Digital Photographer - UK (2020-05)

Assesshowyouwantyourfoodimages

tolook,andthenmodifythelightsource

Use natural light

2

Whilea profoodphotographermighthave

toworkindarkrestaurantsandneedan

exposureboostfromartificiallightsources,

manyofuscangetawaywithusingnatural

light– especiallyif we’reshootingathome

andhavecontrolovertheenvironment.

Youcangetbeautifulresultsby

harnessingthenaturallightcomingin

througha largewindow,butit’simportant

toenvisagehowyouwantthefinalimages

tolook,asyoumayneedtomodifythe

naturallighttosuitthis.Decideonthe

moodyouwanttoconvey;hardlightwithout

diffusionwillcreatedramaticresultswith

accentuatedshadowsandcontrast,while

diffusedlightismoresoftandeven.

Withlightstreaminginfromonedirection

(awindow),there’sa riskofharshshadows

fallingonyourdish.Toeventhisout,hold

a reflectoronthesideofthedishopposite

thewindowtofillinthedarkerareas.If you

wantyourlighttoappearsofter,diffuseit

witha diffusingpanelorsometranslucent

fabric.Whenworkingwithreflective

materialssuchasmetalliccutleryor

glassware,extradiffusionstepsmightbe

neededtoreducetheappearanceofglare.

Thedistanceanddirectionofnatural

lightwillgreatlyaffectyouroutcome,so

experimentbymovingyourdishesaround.

Often the simplest lighting setups are

the best for food: just natural window

light falling on a plate of food can look

very pleasing. Place your dishes on a

table next to a large window, and move

the plate around until there aren’t any

awkward shadows.

It’s best to take the photos on an

overcast day, as the clouds will diffuse

the sunlight, acting like a huge softbox

and making the light on your subject

much more gentle. If it’s a bright, sunny

day, you could put up some net curtains

to diffuse the light instead.

Window lighting

A simple but flattering setup

Harnessnaturallight

Changeyourcamera

positionin relationtothe

lightsource,andmove

thefoodfurtherfromor

closertothesource

©EstherLing

CAMERA +

FOOD TABLE

WINDOW

PHOTOGRAPHER

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY