Mad Props, Yo!

I've talked about taking pictures before, like how you should take some basic classes to at least get a feel for how to take some good pictures of your product, and how NOT to take a picture. To make your product really stick out and look amazing, though, you need to have a beautiful presentation. Your food can look super amazing, but without a good setup it'll look cheap and unprofessional.

Now, I'm not saying that whatever you're serving needs to look the same way when you deliver it or hand it over to the customer, especially when you use props because 1) you don't want to give away your props, and 2) you're preparing it for transport, so the box/tray/container just needs to be clean, disposable, and cheap (for you).

For example...

Nice cake, bad tray

The bundt itself looks ok. The tray, however, looks like those disposable ones from the store. It's fine for transporting if it has a good lid, although I think they should use something more like this:

Via The WEBstaurant Store

Anyway, when it comes to actually advertising your product, as in setting up your cake or product to show what your customers will be getting, it shouldn't be in the to-go containers or boxes. The products should be set up on a nice platter or stand with the product in focus, and the background blurry, but still pleasing.

Via RecipesBay.org

You can see how nicely the cake is setup on its stand, and the background is out of focus so the bundt really stands out. The cake stand is simple, yet elegant and pretty, and it can be reused for many different products. Personally, I only have three cake stands in my arsenal of props, but they were all a solid investment because I use them all the time to take pictures.

Now, I'm not saying every cake has to be set up like this, but it wouldn't hurt to make one of each of your products to set up and make all pretty just to be photographed. You'll have an appealing product, and you can eat it yourself.

Here are some of my favorite props/platters, and even if you only have a few, it's worth it.

I'm a sucker for anything patriotic.

How dainty and cute!

This is only a variation of a plain stand, but I love it!

You may think that the customer is only looking at the product, but I've heard of plenty of people talking about how the objects in the background really turned them off, or how the cake was set up. For example, I don't know how this started to be a thing, but every once in a while I'll see a cake set up on the ground. The GROUND! I mean, there's a cake board in between the actual cake and the floor, but that's no way to treat a cake that will be eaten, or anything that is going to be eaten, unless it's meant to stay on the ground. I've also seen things like leftovers in the background, dirty utensils or towels, and even bug traps. (Super EW!)

If you really want your product to shine, invest in a few props. Neutral colors work great for all sorts of cakes and other edibles, and clean and simple can go very far. There are even tutorials on how to make your own cake stands using - get this - dollar store items. Making a simple cake stand could cost as little as a couple bucks! What's not to love?

Presenting your product in a good way will not only impress your customers, but it will make you happy knowing you put your best food forward.