Peanut butter and gram crackers are a great afternoon or evening protein packed snack.
When it comes to photographing this delicious snack how does one make brown crackers and brown peanut butter look delicious? The answer… Lighting!
Before (packaging)
Product Shot/ Lighting Tips
When shooting a product's packaging, it is crucial to make sure the lighting is mostly even so all of the product is visible. This photo has its leading light coming in from the left, and I used white fill cards on the right to cut down on harsh shadows and bounce light onto the right side of the peanut butter jar (as seen in the image on the right).
It is also important that the product (the jar of peanut butter) is full and does not look like it has been half used.
I used a black background so that it was not distracting to the viewer and also absorbed the light rather than reflecting light.
During (lighting set up)
Final
Final Layout
When spreading the peanut butter over the graham crackers, give it texture rather than just a smooth surface. Another thing that adds texture to the image is crumbs. These simple things help liven up an image without a whole lot of props.
Lighting is also critical when it comes to bringing out the texture in this image. Light that sweeps across the image is best so that it looks like it is coming in from a window and does not flatten the peanut butter crackers.
In the end, the goal is always to make the food look delicious. With lighting, anyone can achieve that goal.