Professional Secrets for Photographing Ice Cream (2024)

Two years ago, we asked a group of food photographers to tell us about their most challenging shoots ever. A third of them told us ice cream was the hardest. Frozen desserts melt quickly, and different brands will melt at different rates.

It’s easy to wind up with a big mess on your hands, and it’s not surprising many photographers and stylists forgo using ice cream entirely. Instead, they use colored vegetable shortening or frosting. Some commercial photographs of ice cream are actually made with mashed potatoes!

As we head into summer once more, we wanted to revisit the ice cream photo shoot. We asked five Shutterstock contributors to share their secrets and tricks for making natural and authentic images. Turns out, it all comes down to preparation (and don’t worry, no mashed potatoes here).

1.”I usually use strobes; it’s impulse lighting, and it’s not melting the food.”

Elena Veselova

What’s the story behind this photograph?

This is how we usually make ice cream at home for our kids or friends: someone wants a scoop in a waffle cone, and someone needs a bowl; we add fresh fruit; the countertop gets messy.

What’s your secret for photographing ice cream?

I usually shoot real ice cream. I have to do it very fast, and, to be honest, I waste a lot of it to get one perfect shot. I usually use strobes; it’s impulse lighting, and it’s not melting the food.

The most important thing is to get you props and composition ready and set the lights and camera settings before you get the ice cream on stage. You can use substitutes instead of your hero, like a simple white napkin crumpled in a ball will work fine instead of vanilla ice cream. If you are shooting ice cream in a bowl, it’s useful to try a variety of scoops (with spring release and without, metal or plastic) to practice and decide what you like best. You can also scoop ice cream and put the scoops on a cutting board covered with waxed paper and put them back in the freezer until your stage is ready. As for the popsicles, consider serving them on ice (or put plates on ice). Also, set the thermostat to a colder temperature.

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Styling and color palette will depend on the kind of ice cream you’re shooting; usually you want to create colorful, refreshing, summer atmosphere, so use bright and natural colors. I like to add fresh fruits and berries to explain the ice cream flavor. But I would shoot chocolate ice cream on dark background and with dark props.

I would definitely recommend shooting all the food indoors. Outdoor lighting comes from everywhere, and it makes the image flat. It’s better to use directional lighting, coming from a side or from the back. But you can create nice “lifestyle” pictures outside, if you’re shooting people with food.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

I find inspiration in food itself, especially fruits and vegetables- they are truly beautiful and easy to shoot. I read a lot of food blogs and magazines, of course. Sometimes I see nice color combinations in landscape or abstract photography and use them in my food photography.

2. “Studio flash is the way to go. They don’t generate heat and allow for fast working, even with hand-held camera.”

Hans Geel

What’s the story behind this photograph? This photograph is part of an exercise about chocolate and ice cream. Our aim was to create a rustic environment and use different shades of brown and beige. The image should have an artisanal, handmade feeling, so we created slight disorder with chocolate shavings and cocoa, a wooden spoon, chocolate truffles and melted chocolate pouring out of the ice cream.

What’s your secret for photographing ice cream?

As a photographer, I highly recommend hiring a specialized food stylist. I personally work with Angela Garcia. Working with real ice cream means working fast and planning in advance. Food stylists are experts in working with real ice cream, and they are able to create those wonderful refreshing scoops we all dream of.

We always shoot indoors. There should be enough room to place the lights and reflectors. Working indoors also allow us to shoot tethered for more control over the final results. The infrastructure of your studio should allow placing cool boxes near the set. Use a stand-in for lighting and focusing, and place the ice-cream on the set when you are absolutely sure of exposition and focusing.

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Studio flash is the way to go. They don’t generate heat and allow for fast working, even with hand-held camera. A lighting scheme helps to create the perfect ambiance, from fresh and sunny to dark and moody. In our studio, you can find hundreds of backgrounds for food photography. I personally prefer using neutral colors so that the ice cream really stands out. For a more luxurious effect, we use black plexiglass. Weathered wood is fashionable and one of our favorites.

Depending on the assignment, it might be necessary to manufacture fake ice cream that does not melt but has the same color and texture as real ice cream. Each food stylist has his own recipe for fake ice cream. For added realism, the food stylist can locally add fake melted ice cream.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

Angela, the food stylist, has a huge collection of props that allows us to create any kind of ambiance, from vintage to highly technical. We regularly get together to interchange ideas and talk about new food and lifestyle tendencies. From there on, we create a mood board and start pre-production. On the day of the shoot, all is prepared and decided, although there is always room for improvisation.

3. “Taking pictures indoors is easier, as you can fully control the process, the setting of the light, and the optimal temperature.”

Nataliya Arzamasova

What’s the story behind this photograph?

I love strawberries and healthy food. My child loves ice cream and asked me to make it, so I made this healthy and delicious strawberry ice cream.

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What’s your secret for photographing ice cream?

Use a beautiful dish, and decorate ice cream with fresh berries or chocolate and mint leaves. Shooting can be done indoors or outdoors, but taking pictures indoors is easier, as you can fully control the process, the setting of the light, and the optimal temperature. If you are shooting outdoors, try to avoid direct, bright light. This subject is better placed in the shade. Use reflectors.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

I find inspiration for my pictures everywhere: signs, posters, magazines, and blogs.

4. “I shot indoors using natural light, which I further diffuse with a big sheer curtain. “

Yuliya Gontar

What’s the story behind this photograph?

I’d made ice cream for my kids, but when I saw the scoops on plate, I couldn’t give it to them. They had to wait while I shot a few images.

What’s your secret for photographing ice cream?

When you shooting ice cream you need two things: the right composition and speed. First I lay out my set (background, props, accents, lighting) and take test shots. I freeze ice cream scoops the night before, and it helps retain the scooped textures on the balls.

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I always start shooting early in the morning while the sunlight is very soft. I shot indoors using natural light, which I further diffuse with a big sheer curtain. For shooting ice cream, I keep my props to minimum: bowl, spoon, and scoop.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

People who like my photos inspire me a lot. I often find inspiration in restaurants with creative ambience and design.

5. “Do a lot of prep work before you pull out the ice cream.”

Julia Metkalova

What’s the story behind this photograph?

It was an early summer morning, and I decided to surprise my children with the berry ice cream. While everybody was still in bed, I made the ice cream and left it for a while on the kitchen table. I heard my children talking in their bedroom, and in that moment, I realized that if I wanted to take a photo of this ice cream, I’d have a couple more minutes, and it then it be gone. I grabbed my camera, opened the curtains, and did couple of quick shots. I added some berries and did another shot. Suddenly the kitchen doors opened and my children caught me on the last shot. “Surprise!” I said with the big smile on my face, and in one moment, the ice cream disappeared.

What’s your secret for photographing ice cream?

I make ice cream for my children, which releases the pressure of being perfect and the wish to make the images too polished. I am not afraid of melted ice-cream or berries not being perfectly aligned because this is the food for my loved ones, not glossy magazines. This approach makes me relaxed through the entire process, and I believe that a natural look cannot be created artificially. A natural look will come with a natural taste, local food, and thoughts of the real people who will enjoy it.

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My only tip would be to do a lot of prep work before you pull out the ice cream. Do sketches on paper. See the full image in your head, and don’t pull the ice cream from your fridge unless you know every single detail. Shoot a napkin or something that looks like ice cream first, and once you have nailed it, go through every step in your head first.
Once the game plan is clear, I pull out the ice cream, and I do couple quick shots, and then I give it to my children. When I am in doubt about the right color palette, I take a long walk in nature and this is where I get all the answers. I love to observe colors in nature that compliment each other and the tonalities each season offers. When the inspiration comes, I start to shoot.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?

My inspiration is nature. I believe that nature has all of the answers we need, even outside of photography. I try to go outside the town as often as possible, and I love long walks with my children. We enjoy observing how nature creates its shapes and sizes, colors and patterns.