Cheese grater

Could this be the most useful abstract tool in your kitchen? – Cheese grater macro photography ideas – Watch on YouTube

It’s been a while since we raided the kitchen drawers for macro photography subjects. In this article we’re using one of the most versatile tools around. It usually only grates cheese, but for us, it’s an abstract photography multi-tool! Let’s check out some cheese grater macro photography ideas!

Cheese grater macro photography ideas

Ok, what is so special about the humble cheese grater that makes it an ideal companion to our macro lens? Well there are three main features that make it special. We’re going to take a look at our grater in geater detail and see how we can use it’s features to great effect!

Before we jump in, we need to specify that we’re talking about the generic cheese grater you likely have at home too. We’re not using some fancy new age appliance here, go and grab yours and try some of the techniques along with us!

So… what are the super special features on our cheesy photography accessory?

Reflective Metal

We often talk about how fun (and sometimes tricky) it is to photograph reflective objects. When it comes to making abstract images, though, it’s a world of wonder!

When we shot cutlery last time, we discovered how fun it can be to reflect light in curved metal objects like forks and knives. The walls of our grater are COVERED in tiny holes and curves.

Every bit of light is bent and bounced around the reflective surface and this can make for some amazing abstract effects! One of the first cheese grater macro photography ideas to try, is simply placing lights around the surfaces and seeing what happens!

Reflected light on the smooth surfaces is broken up by the cutting edges. Tiny imperfections and scratches reveal themselves and add interest to the image.

With multiple light sources of different colours, like those from the Adaptalux Studio Lighting System, we can mix colours from different directions!

Shaped Holes

The tiny holes all over the cheese grater break up the surface of the metal in interesting ways. While a lot of abstract images are chaotic, the ones that stand out add a little bit of order too.

The different cutting holes are arranged in patterns. You can make use of these parterns to create some uniformity in your abstract images and each one gives the viewer something to focus the eye onto.

The holes in the grater also add another dimension to our images. Of course, we will be able to see through them to the other side… so what’s on the other side?

If you are using coloured light to reflect on the shiny metal, you might want to leave the background inside the holes dark. Alternatively, you could place a coloured backdrop behind the grater for another addition of colour. Our background gradient cards are ideal for this as you can change them quickly to get different styles!

Hollow Interior

Most cheese graters come in the shape of a tower that leaves a space for the shredded cheese to fall into. But we can use that space inside for more interesting macro photography ideas!

We have holes and reflective metal on 4 sides. Our cheese grater can become a reflective, leaky light tunnel! Placing subjects inside the cheese grater and lights around it, makes for an amazing backdrop.

Light shining through the holes creates bokeh in the background of your images. Light travels down the inside of the reflective surfaces to shine onto the subject.

So while you can get a lot of abstract cheese greater macro photography ideas, you might be able to get a few conventional shots with the use of a cheese greater as a background!

If you try any of the ideas in this tutorial, make sure to show off your work! Just head over to the Adaptalux Macro Photography Group and post your results!

Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more macro photography tutorials, ideas and inspiration!