Lucia Marecak is preparing a new course about her Prop & Backdrop collection.

Props and backdrops can make food photographers be inspired or stuck. These are not only the tools we use in our daily work, but they are a strong part of our style, and can influence our creativity and storytelling we want to say in our images.

Building the collection is not only about having different sizes and colors of plates or bowls, it’s about making our props communicate with each other to help the hero subject stand out.

While no patterns or textures might be boring, too much of it takes all the attention from the main food. I often create images of props, trying to decode their language and understand the weakest and strongest elements in my collection.

In my Members club I teach my students the art of building a prop collection. It can take years and it evolves with their style and personality. Therefore it’s important to understand their photography’s creative direction, knowing how to acquire the right pieces and we will get our hands dirty from paint and wall putty while creating our own backdrops at home.

-Lucia Marecak