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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Lighting for food

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Håvar Karlsen

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Hi there!

Just wanna check if theres any "tricks of the trade" out there when it comes to lighting for food. Gonna do some food packshots on a upcoming shoot, not sure on equipment and lighting packages yet, but as I understand, its all about lots of soft sources. Like lighting a car? What would be a standard setup for a great looking dinnerplate (Closeup)?

Thanks
Regards
Howard
 
Of course it all depends on what you're shooting and the effect you're trying to get , but you might try this as a basic starting point: use a soft light, like maybe a chimera, coming almost straight down as your main light. You may want it to come from slightly behind the food. Then get a piece of foam core with a circle or a U shape cut out of it, and use that to knock some of the keylight off the background. This helps your product stand out from what it's sitting on. Then get some little reflectors to fill in the front. You might try white cards or some kind of silver card stock. Rig them to stand up just outside the frame, right on the surface that the food is sitting on. If they don't fill enough just from bounce from your top light, then you may need to bounce a little light into them, perhaps with a little fresnel going through a snoot.

If the food steams, you'll need to backlight the steam to be able to see it, again probably with a small, hard light that shoots through the steam from behind. If you're shooting food in its packaging, and especially if the packaging is shiny clear plastic, then you may need to involve bigger bounce cards that you can move around, as you say like lighting a car.

Hope that helps.
 
The simplest and easiest way to light food is to BACK LIGHT!!!!

Stupid and as easy as one light sounds... but works a treat. After 5 years of shooting food every week... I always resorted to it.
A soft fill over head or to the sides always finished it off.
Short depth of field to get rid of the background... and the rest is up to the food stylist you employ...

Disclaimer: I'm sure there are a million ways to light food.. this is just one of the quick effective ways.

food_photography_3350.jpg

lamb.jpg
 
Wow, looking good. Thanks! Care to share what setup you used here? (lights and placement?). Shot in studio or on location (used any natual light?)
Thanks for the input!
 
Gunleik Groven said:
Hahahaha!

Mark! You should write your own quick and dirty and practical guide to excellent results! :)
Click to expand...

Then all the old timer traditionalists would commission a HIT on me....

I'm already upsetting the establishment by going to the dark side... (RED)
 
Mark Toia said:
Then all the old timer traditionalists would commission a HIT on me....

I'm already upsetting the establishment by going to the dark side... (RED)
Click to expand...

Hahahahaha!

I know, and certainly don't allways agree with you on all your messages when made into rules...
But as practical tips on how ro make look good without all the effort, you are a well of good info. And it is good to have non-complicated ways of doing nice stuff with less effort and unpretentious solutions.

Some people use all the possibilities with RED (and photography) against the system, because it is conceived as "hard"

It can be "hard" to get that extra mile. But the previous 99 can be pretty effortless... :)

I'd have made the "Mark Toya Simple Way To Good RED usage" a sticky, or a chapter in the book I won't write... :)
 
Håvar Karlsen said:
Hi there!

Just wanna check if theres any "tricks of the trade" out there when it comes to lighting for food. Gonna do some food packshots on a upcoming shoot, not sure on equipment and lighting packages yet, but as I understand, its all about lots of soft sources. Like lighting a car? What would be a standard setup for a great looking dinnerplate (Closeup)?

Thanks
Regards
Howard
Click to expand...


http://www.lynda.com/Home-Computing-Photography-tutorials/Food-and-Drink-Photography/85757-2.html
 
Mark, seriously... share your mastery! You're making me hungry (for wisdom ;)

And, this thread might read - "Will Light for Food"
 
Josh, please don't turn a good thread about food lighting into yet another Guy Holt hocking his wares thread. That stuff gets very old fast.

All the Best!

Dave
 
Mark Toia said:
The simplest and easiest way to light food is to BACK LIGHT!!!!

Stupid and as easy as one light sounds... but works a treat. After 5 years of shooting food every week... I always resorted to it.
A soft fill over head or to the sides always finished it off.
Short depth of field to get rid of the background... and the rest is up to the food stylist you employ...

Disclaimer: I'm sure there are a million ways to light food.. this is just one of the quick effective ways.

food_photography_3350.jpg

lamb.jpg
Click to expand...



Thank you , Mark!!!!!
What a treat you are!!!
 
Josh H. White said:
I didn't. I went from Food to this:

LED_CC_HighCRI.jpg
LED_CC_LowCRI.jpg

This comparison of a table top illuminated by a high color rendering source (on the left) to one lit by a low color rendering source ( on the right) came from the section on LEDs from the Newsletter for which I provided a link. That's not hocking anyone's wares. That news letter contains some of the best information on LEDs that I have seen anywhere.

Josh "Baffled" White
Click to expand...

Fixed it! Actually prefer the LED file . . . flatter makes it easier to grade ; - )

6931709514_a1da5f459c_z.jpg
 
Josh Beadle said:
Fixed it! Actually prefer the LED file . . . flatter makes it easier to grade ; - )

6931709514_a1da5f459c_z.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks Josh! a correct white balance when shooting anything will make it look much better than one thats way off. The two pictures should have been both corrected to be similar, as in match the backgounds or something.

Anyway you have proved if all else fails you can fix it in post.
 
. . . you can get up off the floor now Brandon . . . two "Josh's" on the thread
 
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