Learn the basic light setup for food photography in this quick food photography lighting guide and capture well-lit and mouth-watering shots of your culinary creations.
Light is a crucial element in food photography as it significantly influences the quality of your pictures. Incorrect lighting setup can render your food pictures dull and unappealing, whereas the appropriate lighting setup can transform them into beautiful and appetizing images.
In this quick guide, we will explore the most common food photography lighting techniques and also share some essential tips to help you capture better pictures. Without any more hesitation, let’s start…
A. Natural light setup for food photography
As you might already know, the sun is one of the best light sources for food and product photography. It can create gentle shadows and highlights on food, enhancing texture and details without harsh contrasts.
Natural light (sunlight) can be particularly beneficial if you want to capture intricate details of dishes, such as a crispy crust or the delicate layers of a cake.
Fortunately, you don’t have to move outdoors if you want to capture evenly bright pictures of dishes using natural light. You can do it right in your photo studio, kitchen, or room. Below is how to go about it:
1. Position the food near a window
After styling the meal, place it on a table or any stable surface near a window. If the room doesn’t have a window, you can also set it up near the front door or any opening that allows natural light to come in.
2. Diffuse the light
Hang a sheer white curtain at the window or door to soften and spread the natural light. Alternatively, you can use a diffuser to soften the lighting.
Diffusing the light will help reduce harsh shadows and create even lighting on the food. This approach will undoubtedly enhance the overall feel and appearance of your pictures.
3. Reflect the natural light
Position a silver or gold reflector or a white foam board opposite the light source (the window or door) to bounce or reflect some light back onto your subject (the food). This will help fill in shadows and add a pleasing glow to your images.
Although natural light is the best for food photography, it has some disadvantages. First, light intensity and color temperature change throughout the day. So, you might find it difficult to capture consistent images.
Secondly, since there’s no sunlight in the evening, you’re limited to shooting only during the day. But, as you might already know, there’s no specific timing for food photography. Hence, you will have to consider the second light source, which is artificial lighting.
B. Artificial light setup for food photography
For food photography, I prefer artificial lighting to natural light because it offers control and consistency. I can shoot any time of day without worrying about changes in light intensity or color temperature.
Shooting with artificial light sources will also give you the freedom to shoot wherever you like. It could be in your room, kitchen, photo studio, or anywhere that pleases you.
However, setting up artificial lighting for food photography can be challenging, especially if you are a beginner. But don’t worry. Here is a step-by-step guide to help you get started:
1. Choose a shooting area and position the food
Firstly, find a nice shooting space in your studio, kitchen, or room. Then after styling, carefully position the dish you’d like to photograph on a table or stable surface in your chosen shooting space.
2. Set your main light at a 45-degree angle to the food subject
Next, place your key artificial light source (strobe, LED light, or flash) at approximately a 45-degree angle (2 p.m.) to the food subject.
Placing your main light at this angle will help to highlight the subject’s texture and intricate details, making the images appear tactile and appealing.
Remember: Attaching a softbox, diffuser, or umbrella to your key light source will help further soften and spread the light. It can also help prevent harsh shadows and create a gentle transition between highlights and shadows.
3. Reflect the artificial light
Keep in mind that using reflectors is not restricted to shooting with natural light alone. You can also use them when working with artificial light sources.
So, place your reflector directly opposite your main light source to bounce some light back onto the shadowed part of the food. This will help fill in shadows and reduce contrast.
Tips for lighting setup for food photography
As promised, here are some professional tips to help you achieve the best result:
1. Try different lighting techniques
Aside from placing your key light slightly above, at a 45-degree angle, you can also position it beside or behind your subject for different creative results. These lighting techniques are known as side-lighting and backlighting, respectively.
2. Pay attention to the white balance setting
Different light sources have distinct color temperatures, so pay attention to the white balance setting on your camera and adjust it accordingly when doing food photography.
Note: There’s no single best white balance setting for food photography. The ideal setting will depend on your light sources and their intensity. Therefore, feel free to experiment with different options.
3. Shoot from different angles
Furthermore, consider taking shots from different perspectives, such as the worm’s eye view (-75-degree angle or 5:00 clock) and top-down (90-degree angle or 12:00 clock). This way, you will have a lot of creative options to choose from later.
You might be interested in the article: What Angle Is Best For Food Photography?
In short,
The basic light setup for food photography involves placing your subject near a window or front of the door, with a sheer white curtain or diffuser in between the sunlight and the food, and placing a reflector or white foam board opposite the light source to reflect some light back onto the subject.
If you are working with artificial light sources, place them at a 45-degree angle to the food, and position your diffusers and reflectors as mentioned earlier. This lighting setup will help you produce well-exposed and mouth-watering images of dishes.