Let’s Make a Fruit Platter 🍓
Follow along as I turn a collection of ripe fruit into a colorful platter and share some of the little things I consider when styling and photographing food.
How to Make a Fruit Platter That Looks as Good as It Tastes
Hello everyone!✨
Every once in a while, I get a creative spark, and although we were told as kids to never play with our food, I can’t help but admire the inherent beauty of vibrant fruits and vegetables.
This past Sunday, I noticed that nearly all of the fruit in my cabinet was ripe, and since I was feeling especially creative, I decided to make an impromptu fruit platter!
I’ve made numerous fruit platters in the past for my Instagram (@cocogirljen), and this time I thought I would take you guys along with me through the process, start to finish. If you’re curious how to make a fruit basket into a fruit platter or about food photography yourself, you’re in the right place.
Of course, everyone’s creative process is going to look a little different, but here are some things to consider:
Before you start, decide your focus.
You don't need a specific list of fruits or a perfectly planned grocery haul, but having an idea of what you want the viewer’s eye to be drawn to before you start can be helpful. Oftentimes, I find this is either a larger fruit (pineapple, mango, papaya, sapote, etc) or a pattern of fruits. Have a bunch of ripe mangos? Maybe you want those to be the centerpiece, or maybe they’re smaller mangoes that you want to arrange in a zig-zag pattern. A lot of this comes with time, practice, and finding your own unique flow.
For this platter, the focus was the pineapple and the papaya. The rest of the fruits simply drew in on that focus and beautifully filled in the background.
Next, decide where you’re going to take pictures and test out the lighting
You know what would be an insta girl’s worst nightmare? Having the most aesthetic food you could imagine, and not being able to capture a good photo of it because of poor lighting or an unflattering environment. Find a spot with a nice background, stable surface, and good lighting, and have the space cleaned up and ready to go before you pull all your fruit out. It’s best to take a couple of test photos beforehand if you’re not sure. This may help you with step 1 as well!
Finally, prepare your space + materials before you start chopping.
Having to halt your creative process becasue you can’t find the proper knife is inconvenient at best, and at worst it could cost you precious sunlight or make you completely lose your train of thought. I recommend doing your best to avoid this by having all of your tools within reach, a cutting board for cutting and a separate cutting board for platting, and all your fruit washed + ready to go. That way, if you see a space where a kiwi would fit perfectly, you can just grab it, instead of having to dig around in your cabinet for it. This ease of creative flow will help the overall vision come together much more seamlessly, and it prevents potential messes. (I have flipped a fruit platter before. Not fun.)
Have fun!
You don't need to be hosting a dinner party, celebrating something, or waiting for a "special occasion" to make your food beautiful. Sometimes you can just make yourself a pretty plate because it makes your afternoon a little more enjoyable. And honestly? I think that's part of wellness, too. We spend so much time thinking about what we should be doing for our health that it's easy to forget that creating little moments of enjoyment matters. Turn on some music, get into the groove of things, and don’t be scared to play around with the placement a bit. Sometimes the difference between "this is fine" and "wait, that's actually really pretty" is just a few small adjustments. You get to create a life you love in the little moments, too.
I hope this video was entertaining and you learned a thing or two!
Enjoy, and feel free to tag me in your fruity creations on social media! I’d love to see the final results!
