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How to combine photo backdrops together?
Welcome to this new article dedicated to how to combine photo backdrops and use them in your food, lifestyle, or cosmetic photography.
Today, we’ll explore how to pair different backdrops together to create beautiful color harmony and a consistent atmosphere across all your food photos (or other types of photography).
First of all, you’ll find a wide variety of backdrops in the Pastryandtravel shop. I always create collections inspired by the seasons, so there are plenty of options. Choosing can be quite challenging, especially if you’re just starting out in photography.
There’s another article on the blog that will help you choose the right photo backdrop if you’re a beginner or if you’re looking for a specific material. You can read it here: “How to choose a photo backdrop?”
How to choose photo backdrops to combine?
I often receive feedback from (future) customers who tell me they struggle to choose and ask for advice on how to pair photo backdrops together. So I decided to write this article to help you combine them properly and avoid making mistakes.
Tip 1: Choose photo backdrops with similar colors
To avoid too much contrast in your images, it’s a good idea to choose backdrops in similar or closely related colors.
Harmonious colors
For example, light gray, white, or pale backdrops work beautifully with soft, subtle tones to create a gentle and refined look. Of course, it all depends on the atmosphere you want to create in your photo.
Using harmonious, monochromatic, or closely related colors in your photo backdrops will give your images a calm, soft, and luminous feel (depending on the shades you choose).
Some examples of photo backdrop combinations:
To give you a concrete idea, here are some backdrop pairings from the shop that work beautifully together:
- Light Pink / Joy ou Light Pink / gris clair
For a light, girly, fresh look, perfect for sunny seasons like spring or summer. These backdrops will beautifully highlight red tones such as strawberries, orange hues like cakes and pastries, and white elements like creams.
For lifestyle or cosmetic photography, they create a feminine, self-care, and slightly playful atmosphere. - Gris Clair / Light Grey ou Gris clair / bois blanc
To stay within light and bright tones.
Here, the backdrops don’t dominate the image — they are simply there to highlight the main subject and create an airy, luminous, and soft atmosphere.
- Peach / Gris Clair / Carrelage beige : For a warmer, more orange-toned look. These backdrops are perfect for sunny seasons like spring and summer.
-
Black Concrete / Ardoise, black concrete / Montréal For darker, monochrome backdrops with a moody feel.
It’s sometimes important to use darker backdrops to create a different atmosphere in your scene — something more chic, dramatic, and moody. These backdrops work especially well in autumn and winter.
As you’ve understood, similar colors are very easy to combine in photography. I could extend the list even further, but you get the idea. Closely related colors with similar textures work beautifully together.
Don’t hesitate to mix materials as well — for example, pairing Black Concrete with Montreal creates a beautiful combination of “concrete” and dark wood. We’ll look at more combinations like this later on.
Tip 2: Use similar materials
In some cases, it’s best not to vary materials too much. For example, a concrete-effect photo backdrop pairs very well with another concrete backdrop. These patterned backdrops work beautifully when combined together.
Two concrete backdrops
This pairing can be created with two concrete backdrops such Heaven et gris Clair for examle.
But you can also combine two wood backdrops, like as : automne et Montréal ou Automne et Bois blanc.
Using one base material and varying the colors according to the seasons is a great strategy.
Examples of photo backdrops
For example, in spring, concrete backdrops such as Mango and Light pink will bring plenty of sunshine and freshness to your photos.
Other possible combinations from the Pastryandtravel shop:
- Light Blue and Heaven for concrete backdrops in similar blue tones.
- Terre battue and Peach for a warm, orange touch that adds energy to your Instagram feed.
- Minneapolis and Peach: a blue concrete tone paired with an orange shade works beautifully together. We’ll explore complementary color combinations just below. Perfect for an atmosphere that feels both fresh and cozy, comforting and warm.
- Brick-style backdrops paired together: carrelage beige and Cool Coral.
- Nils and Bois Blanc: two fresh, light wood backdrops that complement each other perfectly.
Tip 3: Use complementary colors for contrast
On the contrary, if you want a more contrasted and vibrant look, it’s interesting to choose two complementary colors such as blue and orange, purple and yellow, green and red, or pink and green.
The result will be more eye-catching thanks to the contrast. Your photos will feel less soft, but more dynamic, bold, and full of energy.
As mentioned above, the Peach backdrop pairs beautifully with Minneapolis, or with Heaven / Light Blue to play with complementary colors.
These are relatively light backdrops (especially Light Blue and Peach) that bring both softness and energy to your compositions.
A harmonious and captivating account
The goal here isn’t necessarily to use both backdrops in the same photo, but rather to vary the use of different backdrops across your images to create a beautiful and cohesive look on your Instagram account or website.
For example, here are some visuals from the shop’s Instagram account @fondphoto.pastryandtravel to give you an idea of how it looks when you vary tones and types of backdrops:
Winter
Say goodbye to brighter backdrops — during this time of year, we tend to prefer darker tones that complement the limited natural light. With the arrival of Christmas and the holiday season, festive and warm backdrops, perfect for family meals, take center stage.
- Baking tray / Black Concrete / Ardoise
- Noël, for christmas
- Dark green,
- Montréal / Fire wood / Justines table / Midnight wood
- Sahara / Rust
- Milky Way / Midnight / Hiver / Heaven
Tip 5: Vary materials and textures
One final tip for creating a cohesive feed and recognizable photos: vary the textures of your backdrops.
For example, keep a defined color palette or theme, then alternate textures such as wood and concrete, or concrete and tiles in similar tones.
Backdrop textures
Textures are very important in photography. They help draw attention to the main subject, add storytelling, and create visual appeal. Here is an example of a feed composed of brick, concrete, and wood backdrops. Keeping the same tone or color while varying the materials creates harmony across the photos when viewed together.
