Good dishes are crucial to great food photography. It’s worth it to invest in beautiful ceramics that add to a photo without overpowering it. One of my biggest pieces of prop advice is to always go for the nicer, more expensive prop, even if it means you get less. These items are investments in your business and they help you build higher-quality expensive-looking images.

As a small business myself, supporting local artists is a key value that I try to carry out when choosing vendors to work with. There are many wonderful small businesses that make stunning ceramics pretty much everywhere in the world at this point, so do some research and find a few in your area to build relationships with. In the meantime, here are a few that I especially love and used when writing my cookbook!

Civil Stoneware: The first nice ceramics I ever bought were from CS, and I still use them on a weekly basis! They have a modern, minimalist vibe while still possessing hints of personality and uniqueness. I just love the edges on their plates!

Jono Pandolfi: Jono Pandolfi is legendary in the NYC food scene. They create dinnerware for some of the most well-known restaurants here in the city, and with good reason! The plates are stunning and expensive-looking, but they let the food be the star of the show.

Campfire Pottery: I LOVE a New England-based business, and Campfire Pottery is one of my favorites! Their pasta bowls are stunning and they have the most amazing set of glazes that all work incredibly well for food photography.

Material Kitchen: You guys know by now that I am obsessed with Material Kitchen and use them for all of my cookware needs. Last year they released a set of ceramics that sold out almost immediately. The dishes are as clean and eye-grabbing as the rest of their products, and they photograph amazingly!