TheBiteShot]

I have a Nikon z7 and a z6ii. Love both of them!

[@alexanderbyks5981]

Exactly what I needed right now cause I'm about to create my own home studio 🥳🤌🤝🌟🌟🌟! I'm going to use my bedroom, where I have a big white desk which I'm using for the shootings! I also have my computer there and many props I use! It's a start, till I find a simple 2 bedroom house somewhere else where I will also stay and I will definitely have more space for the photo shootings! Thank you for the tips you shared 🤝🤝🤝🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@jerryreed3271]

How can I add a photo to comment?

[@TheBiteShot]

oooh, not sure that KZbin enables that.

[@retnawandanangjaya5705]

Hadir Bu Guru

[@tedming3515]

I've been a prophet of my own kind. I mean, not always but...I decorated my room with neutral grey wallpaper actually a couple of years before I took an interest in photography...I wish I was a prophet in some other respects too but...well, what can you do. 😆😆😆😆😆😆

[@TheBiteShot]

Ha ha!!! That's amazing Ted!!! You manifested that!

[@tedming3515]

@@TheBiteShot Manifested? That's new. Never thought of this word.😆😆😆😆😆 You look amazing, Joan. You know, in Thailand whenever they want to compliment a woman on her appearance they usually ask her: "What did you eat today, darling, that you look so good?" Rather appropriate kind of question for a food photography channel. 😆😆😆😆