Diana Kowalczyk
Author of the blog www.mientablog.com and the book “Colorful Food Tastes Better,” she is a food stylist and photographer. . Winner of the 2020 “Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year” in the Apple a Day category, she has been honored three times in 2021. She most enjoys eating and photographing healthy, seasonal plant-based foods and lazy sweet breakfasts. A lover of tattoos, the forest, mountains and cycling. He can’t imagine life without music, and in his spare time he learns to play the drums.
She has worked with brands such as Sonko, Łowicz, Lubella, Helpa and Kikkoman.
When I started my adventure with photography I could at best dream of having access to ready-made photographic backgrounds. A few years ago, you had to combine on your own to keep the photos from being monotonous, so I painted the backgrounds myself. I don’t have a knack for artwork, so I was happy to see backgrounds painted by others on the market. Then it was time for something even better, namely backgrounds printed in a format ideal for culinary photography. I’ve tested some of them over the past 2 years, and I’m glad that the MBackdrops brand has come out and offers us such a good product. Magda Handle’s backgrounds are distinguished above all by printing of great quality. Tiles, boards or stone look like the real thing. At the time of writing this text, I have 9 backgrounds (2 from the basic collection on canvas material and 7 from the collection of travelogues on vinyl). I like vinyl for its ease of cleaning, storage, but most of all for its lightness. For clients, I do most of my photography on marble and other stone backgrounds. Carrying large and heavy slabs of natural material, I already have a permanent subscription to a physiotherapist. With printed backgrounds, this problem immediately disappears, and in addition, they do not take up as much space in the studio as the aforementioned. Mbackdrops’ vinyl backgrounds are stiff, which I found to be an added plus. My studio is small and setting up another tripod to support the backdrop is always a problem. These just need to be placed on a chair slid under the work table.
Why invest in photo backgrounds?
Many times I get the question from others, what inspires me when creating photos? I always say definitely not Pinterest. I don’t want to walk the beaten path and prefer to look around on my own and be inspired by what’s around me. That’s why so often the source of my inspiration is nature, all seasons, but also…props and new photo backgrounds. There are times when I see an interesting handmade plate somewhere, an unusual texture of the wall of an old building, or a new background in a store’s offerings, and photo ideas immediately pop into my head. With the eyes of my imagination, I see the stylings that I then try to present to the audience. That’s why I think new accessories for photography and styling are always worth investing in. If you are just starting out in photography, then by using a variety of backgrounds, you will more quickly discover your style and what gives you the most pleasure, and if this is already your work, such an investment will always be to the benefit of your development and later earnings.
Justyna Porowska
Author of the blog smuklewidelce.pl, photographer and culinary stylist.
In 2015, she took her first culinary shots. Today they serve as an example for her students and show “how not to take pictures.” She started out knowing nothing about colors, rules of composition, let alone how to operate a DSLR camera. But standing behind the camera one day she felt that this was it – food photography had become her greatest passion in life – hundreds, even thousands of hours of study had borne fruit. She put everything on the line and became a culinary photographer.
On a daily basis she does photo shoots for many companies and brands, but most of all she shares her knowledge and passion with others – in her courses she shows that you can be a great stylist. Not when you have expensive equipment, lots of accessories and your own studio, but when you have a heart for it and layers of patience.
“For me, the MBackdrops brand is an example of how having sensitivity and attentiveness creates extraordinary things. Producing backgrounds from elements of the reality that surrounds us is brilliant in its simplicity and shows that there are no limits in photography – as long as we don’t create them in our heads. Working with MBackdrops to create my own collection of backgrounds will keep my attentiveness working at top speed to deliver unique designs that will complement and inspire many photographs. “
