DIY Food Photography Backgrounds

The background surface that you use for food photography can elevate your image to a new level. It should have enough character to draw the viewer's eye into the scene and help tell your story, yet not be distracting and take away from the delicious food you are photographing. I like using marble, vinyl and even colored paper, but was looking for some new options. There are some beautiful backgrounds available for purchase, but they can be very expensive. I will show you how to make your own with just a few inexpensive supplies, and best of all, it's EASY and FUN!

• 2' x 4' piece of 1/2" thick laminated plywood
• joint compound
• oil based spray paint (I used Rustoleum Robins Egg in matte finish)
• chalky finish acrylic paint (I used Deco Art Everlasting)
• acrylic paint (I used Deco Art Turquoise Blue and Titanium White)
• matte finish spray paint
• putty knife
• paint brush and/or sponge

Apply a thin layer of joint compound to the plywood with a putty knife. Use the putty knife or a sponge to move it around to get the texture you like. For the blue board, I spread it with the knife in different directions and then lightly dragged the knife across the surface to get an uneven texture. For the pink board, I used a sponge to stipple the surface. You want the board to end up fairly flat so that the things you place on it to photograph (plates, glasses, food, etc.) will sit evenly, but still have enough texture to add visual interest to your images. Allow to dry for at least 24 hours.

Paint the entire board with the colors and techniques that you want. Here is where you can get creative and have fun. Don't worry, if you don't like the way it looks, you can just paint over it. It's best to use a matte finish paint so that you don't get unwanted reflections or glare in your photographs.

For the blue board, I sprayed the entire surface with the Robins Egg paint. After that dried, I applied the chalky finish acrylic paint lightly over the top with a brush. I wanted a brighter blue color, so I stippled in some Turquoise Blue and Titanium White irregularly over the top.

For the pink board, I painted the entire board with Baby Pink acrylic paint. Then I mixed a lighter shade of Baby Pink and stippled it and some Titanium White over the top. Finally, I used a damp paintbrush to blend the colors a bit.

When the surface is completely dry, apply 2 - 3 coats of matte finish spray paint to protect it. If you like, you can paint the other side of the board in a different color/texture and you have 2-for-1. Here are some tips that I learned along the way. For the pink board, I used colors in the same general family, just different tones. I started with the dark color, then added the lighter colors. I photographed the board along the way, to see how it would look in images. You can blend colors with a damp paintbrush or sponge, or add patches of color to create more dimension. Keep working on it until you have something you love.

I hope you enjoyed this project and are inspired to create some beautiful surfaces and take your photography to the next level.