Potato Chip Macro Photography

Potato Chip Macro Photography – Watch on YouTube

In this article, we’re exploring the fun that can be had at home with potato chip macro photography! Chips, or crisps as we know them in the UK, are readily available in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and that makes them a great option for an afternoon of macro photography!

Chips or Crisps?

As mentioned, potato chips come in so many varieties that they make for a great macro subject! We suggest stocking up with a few different types of crisps. Look for unique shapes, sizes flavours, and even colours!

We grabbed a huge selection of different kinds of crisps from Aldi. The festive season also brings out a few different varieties that you might not see around for the rest of the year so keep an eye out in winter time!

Don’t open all of your crisps right away. Put one or two in front of the camera first and get a feel for how they look. You will need to find a way to hold your crisps in place for the camera too.

Try placing each crisp on a small pin or needle. They should be light enough to hold in place and it will be easy to photoshop out later. If you need something more robust, try one of our macro subject holders. They are great for holding subjects in place on a tabletop, and can hold background cards too!

Potato Chip Macro Photography

The key to interesting potato chip macro photography is experimentation. the shapes and textures are so random, that it’s hard to predictably envision an image before you sit down and take it. Maybe you have something in mind and are happy to sort through bags for the perfect crisp, but it’s easier to have fun and see what you get!

We picked crisps at random and changed the composition and lighting to suit each one. It’s a really fun exercise in being adaptable with your photography setup!

Lighting plays a huge part in getting amazing photos of crisps. Without some additional light, the crisps would risk looking flat, boring and not very detailed.

However, with some strategically placed light, we can do amazing things! in the image above, light is shining through the crisp to highlight the puffy structure of this particular crisp!

All About Angles

Potato chip macro photography is all about angles. The angle you shoot from is the first thing to think about. Composing your shot to capture the crisps from interesting angles can make or break the image (and the fragile crisps!).

try shooting from a low angle on crinkle-cut crisps to make them look like farmland or undulating hillsides. If the crisp has a lot of detail to capture, consider cropping in closer to just the most interesting parts. With a tabletop setup, you can shoot from any angle and explore the crisp in 360°.

The other angle you need to consider is the angle of your lighting. Moving where your light is coming from can be a great way to highlight contours and salt granules on the surface. A low angle of lighting will cast shadows and make your images look more dramatic. With a small, flexible light source like the Adaptalux Studio, you can even light from behind!

Shining light through crisps is a really cool way to make them look otherworldly like they are glowing from inside! Be careful of specular highlights coming from the oils and salt on the surface though. Consider using a diffuser on the main light to keep them to a minimum!

We hope you give potato chip macro photography a try! It’s a fun and easy subject to shoot at home, and at the end… you’re left with a nice little snack! In our case… a lot of snacks!

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