Six tips for photographing farm markets

Farm market season is upon us. I am seeing more and more “opening this week” social media posts in my stream for the local markets.

When I got my first DSLR one of the places I took it to just practice with it was one of our local markets. It was a great way to get all sorts of images from people and pets to flowers and food. The variety is usually quite inspiring. 

Here are six tips to help you when wandering around a farmer’s market with your camera.

Pay attention to colors at the farm markets

So many colors! Fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers offer a whole color wheel full of options. Watch for different color combinations, complimentary, monochrome and anywhere in between. This is a good opportunity to go back and review color theory so you know which colors work best next to each other or in the same frame.

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Create different perspectives and angles

Don’t just photograph from one angle. Hold your camera above the produce for a different look. Get down low and use the sky as your background. Shoot from under flowers or behind them for unique floral images. Be sure to include wide shots of the market stalls and individual vendors as well.

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Get in close

Get in closer to the tables and shoot as if you’re “in” the veggies. Take your macro or zoom lenses and photograph details or create abstracts with just color and shape in the frame. Use containers as part of your framing and composition. Many times vendors have interesting, cute and unique ways of displaying their fare.

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Add people to your frame

Wander around and watch the other patrons at the farm market. Be aware and ready for any moments you might see. Like a child sniffing a flower or picking up some produce. Get in tight and just include a hand picking up a bunch of carrots or pointing at some mouthwatering homemade pie.

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Look for action shots

Many farm markets have vendors who are demonstrating cooking or crafts. Get in there and capture the action. Use a little longer exposure to show movement and motion in their hands working. Catch the chopping, stirring and pouring of ingredients if they’re cooking at their booth. Some markets also have performers as well, musicians or other entertainers who are fun to take photos of.

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Talk to people at the farm markets

Always ask vendors for permission to take photos. It will help break the ice and just having a little conversation, learning about who they are and what they are selling will help you tell the story a little better. It will also make them more comfortable and willing to help you move things around a bit if you need to in order to create a better image.

Also, interact with the people wandering around the market. Ask if they would like a photo in front of a great bunch of flowers, or if you could take a picture of them talking to a vendor. Offer to send them the file.

Just get out there and enjoy the market. Who knows, you might even meet a future client.