Overhead food photography is a great way to make a very graphic food image.
Food bloggers coined the phrase, “flatlay” for this technique but traditionally we’ve always called it an overhead shot, just to clear up any confusion there.
Overhead food images are used in all sorts of content these days. It’s actually a very easy way to create a nice looking food photo because you are totally eliminating dimension in your shot so you don’t have to worry about background props.
Your images are now more two dimensional instead of three. Your shot becomes all about shape, color, texture, and form.
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There are two options for shooting overhead. You can lower your set to make it easier to rig your camera, or you can shoot on a table top and then work on getting your camera much higher above you.
I’ll also cover how to rig your phones at the end.
Table of Contents
Lowered Overhead Setup
When I shoot overhead, I always try to work on a lower set so it’s easier to work on. Below is a shot of what’s called, apple boxes. They have nothing to do with apples as you can see below.
They are made for the film industry and come in standard sizes. These are called “full apples”. No idea where the name came from. The film industry tends to do that.
After the full apples are down, I then put a wood surface on top, even if I’m going to put another wood surface (like fence planks) on top. It’s just easier this way if I have to move the entire set around to get things lined up.
When I shoot with fabric as my background, I have a great trick for you. I always use a dining table felt (AKA silence cloth) that goes on the wood and under the fabric. The original use for this was to protect your dining room table. I use it to iron directly on set.
When you iron right on wood, there isn’t anywhere for the steam to go and your fabric gets wet real fast and can get stained from the wood surface.
When you iron on felt, the felt really helps get the fabric wrinkle-free very quickly. The table felt CANNOT have vinyl on it. You can get felt at a fabric store – get the thickest felt they have. If the felt is thin, double it up so that it’s a thick base.
You can see the pressure steamer I am about to use to the right of my set. Pressure steamers have a constant source of steam for fast ironing.
Tripods For Overhead Shooting With A Lowered Set
Many bloggers and starting photographers tell me that when they try to shoot overhead they can see their tripod legs in the photo. Many tripods are not made for overhead shooting without a special attachment (see next section).
When you are choosing a tripod to shoot with, and you want to do overhead shots, you need to test the tripod to make sure it can handle this. Some tripods have an adjustable center column to help do overheads without having to buy an extra attachment.
I have a version of this tripod from Manfrotto and it works very well for doing a normal overhead shot. By normal, I mean the type of shot where you are not showing an entire huge spread of food on a table.
This is the Manfrotto 190XPRO. This one pictured comes with the tripod head as well, and works great.
The prices change all the time and can shift by as much as $100. The center column can tilt 90 degrees so that you can do an overhead shot without buying another attachment.
If you want a cheaper version of this kind of tripod that has a center column that can go 90 degrees, then look at this one below.
I have NOT used this tripod, but it appears to be highly rated, so as long as you make sure you can return this easily, it might be worth a shot to try it.
This is made by the Neewer company out of Korea. They are notorious for knocking off all sorts of photography gear.
Please note that this one has a very small ball head on the the tripod. I am not a fan of those at all for the bigger full frame cameras, but if you have a smaller cropped sensor camera, you might be able to get away with it.
If I were using this, I would prefer to use my 3-way tripod head instead of the ball head.
For a lot more information on tripods – check out my Tripod Buying Guide post.
Lateral Extension Arms
If you are happy with your current tripod and just want an extension arm to add on top, you have a few options.
This attachment arm is called a side lateral arm. If you are using a 50mm lens or wider, you will most likely need to get your camera out over your set farther than what your tripod alone can do.
This is a very sturdy extension arm made by Manfrotto. It’s pricey but will last forever.
You can also try this other extension arm pictured below that is a lot less, but make sure you can return it if you have issues with it. I have not tried this one.
This one is made by a company called Tarion, who I have never heard of but it has a lot of good ratings so it might we worth trying as it’s much less.
What I really like about this one is that it has a hook to hang sand bags off it it to make your rig more stable.
Keep in mind that with any lateral arm extension, it will NOT come with a tripod head so you will have to buy one in order for your camera to have something to attach to and to point down on your set.
Also, when setting up your camera and tripod in this way, you need to make sure that you have sand bags to put on the opposite end of the lateral arm AND on the bottom of the tripod legs as well to secure them.
If you’re like me, you are definitely going to kick your tripod, so the more stable you make your rig, the better off you are.
Above you can see my camera set up. This is absolutely the easiest way to do an overhead food shot. My 90 degree arm extension is on the tripod. This attaches where your tripod head would have gone. You now have to take your tripod head and attach it to the end of the extension arm.
These are the sandbags that I use as a counter weight. My side arm has a hook for counter weights so if you have a pro camera (they are heavier) you will have to do this as well.
My side arm is a Gitzo, same brand as my tripod, very heavy duty. They don’t make it anymore but I found it used on ebay for only $50.
Side note: I have to cringe every time I see a snap shot of a blogger balancing on a step stool or chair, and bending over to do an overhead shot!
People! Breaking your back is not worth the price of a side extension arm! Don’t be cheap! Get a side extension arm or overhead rig asap, please! Before you fall off a chair or step stool.
Also, if you need to be way up on a ladder – this means your lens is too long! and you need a wider angle lens or a zoom lens.
Several folks have asked where they can get the tripod you see below with the side arm extension. Unfortunately, that tripod I’ve had for more than 30 years and it’s not made anymore. It’s a Gitzo tripod. Gitzo, Bogen and Manfrotto are all now the same company called Manfrotto.
Use Those Legs!
Many photographers don’t actually know how to use their tripod properly for a lot of positions.
Most tripods have little buttons and levers to help you maneuver the tripod to make it do what you want.
The best way to set up an overhead tripod rig when shooting off the floor or on risers is to extend the legs way out so that your setup is more stable.
In this image with my Manfrotto tripod I’ve made the legs much longer and used the levers for each leg at the top of the tripod to extend their reach.
I’m not using any sand bags and this tripod isn’t going anywhere. It’s extremely stable.
Table Height Overhead Setup
There will be times when you cannot lower your setup and you’ll have to shoot on a table. I usually have to do this in restaurants.
You have to keep in mind that rigging your camera overhead is all about making sure it does NOT coming crashing down. You need to protect your camera AND your set.
With the rig below, if my camera were to get loose and actually fall, it’s protected because I’ve made my camera strap become a safety strap. My camera strap can be shortened and has an opening so that I can strap it around the pole I have the camera rigged to.
This is what I did for years before the product below existed. I now have the rig below and it works great. It’s a lot easier to set up. The point here is you have TWO stands to make this rig really stable.
So if anyone knocks into it in a restaurant it won’t go crashing over.
This comes with the the 6 foot pole, the camera plate and the two grip heads that attach to the pole. You need to put the two grip heads onto two stands.
It does not come with stands, so you have to get two light stands or two C-stands, which is what I do.
This is made by Glide Gear and this is the OH 75 Overhead Camera Pole Mount System. Again, I have this and it works great. Super solid. Your camera isn’t going anywhere.
Ok for all of you that are saying this is too much money, you’re going to remember this post when you break your camera AND lens when your cheap overhead rigs fails you and falls over.
I have this argument all the time in my Facebook group. You just spent a lot of money on your camera and for some reason you want the thing holding your camera to be cheaper than a hot dog.
Makes no sense! You’ll learn the hard way I guess if you’re in that camp.
Anyway, what’s great about this rig is that it’s extremely stable and won’t come crashing down.
Please know that I ALWAYS shoot with a 24-105mm zoom lens on my full frame canon camera when doing overhead shots so I can control my framing with my zoom lens and I don’t have to move the camera up and down with the rig.
I can really lock my camera down tight on the rig so I don’t get any motion blur at all during long exposures.
Below is an other option for an overhead rig if you are always shooting overhead and need to put the rig right on your surface.
This is also made by Glide Gear where you put it right on your table. I do not have this rig so I cannot tell if you can adjust the height of this rig or not.
Either way, you do need to use a zoom lens when shooting overhead to make it easier for you to frame your shot without having to move your rig up and down.
To take “easy” one step further – see the cable hanging off my camera in my behind the scenes shot above? I’m shooting tethered so once I do the initial set up with the camera and focus it, I no longer have to lean over to take the shot – I can take the picture from my computer. It’s awesome.
So take it easy on your back and look into some equipment alternatives that can make your overhead shooting so much easier!
What About Using A C-Stand?
Before I finish this post I know I have to address this. A lot of food bloggers and big Youtubers are saying to do overhead shots with a C-stand.
I am NOT a fan of this! I’ve been shooting for several decades and the first time a saw a camera rigged on a C-stand a few years ago I couldn’t believe it.
C-stands were made for rigging gear, NOT for mounting cameras. This is NOT a stable way of setting up your expensive camera. This is not the same thing as a tripod!
With rigging your camera extended out on a C-stand arm over your set, it get more precarious the farther out your camera gets.
Even when you set up your C-stand correctly IT WILL NEVER BE AS STABLE AS TWO STANDS!!! Or a properly rigged tripod. Come on! Do the math!!!
You also have no way of adjusting your camera angle because you can’t use a tripod head or any other device that allows for you to tilt your camera.
Then the other issue is if the device you are using to attach your camera to the C-stand arm fails you, you have no way of strapping your camera onto the arm for safety and your camera will fall on your set and break.
This has become the cheap way of rigging a camera overhead. Don’t fall for it. It looks unprofessional and could break your camera and lens.
Alright, so those are all my suggestions for shooting overhead – what to do, and what NOT to do.
What Professionals Use For Commercial Jobs
Here’s the deal. Just so you know, the absolute best way to rig a camera overhead in a studio environment is with a Studio Stand. See that huge black stand? That’s a Foba stand. It’s a little over $12,000. This was my setup for over 20 years.
These are extremely expensive, weigh several hundred pounds, and are not used for shooting on location. You can get studio stands starting at $1000. The Foba is the Ferrari of stands.
When your camera is rigged on this – it will NEVER move. They are awesome. You do need to know this level of equipment exists, so that way down the road when you get your own studio, this is on your equipment dream list.
How To Rig A Phone Overhead
The last thing we’ll cover is how to rig your phone for overhead shooting. The easiest way to do this without an expensive tripod is to get one of these:
These are inexpensive and easy to use. I had no problem getting this one to hold my huge phone. There is a built in counter weight system with springs so the phone doesn’t move.
Just look for “overhead tripod mount” and also, “overhead camera rig” to find lots of options.
You absolutely MUST get a wireless trigger release for this set up though. Because there are springs in this device, if you tough the screen to take a picture, your phone is going to bounce around, which could make your image blurry.
You can also program most phones to capture when you say a word like “shoot” to take a picture while you aren’t touching it.
These remotes are very inexpensive and hook up with your phone using bluetooth.
Below are just a few options on Amazon for desk mounted overhead rigs.
Overhead Tripod Mount for C...Shop on Amazon
Glide Gear DST 50 Multi Mou...Shop on Amazon
ULANZI Camera Desk Mount St...Shop on Amazon
Overhead Tripod For DSLR Ca...Shop on AmazonIf you like this post, please share it on Facebook and Pinterest and don’t forget to sign up below so you don’t miss another post.
Susan Portnoy
Hi Christina –
Thank you for this post. I am going to be shooting some food on the fly and wondered do you every handhold your camera? If so, any tips? Are you using f8 for the shot above?
Christina Peters
Hi Susan, I shoot handheld at farms and sometimes at restaurants. You have to make sure your shutter speed is at least set to 1/125th of a second so that you don’t get motion blur and then you have to set your ISO higher in order to accommodate that high shutter speed, which will then give you digital noise in your pictures. Which is why I try to shoot on a tripod as much as possible. The F-stop completely varies depending on what I am shooting and how much depth of field I want in the shot.
Norma Berrios
As always, a lot of useful information, especially for newbies like me!
Christina Peters
Glad it helped Norma.
Vicki Bensingr
I am vacationing and don’t have my tripod with me. It’s seems to be heavy duty and extends quite high. Can I order an arm without having my tripod in front of me to measure the screw size or will any arm work? Also in your photo it looks like the arm fits into a circle – does that come with the arm or should that be on my tripod already? If so, I don’t believe mine has that.
I’m new to a lot of this so if my question sounds stupid, sorry?
Christina Peters
Yes, they are called extension arms and most tripods should have the same universal tripod head attachment hardware. The blog post I sent you to also have a link to extension arms. Now, I have seen a few non-standard very inexpensive tripods that have their own way of attaching things that are not standard, so just a warning there as I don’t know what kind of tripod you have. The circle I think you are referring to is just the top of the tripod.
Peter
Hi Christina,
I know this is an old post, but I think what Vicki was referring to was the circular blue/gray extension arm clamp that the extension arm passes through. And I think you have another one at the camera end as well.
I too would like to know what it is to see if I can find a second hand one.
Cheers
Peter
Christina Peters
Hi Peter, I am using a very old Gitzo head extension that is not longer being made by that company. I found it on ebay for $50, which was a bargain. But Manfrotto does make a similar one, it works the same way, it just looks a bit different.
fredrick
How about the 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens for overhead shoots? Is 50mm macro lens gives better macro effect or 40mm lens? some places 40mm also mentioned as a macro. Which one s best for overhead shoot?
Christina Peters
Hi Fredrick! So the 40mm is getting to be a pretty wide lens – unless it’s and overhead shot and your tripod won’t allow you to use a longer lens. I suggest renting both and see which one you like better.
Foodiemarvel
Read this a few weeks ago, then came back to read it again just now. Great info. Thank you. Starting to think about equipment to shoot overhead videos. Not sure which direction I want to go in just yet but you have great information and tips!
Christina Peters
Thanks so much Glad it helped and thanks for reading!
Dede
Christina, I have an extension arm on my tripod to use for shooting straight down. I am shooting with a Canon 5dii with a 24-105 lens. Using a level, the lens is perfectly parallel to my still life object. Why would I be experiencing distortion?
Christina Peters
Hi Dede, distortion always comes from the lens, not the tripod. If you are shooting with that lens at a wide setting, like 24mm, that can give you distortion. Many wide angle lenses will give you a bowing distorted look. This can be corrected in Adobe Lightroom. This distortion is known by the manufacturer of lenses so LR has a nifty “Lens Correction” tab where you just pick you lens and presto! Distortion is either lessened or gone completely.
Dede
Thanks Christina. It may be the wide setting. I will check it out tomorrow. I will also try the Lens Correction on a couple of the distorted images.
Christina Peters
If it is the wide setting, then you’ll have to zoom in and raise your tripod up in order to eliminate the distortion. I have that same lens so I find the distortion goes away at 50mm and longer.
Silvia
Thank you anyway!
Since I will also take pictures of my recipes while shooting the video, can you tell me if you think the lens I mentioned above are correct (for the pictures)?
Thank you!
Christina Peters
I use the 50mm lens for overheads and I use the 100mm lens for 3/4 tabletop views on my 5D cameras. Your camera is a cropped sensor camera and the cropping factor is 1.6. So read this post about lenses to make your decision about lenses. I can’t tell you what lenses you’ll need, that has to be your decision based on what your shots are of.
Silvia
Thank you very much, you’ve been very helpful!
Christina Peters
Welcome and good luck!
Silvia
Thank you so much! I have been looking for these informations for ages!
Just one question: I need an overhead food shooting but for VIDEOS: I am going to cook using a pan/pot and I am afraid the smoke would fog up the camera lens! Unfortunately I’m shooting in a room with a not so high ceiling, so do you have any helpful suggestion?
Thank you!
Christina Peters
Hi Silvia, for shooting live cooking you can not be directly overhead, but more of a 45% angle looking down into the pot, this way the steam goes straight up past your camera. You’ll still feel some heat, but not as much. I use an electric induction single burner for this exact purpose and I put it on a surface on the floor. This way your set is much lower and with induction cooking you only have the heat from the food, not the cooking surface coming up. Also, you will need a lens at around 50mm depending if your camera has a cropped sensor or not. The longer the lens, the higher up you’ll have to be. Happy Shooting!
Silvia
Thank you so much! I’m just too happy to have found your website!
I don’t know if i can post it, but this is the kind of video I would like to reproduce:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9bb6_xOpME
Can you see the overhead shooting? And the smoke doesn’t seem to affect the lens… (I guess the ceiling is very high, and the equipment very professionl).
I have a Canon EOS 1100D, do you think I can make good videos/photos with that?
Do you think 50mm and macro 100mm lens would be enough for this project?
I need to shoot overhead and also catch the single detail of the food!
And about light setting? What do you think they set it?
I was thinking about putting a main light source (one or two softbox I had purchased on e-bay) on one side, and a big reflecting panel on the other one (silver or White?).
What do you think? Or do you think I should set the light overhead as well? I can’t understand from the video 🙁
That’s all! Sorry for the several questions, I hope you can help me.
Thank you! And hello from Italy! 🙂
Christina Peters
Yes, I can see the video – so they are using the electric induction burner and they only did a tiny bit of cooking with it. The steam definitely hit the lens, they just edited that portion out. I can’t really go into the details on how to do a video shoot here as this blog is for food photography stills. There are many ways to light this kind of set but they are using hot lights. I’d suggest googling “how to do a food video” to get more info. Good luck!
James
Christina, Thank you thank you thank you! This has answered so many questions and has calmed me down after a particularly frustrating photo taking day. Great information and I love the tripod!
Christina Peters
Hi James, thanks for reading, and hang in there – we all have those days 🙂
Farouk
Just getting started with food photography. This post is extremely helpful!
Christina Peters
Glad you like it Farouk!
Sharon
Thank you! I’ve been going crazy with my new macro lens for my Canon Rebel t5i – you’ve answered SO many questions!! Great tips on LightRoom also! Bien merci!! I cannot thank you enough! Every post is gem with information I haven’t seen before.
Christina Peters
Thanks Sharon!
Elizabeth
I’m just beginning recreational photography, and I loved this article! I wondered if you could provide me links to the tripod and arm that you use…I didn’t see a link to yours in the article! Thanks!
Christina Peters
Hi Elizabeth. I should probably update the article – I don’t mention the tripod and head extension I am using because they aren’t made anymore and when they were made they were very expensive. The tripod was $1200 and the extension arm was $300 new, I believe.
Cathy | She Paused 4 Thought
I had never heard of dining room felt before. What a great tip.
Christina Peters
It works great too – it will last forever too. All the felts I have are at least 10 years old.
Rob
Excellent tips, thanks Christina. I just recently purchased a steamer and I’m amazed at how well they work.
In terms of dealing with wrinkles with various fabrics….what do you suggest for getting wrinkles out of velvet or plastic materials? I’m scared to use a steamer for fear of actually melting a specific kind of fabric. Would you suggest maybe placing a piece of felt on top of the velvet and ironing it that way?
Thank you! 🙂
Christina Peters
Hi Rob, when getting wrinkles out of delicate fabrics, like velvet or plastic ones, I put a towel on top of it and set the iron to a low setting and look often to see how it’s looking. If the wrinkles still won’t come out, I will slowly increase the iron heat and try again, looking often to make sure it doesn’t melt. It’s a delicate process.
Darlene
thank you so much for this post!! I just bought my tripod, macro lens and a wide angle lens. SO excited. I think my photos will benefit exponentially from these upgrades!!
Christina Peters
Congrats Darlene!
Ines
Hi Christina I am looking into buying an extension arm, I am quite new at this and have an Induro travel tripod but have no idea where I can possibly get an extension arm that will work for my tripod! Does any arm work for any tripod?? Thank you for your articles they are wonderful!
Christina Peters
Hi Inez! Good tripods and attachments are universal. This means any brand extension arm should fit on your Induro tripod. You just have to make sure the screw on your tripod is the right size for the extension arm. There’s only two sizes to look for and usually the better tripods have the larger one. You take the tripod head off your tripod and you will see how big the screw is. The larger screw is 3/8″ and the smaller screw is 1/4″. Yours is probably a 3/8″ screw so just measure that to make sure.
Stephanie
This is really helpful. I’ve got a really old tripod at the moment but I don’t want to replace it as it still works a treat – it was my Dad’s and he bought it 30 years ago! I’ve seen separate boom arms of the same make though (Velbon) so I will look into getting one of those. I always get so frustrated with shooting overhead due to the discomfort of contorting myself into the right position and keeping tripod legs out of the scene.
Thanks again for sharing your tips!
Christina Peters
Hi Stephanie! Glad you liked the post. My favorite tripod is now 25 years old. If it’s a good tripod, it will last forever. Happy shooting!
Marilyn @ Pink Martinis and Pearls
Great article, Christina. Makes me fondly remember your points in class that I’ve forgotten along the way.
Christina Peters
Hi Marilyn! A lot of my blog posts are details of things I mention in class as I can only cover so much in one day’s class. Glad you liked it.
Mikayel Karsyan
Dear Christina!!! My name is Mikayel Karsyan. I am an interior designer from Yerevan, Armenia. Running my own interior design studio since 1999 I started the food photography and your blog helped me so much. I am so glad and grateful, not only for the information and a high quality consulting on your blog, but for your indescribable energy, warmth, goodwill and openness – the aspiration to teach people and give them everything you know. That’s a real sign of a deep soul…
It’s a big pleasure to be your “student” )))
Thank you so much….
Christina Peters
Thanks Mikayel! Glad I’ve been of some help for you. Happy Shooting!
Karista
Love your website! Just found it, I’ll be subscribing. I have a question: what lens did you use for your overhead shot? I have a stock lens that came with my Nikon D5100 and I have a 50mm f1.8. Thinking of getting an f1.4 for a larger depth of field. Thank you for your time, Karista
Christina Peters
Hi Karista! Glad you like the site! This shot was taken with my Canon wide angle zoom – 17mm-40mm lens and the zoom was set to about 35mm. This is one of the very few times I use a wider angle lens on food because its an overhead shot and I don’t want to be on a ladder. For all my food shots that are not overhead I use my 100mm macro lens. You said you wanted “larger depth of field”, just to clarify – the wider the f-stop the smaller your depth of field will be, meaning, less things in focus and only your focusing area will be in focus. If you want more depth of field, more things in focus, you need a much higher f-stop than f 1.4. All lenses look different at the same f-stop. A 100mm macro shot at f5.6 will have much less depth of field (less things in focus) than a 50mm lens shot at f5.6. The wider your lens the smaller f-stop you will need to get very shallow depth of field. Does that make sense? Also keep in mind that with overhead shots – you have hardly any depth of field to worry about because shooting overhead eliminates depth in your shot. Overhead shots turn into images about shape, color and texture.
Lamp
Correct me if I am wrong. A larger aperture gives a shallower DOP opposed to a smaller aperture giving a greater DOF.
Christina Peters
Hi Karista, yes, a larger aperture (bigger opening) gives you a shallow depth of field – the number for that large aperture is small however. Meaning F5.6 has a much larger opening than F16.
Mary@SiftingFocus
Thanks Christina! Ordered my felt. Any suggestions on where to get apple boxes. Since I live in LA, the film industry capital, I imagine they must be available somewhere in town.
Christina Peters
Hi Mary! A great place for apple boxes is ebay. There’s always ones for sale – get the used ones – the new ones are too expensive.