Food Photography Pt. ✌🏼

     Today I researched the lighting for food photography. Every source said that natural light is the best light, but I still wanted to research artificial light just in case. 

    The picture A demonstrates how a typical set up should look like. The light is not behind the camera or directly in front of it(unless shooting from the top). The light is usually in the side with the use of a reflector. However, the light could be behind the camera if the look Im going for is moody and dark. This is called dark photography and makes the picture more dramatic. 

This picture shows the set up for natural lighting. Since natural light is not a like a lantern, the light could be directly in front of the camera or on either side. In this example, the light in on the side.

A. The picture shows the set up for  lightning.

So for artificial lighting, a white reflector is a must. Luckily, the reflector could be a foam board, white paper, or a cardboard. Which I could buy in stores, such as AC Moore or Michaels. A reflector is used to reflect the light back to the food. This way, the shadow can be manipulated. 

The picture below shows the importance of a reflector. The use of reflector, as I already said, reflects the light. It makes the food look more clean and appealing. The picture in the left looks more attractive than the picture in the right. The shadow in the right picture was created because it lack a reflector, so the light was not being reflected back. 

Random thought:

I wanted to share this saying that I liked a lot: we eat with our eyes first. Which is a hundred percent true. Even if you don’t see something and order a plate of gnocchi carbonara, for example, in a restaurant, you probably imagined a delicious plate.  So, we eat with our eyes first. Which is why food photography is so important for platforms, like magazines, food shows and restaurants. The pictures need to make the reader drool and hungry. With great pictures, this magazine will be half way done.

Stay hungry,

SABRI

Citations: 

Cornell University. (n.d.). Side Lighting with Bounce Fill. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from

     http://www.plantpath.cornell.edu/PhotoLab/SideLight2.html

Johnson, L. (2017, June 03). 12 Tips for Taking Beautiful Food Pictures. Retrieved March 07, 2018, 

     from https://www.tomsguide.com/us/food-picture-tips,review-4416.html

Lange, L. (2017, July 03). Food Photography and Styling. Retrieved March 07, 2018, from 

     https://www.recipegirl.com/if-youre-into-food-photography-and-styling/