How to Build a Prop Collection for Food Styling

I really love colour, texture & beautiful treasures in all forms – the props I use in food styling are all these things for me. One day a food brief could call for muted neutrals & another day bold, vibrant tones that accentuate the natural brightness of food – the fun part is piecing all the bits together to create unique imagery out of nothing.

If you’re looking to build a prop collection for your own food styling (or even a collection of decor bits in your home), these are my tips:

1) You can’t rush a versatile prop collection – it takes years to build, and your preferences will change over time as trends change. And that’s ok.

2) As far as possible, buy the beautiful thing when you see it if you’re able to. For a curated collection, you need to love every single piece you buy.

3) Look in unusual places – thrift stores, fabric stores, hardware stores, high-end and budget homeware stores all have treasures.

4) Incorporate different textures, patterns and finishes.

5) Coloured & cut glasses add great movement/colour to images.

6) Pick things up on your travels that are meaningful to you.

7) Take inspiration from trends in fashion, decor, textiles & design. Allow yourself to be influenced by concepts you see in these spaces.

8) Don’t be afraid to try quirky combinations & let your creativity have fun – cultivate a “go with the flow” attitude to bringing props into your images.

Send me any questions you have, I would love to share what I’ve learnt over the years of trial and error in my own food styling business! And if you’d not into building your own collection, you can get in touch with me here – I’m a food stylist in Johannesburg, South Africa and sharing my props with my clients is something I love to do.