You may not know what your environment will be like, and it’s important to be prepared for any given scenario (especially when working with a client). This doesn’t provide me with the consistency I need in my images. It usually creates a shadow on your food, and can cause the image to look flat and lifeless. I am very new in the field of photography. A softbox acts in much the same way. Now, let’s see what happens when we close the blinds and have to create our own light for this image. Artificial Food Photography Lighting. This is a way of controlling the contrast in food photography. The next setup is using a shoot-through umbrella. The clouds act as a giant diffuser, filtering the harsh rays of the sun as they hit your subject. The gold reflector can be used to add warmth to food, while the silver can brighten it. A typical set-up for side lighting is to work with a softbox placed closely to your table. But that’s not to say natural light isn’t ideal. Considering the mood you want to convey in the photo is a good way to decide if you will use hard or soft light. As you can see, the light from the first setup is too harsh. In the Western world we read from left to right. This keeps too much light from spilling on my scene and creating any hard shadows. 'RealPlayer'], ['rmockx.RealPlayer G2 Control', It’s also a quick way to soften the light and minimize the harsh shadows in your scene. The opposite is true if you live in, say, South Africa. Fill light refers to the amount of light that is bounced back onto your subject. As with the previous setups, nothing was changed with the scene aside from replacing the shoot-through umbrella with the new modifier. Harness natural lighting. As with the previous setups, nothing was changed with the scene aside from replacing the shoot-through umbrella with the new modifier. Today I want to share with how I built my inexpensive food photography studio. Mathematics aside, inverse square law basically means that the intensity of a light source will decrease as you move the light away from your subject. You also need some tools to manage those shadows and direct the light to where you want it. I only have Canon Powershot Pro1 (8megapixel) at hand and an ordinary kitchen for a studio. The umbrella is large enough to spread out the light fairly evenly, but the shadow on the background plate is still much harsher than the foreground (main subject). You can also put your table so that the light falls somewhere in the upper left hand corner of your set. I have a table set up against the window where I place my food and props, and I photograph the food with the light behind it so that it’s backlit. If you are a professional food photographer, there will also be situations where you’re required to work with natural light, such as on a farm or at a vineyard, or when photographing street food or food culture. I have an AlienBees B800 flash unit with a standard silver field reflector positioned directly behind and slightly above the food. It is used a lot in liquor and beverage photography. The good news is that one light is all you…, Action in still life photos is always eye-catching. Many photographers who shoot only with natural light insist that it’s better than artificial light. It is used to eliminate or soften shadows caused by the main light source. Since the key to a soft light is to make the light source as large as possible and get it as close to the subject as I can, I figured that this was the next logical step. If you are working with glassware, you will likely need extra diffusion in order to manage reflection and glare. For the first image, she complimented the hero item — the bowl of spaghetti — with raw ingredients such as tomatoes, garlic, cheese and spices. The great thing about this is that the equipment used is very inexpensive, and you could even replace the diffuser I used with any type of sheer fabric, such as a DIY version from materials found at a craft store. I like to use inexpensive white foam board—you can find it at any craft store, and it adds a beautiful, soft fill light to the food. Assessing light and figuring out how to use it in food photography is a process that involves exploring and discovering. For example, if you have a unit with too much power, you may only be able to photograph your food at f/16 and won’t be able to open up the aperture (let’s say, to f/5.6) to create an out-of-focus background. When you shoot later in the day, the value of the colour temperature will be “warmer”. There’s also a little bit more shine in the tomatoes than I’d like to see. In this article, I’ll walk you through four different lighting setups using both sunlight and strobes to show you that it’s possible to create a natural light look with artificial lights. My goal is to re-create the diffused sunlight look of the first natural light setup as closely as possible. Playing…. AlienBees B800; large rectangular softbox; white foam board. This gives an image more dimension and is a sought after look in food photography. For more on Food Photography, you can check out Nicolesy on her blog at nicolesyblog.com and read more about her thoughts on photography. However, if you want the light to have a harder quality, then allow it to hit your subject directly. I was wrong for my first half-decade of doing food photography. When you are shooting with a speedlite or strobe, you are dealing with a strong explosion of light. For me, it works best to just manage one primary light source. I’ve seen photography studios where food photographers for large commercial shoots use both artificial light and natural light together, so this is less of a rule and more a matter of personal preference as far as what will make the set up and shoot go more smoothly for you. The first thing to consider when shooting in natural light is your light source. The front can look too dark and the back too bright. In photography, we apply the principle of inverse square law to our lighting. So much of my Food Photography Masterclass is dedicated to lighting.Of course when I set up all my gear and food photography backdrops the sun doesn't want to come out to play. When working with strong sunlight, I like to use a very large diffuser. You can also select your interests for free access to our premium training: As a professional food photographer, I shoot with artificial lights most of the time. For educational purposes, I’m going to work this image using the same strobe light with three different modifiers: bare bulb, shoot-through umbrella, and a large softbox. Nope the sky above just wants to pour rain and gloom down on to my dreams of photography bliss. Many food bloggers shoot at the same time every day. There may be situations when you lose control over your shooting environment and have to, Let’s start with a basic natural light setup, which is a lighting setup I use on a regular basis. Sometimes certain situations call for more control over the lighting situation to either create consistency or specific effects. I have: a 30×60″ rectangular softbox. 1. It is used for a more dramatic effect. Aagesen cautions against direct sunlight for your food photos. I have met many food photographers who swear by natural lighting. Take note of the various ways your light hits your scene and what makes the most sense to best present your subject. It takes a bit of basic physics to understand how light works, and how to manipulate it to get the result you want. I like to use inexpensive white foam board—you can find it at any craft store, and it adds a beautiful, soft fill light to … And I have to think about how to reflect the light or control its direction in some other way. This is for our new series: Learn About Food Photography, Equipment & Props.Without the tabletop lighting unit, this project cost right around $10 and I use it all the time! Especially if you're dealing with food! My apartment has a large North-facing window and the light coming in is always gorgeous, even on cloudy days (which is a good thing considering I live in Seattle). By controlling the shadows created from natural light, you can add an element of interest to your product photos. The shadows are soft, there are no hot spots, and the light is even across the scene. This is where reflectors come in. 2. Your food will look flat and unappetizing. Hard light is stronger than soft light and accentuates shadows and contrast. We use natural window light to make it easy for everyone, Control the mood of the photo & the depth of focus, Learn tricks of the trade to capture mouth-watering photos, Expert Photography © 2011-2020. The umbrella soft light photography set is very light and comes with a storage bag. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a fancy light kit either. This shot above was taken at 7pm with one light. Find Natural Light. This 20 minute training video will help you to understand... ['rmockx.RealPlayer G2 Control', The next time you shoot that chocolate cake or bowl of raspberries, take your time and play around with the distance to your window. Layers Magazine is published by KelbyOne — the online educational community for Photoshop, Lightroom, and Photography. This creates a natural look with one set of shadows. Pouring sauces, splashes of coffee and falling sprinkles make photos mouth-watering.…, Fruits and vegetables are some of the most interesting subjects to shoot in food photography. You want natural lighting, but it often doesn’t cooperate with your schedule or location. It´s incredible easy to install, all you have to do is place the Light Bulb socket on the light stand and screw in the bulbs. I always have sheets of black and white foam core on hand. You will need to adjust the white balance settings on your camera to accommodate changes in the colour casts you will see on whites and neutral tones in your images. Food photography lighting, is my passion. If you want your light to be soft but bright, like in the image of the watermelon granita below, you will need to diffuse the light. By changing the direction and intensity of these shadows, you can create a variety of lighting scenarios. You need to work out the yummy trinity exposure for the shot you’re taking in the lighting conditions you have. Mediterranean Chicken Stew How to cook food recipe? This means it will contain more red. However, sometimes the gradations in the light are not quite as subtle, as artificial light does not fall off as quickly. Think about shooting outside on a cloudy day. The shadows are soft, there are no hot spots, and the light is even across the scene. A larger, closer light source will give us softer shadows with softer transitions or gradations. However, it works very well to highlight the liquid properties of food, so is a natural go-to for dishes like soups and stews, as well as syrups or sauces or any items that glisten. The great thing is that you don’t have to sacrifice quality when creating the light yourself. Peek inside the studio and see how I … Reflectors are no exception. As you can see below, shooting with natural lighting can make quite a difference in the highlights and shadows of your photo. It’s also important to note that fall off happens more quickly with natural light than with artificial light. While natural light does an amazing job, is easy to use, and often available, it’s important to know how to achieve the same quality results with artificial light. TIP: If you’re considering photographing food with a strobe light, be sure to get a very low-powered unit. But understanding light and how it works is the foundation of creating great images. Place a table close to a window, let the light come in through the side and slightly above the food, and mount the camera on a tripod over the scene… Easy! However, if you are shooting indoors by a window, as most of us food photographers do when working with natural light, then the source of your light is not actually the sun but the window. That means you can also travel with it. Or, what if you need to photograph a large amount of images with the same quality of light, or continue shooting into the evening after the sun has set? It can change its color, quality, and strength, which will drive you nuts, but can also create beautiful effects and happy accidents. Lighting your food photograph. The rest of the setup was left untouched, including fill light and placement of the food items on the table. The first thing to consider when shooting in natural light is your light source. When you are shooting outside in a vineyard, the sun is your light source. As you can see, it’s possible to re-create beautiful, soft window light using off-camera strobes—and you don’t even have to use a strobe. in a beautiful way that mimics natural light. All Rights Reserved. With natural light food photography, we want to mimic this effect. A couple of lights, placed so as to illuminate evenly, but still provide some modelling for texture and … Great natural lighting is essential to achieving perfectly defined images. The distance between your light source and your subject is extremely important. The trick is to get creative. The great thing is that you don’t have to sacrifice quality when creating the light yourself. And you wouldn’t want to miss Scott Kelby’s take on the two-light food setup here on the Blog. Overcast days are perfect for food photography because the clouds act like a giant diffuser, creating … The key is to make your light as big as possible by using very large diffusors, which can be done with any light, anywhere, at any time of day. Daylight can be a bit difficult to work with, but is also the most flattering type of light in food photography. You can see this style of light used a lot in 80s food photography. Overall, the image  isn’t too bad. Therefore, our eyes will naturally enter the brightest part of the image–the part we are naturally most drawn to. Another con (the most obvious) is that you’re limited to shooting in daylight hours—once the sun is set, your light is gone. I love natural light, but it can be unpredictable and changeable. Discussion in 'Lighting Equipment' started by dyan_d, Apr 4, 2005. dyan_d. If you are trying to shoot food and you’re only able to use natural light, this getting dark early thing can be a real drag. Here your light is positioned at around 10 or 11 o’clock if you were imaging the face of a clock. You’ll also need props, such as diffusers and reflectors to sculpt the perfect light for your image. Or skip the diffuser in favour of a bounce card to help you direct the light to where you want it to fall. One of my favourite light directions that I should mention is side-backlighting. So if we take a distance of 2 and square it, we get 4, the inverse of which would not be half of the original power but one-quarter. My light source was the sun. I'm sure that a lot of you have the same problem I do. When you know how light works, you can find a tool in a variety of items to help you get that shot. Studio light can get final images closer to natural light than one might expect. There are so many variables that come into play. To get this angle in natural light food photography, you would tilt your surface at an angle to your window, rather than placing it parallel to it. When you’re on a shoot, it sometimes means thinking on your feet. 'RealPlayer.RealPlayer(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', Related Posts. Tripling it would give us 1/9th of the power. In my opinion, there is no comparison to the beauty you get with a good camera, a great photographer, and perfect natural light from the sun. You want to make the food as appealing in appearance as possible. For a formal restaurant photo shoot, which setup would you choose? I tell all my students that shooting with artificial light is so much easier than natural light a lot of the time. TIP: The best lighting angle for food photography is to place the light behind your subject to backlight it. When it comes to food photography, the natural light look is highly sought after. In terms of physics, the power of light is inversely proportional to the square of the distance. If you want more striking shadows, a smaller light source further away will provide that. Portraits and landscapes shot before the sun sets have a beautiful glow to them due to this warmth in the colour temperature. To soften the overall scene, I’ll need to add more diffusion to the light. However, it’s difficult to create consistency with natural light because the sun is always moving. Plus it’s free, fairly reliable, easy to work with, and if you’re lucky enough to have a window with diffused light coming in to your home or studio, then you have the perfect setup for food photography. It rarely looks good. If you put a diffuser in front of the window, then the diffuser becomes the light source, as it is scattering light in order to soften it. AlienBees B800 with silver field reflector; shoot-through umbrella; white foam board. You can use them interchangeably, depending on your lighting scenario. The images below were shot outside with no diffusion. A few diffusers in different sizes should be an important part of your food photography arsenal. As with front lighting, it can cause the image to look quite flat and isn’t always very flattering. Food photography is basically product photography. Create a Long Shadow Text Effect in Photoshop Using Layer Styles, How to Build a Responsive Website Design Using Adobe Muse, A Step-by-Step Guide to Correcting Distortion in Architectural Photos Using Lightroom, Create a Multi-Stroke Text Effect Using Photoshop’s New Layer Style Functionality, Lindsay Adler Transforms Images On Location with OCF II Light Shaping Tools, Platypod: Knocking it Out of the Park with Platyball. It's best to photograph your dishes in diffused natural light. When it comes to food photography, it is the least appealing light direction to work with. Technically speaking, in photography the light source depends on where you are shooting and how you are shooting. Just make sure you bounce some of that light into the front or your subject with reflectors. is easy to use, and often available, it’s important to know how to achieve the same quality results with artificial light. Basic light set ups can be used for food photography. If there were a fly on my wall each time I photographed food, it would tell you my dirty little secret: I only use window light. Most pro food photographers use artificial light to really take control of their lighting. Ideally, you would set your white balance manually before a shoot, or take a shot with a grey card and adjust the white balance in post-production. Basically, we can say that daylight is the light source in general. While natural light is best for food photography, you can mimic daylight in the studio if you have to. A simple guide to using artificial light for food photography (and other things!) This setup results in a very soft light on the food with just enough shadow detail to give the image depth. This will soften up your food photography lighting, creating feathered shadows and subtle highlights while still keeping beautiful contrast. Hard light sources like this 500w halogen work lamp, shining through large diffused material, create stunning natural looking light for your food photography. It’s a cheap-and-easy set-up you can put together and tear down quickly. In the photo above you can see our favorite daylight set-up. Just make sure you bounce some of that light into the front or your subject with reflectors. It also varies from season-to-season, and is opposite in the southern hemisphere to what it is in the northern hemisphere. I often use small cosmetic mirrors placed out of frame to bounce a concentrated part of light on a specific part of my food. Side lighting is light that comes in from the left or right side. I have a table set up against the window where I place my food and props, and I photograph the food with the light behind it so that it’s backlit. It can be difficult to light your set evenly with this light direction. 1. Restaurants are often dark, and being in studio on a commercial job all day means that the light will change. The more you take care to understand why you are getting the effect you are getting, the more it will come naturally to you to create images that make the most of your light. AlienBees B800 flash unit with 7″ silver field reflector; white foam board. Let’s start with a basic natural light setup, which is a lighting setup I use on a regular basis. When this is achieved, all the issues of natural light disappear. North-facing window; Lastolite TriGrip Diffuser; white foam board. The key is to make your light. Try bouncing or blocking the light with some white or black cardboard. Using artificial lighting doesn’t have to be complicated, though. The important thing to remember is that they both behave very differently, which requires an individual approach. In fact, when compared to the natural light setup, the light is actually a bit softer than the diffused sunlight I created for that first setup. Unless you are shooting a dark and moody scene, many of your natural food photography set-ups will include a white bounce card opposite of your light source to bounce the light back onto the food. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. The next setup I’ll walk you through is the bare-bulb setup. Sometimes this may call for a high key or a low key lighting effect, but usually the goal is a natural, but very detailed look. … It simply is the most flattering, appealing, and cheapest light for food photography. Now i have a job of taking closeups of raw food/ingredients for a wall-display for a restaurant. if you need to photograph a large amount of images with the same quality of light, or continue shooting into the evening after the sun has set? When the weather is warm, you could try photographing your food outside. How to photograph food using natural light. Since the key to a soft light is to make the light source as large as possible and get it as close to the subject as I can, I figured that this was the next logical step. In fact, when compared to the natural light setup, the light is actually a bit. Whether food photography, portrait photography, or whatever in the whole wide world photography, NATURAL LIGHT RULES. If possible, I recommend lighting your food scenes from your left. You can check out either one of those classes here. The last setup is with the largest modifier I have: a 30×60″ rectangular softbox. This brings out the depth and dimension of your food, and can add a pleasing rim light to some items. Building A Studio For Only $10.00! This is the best strobe modifier so far and closest to the natural light setup as I can achieve. This can mean that you put your table farther from the window than you ordinarily would. I believed natural light the only flattering light for food. Then finally attach the umbrellas. Food photographers, professionals and amateurs alike, know that natural lighting is among the best tools to take drool-worthy photos.However, there’s a time and a place to use natural lighting, and times when you won’t want to. This is the best strobe modifier so far and closest to the natural light setup as I can achieve. My apartment, gorgeous, even on cloudy days (which is a good thing considering I live in Seattle). Therefore, you need an artificial light source, such as strobe lights, to enhance or recreate natural lighting effects. Resist the urge to use your on-camera or, even worse, your phone’s flash. These days, I rarely work with natural light, so it means that I have to set up my camera differently than I am used to. It would take some time to dig out the settings for each shot. Whether you're shooting Tasty-style videos, recipe videos or stopmotion food videos, having the right lighting set up is key. Inspired by a recent photo book I purchased, "Creative Flash Photography" by Tilo Gockel, I set out to create a series of food photos this week as part of a Thai dinner theme my wife and I decided on. When shooting portraits, lighting coming from the front looks soft and beautiful. Also start out by dialing your power down by at least half. There is no denying natural light has an amazing and beautiful quality, but that quality can be replicated with artificial light. There may be situations when you lose control over your shooting environment and have to regain that control by using artificial light. The setup we used for natural light food photography. Large rectangular softbox; Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS lens; 1/125 at f/8; ISO 100. Basically, we can say that daylight is the light source in general. Quite often, what will distinguish one food photographer’s style from another is contrast and how they work with the shadows in their images. Top lighting is when your light source is coming from above. The best kind of light for food photography is soft, diffused, natural daylight. I usually will also add some more diffusion with a Lastolite TriGrip Diffuser to soften the light a bit more, and because the light is coming in from behind (which creates shadows to the front of the food), I introduce some fill light by placing simple white foam board on both sides of the dish. HELP: Food Photography Lighting Setup for a Beginner. If you want the most beautiful food photos, hands-down natural light is the way to go. I use them either to reflect the light or in case of the black, to create more shadows and contrast. You need to know how to work with the light that is available. You can achieve similar results with off-camera flash, continuous lighting, and even simple DIY lighting setups. Or sometimes the location I’m working in does not have suitable natural light. A good photographer can mimic natural light to the point where most people could not see the difference. Technically speaking, in photography the light source depends on where you are shooting and how you are shooting. If you are a food blogger, you’re most likely working with natural light. 'RealPlayer'], To take control of your food photography lighting, you need to learn to use artificial light. The bigger the light source, the softer the light will be. Unless you are shooting landscapes, you can’t wait for the light to be perfect. I usually will also add some more diffusion with a. lights to keep the light as close to your setup as possible; the closer the light is to your subject the softer the light will be.