Light is the most important aspect to taking a photograph. To have awesome photos you must have awesome lighting. Here are 5 Tips for taking better food photos using light.
Tip #1: Try and take your photos with natural lighting. Natural lighting refers to light that comes from the sun. Find the room your home that offers the best natural light and make it your studio. Unfortunately because kitchens typically do not have large windows it means you will be shooting in a separate room. Finding the best room can be a bit tricky at first but here is what you want to look for a room with large or many windows and may face East. The large windows will allow in a large amount of light and will be eastern facing window will be out of the harsh rays of the sun by mid-morning. Take several photos in the room near the windows to get a feel about how the light works in the room and which spot will be optimal for your shots.
Tip #2: Start checking the weather channel. Schedule your photo shoots around the day with the sunniest or brightest weather. A light overcast can sometimes offer the perfect natural light. You do NOT want direct sunlight it will make your photos too harsh. You WANT the light that is right outside the direct sunlight. This allows the light to showcase the colors of your food to their optimal potential.
Tip #3: Turn off the artificial lights in the room. Your lamps and overhead lighting fixtures give off different temperatures of light and this will affect your photo.
Tip #4: Taking your photos mid morning will give you the optimal light. The sun is still on its rise and will be sending light at an angle giving you light at an angle across your food. This will highlight the foods texture and dimension with light and shadow.
Tip #5: Use a reflector to offer more light and shadow to your food photos. Natural light can only come from one direction and sometimes we need it from another angle. Pick up a piece of white foam board at your office supply store place it so that your food is in between the window and the foam board. This allows the light to bounce off the foam adding illumination to the shadowy side of the food. You can also use a mirror for this effect but it can be harder to control and harsher in its reflection.
Did I miss any? What is your best tip for taking great food photos?
