Winter Styling Tips

Dec 9 • 2021

Winter has officially arrived and you know what that means! Holidays, cookies, extended family over-staying their welcome….You know, all the fun things we love about the holiday season. 🙂

But in winter, we also get a chance to switch up our food photography and bring some cheer to our styling. That’s why we’re unpacking some of our favorite wintry tips below! 

1. Be cool…be cool… 👀

Step one: use cool tones. To get that classic frigid, wintry feel, gravitate towards using blues and grays. Just think about the colors you see in the snow, ice, and winter days! 

2. Storytime

When it comes to your color story, try creating palettes that evoke the holidays or the cold weather. Some great options include gold/white/blue, brown/red/white, or white, gold, and silver. Basically, anything that screams festivities. 

3. Switch Up Your Props

Now, I KNOW some of you out there want to throw a bowl of ornaments into your background or wrap your shit up in lights because “TIS THE SEASON.” And if that’s your thing, don’t let me stop you…

However, if you’re going for a more elevated look, think about how you can incorporate “cheesy” props into your scene in a “one-step removed” sort of way. For example, instead of using candy canes in your scene, crush up peppermints and sprinkle them. Basically, try not to be too literal with your props. 

BONUS: silver, white, and gold props look beautiful in a scene and add that effortlessly icy look! 

4. Ice, Ice, BABY!

Adding any sort of texture like drizzles, dust, and drips that are reminiscent of snow, ice, or frost is a sure-fire way to evoke the wintertime. Wherever you can, add edible elements to your scene that look like winter weather.

5. Don’t forget editing!  

Alright, alright, so it’s not a styling tip. You caught us. But editing is crazy important when it comes to evoking the cold weather! Now is a good time to work on crushing your highlights so they’re a little bit softer and cloudier. Go for a grayer vibe, rather than pure white. This way, you end up mimicking that softer lighting that’s so reminiscent of winter.

We hope you found a little joy in these tips, and we want to see you try them out! Be sure to tag us @foodtographyschool on Instagram so we can reshare.