Food Photography and table top lighting question!!

[rawny1016]

Hello TPF!

First of all, I would like to say hello! I am new to this forum and pretty much new to photography. I have been a fan for a very very long time, but I finally have the opportunity to dive into it and I am loving every second. One of my most favorite types of photography is Food Photography. I am an amateur chef myself, so this niche fits me well IMO.

I would like to start blogging my recipes and dishes (as a request by my family members). My question to you all is in regards to lighting. I have a pretty decent grasp on photography basics and camera settings. I do alot of my cooking after dusk, so natural lighting isn't available. I don't want a huge setup in my kitchen, as i would like to cook, snap a few photos during the process, and then take a completion shot or two then dive right into eating. Would a small table top lighting setup work in this instance?

 

[Trevor Harris]

An external flash would go a long way - either through an umbrella, or bouncing it off a white ceiling or wall.

 

[MLeeK]

External flash for while you're cooking and snapping. A light tent and a couple of work lights would be great for when you are done. Food photography is a very highly specialized area of photography.
If a light tent isn't your style or possible maybe a lumiquest 80/20? Or a reflector for a little fill combined with the external flash bounced.

 

[arturroz]

you really just need a window. If you want to get fancy, use a speedlight as suggested above. Bounce it off your ceiling if you have white ceilings. Boom!

 

[MarkCSmith]

A simple desk lamp could give you all the light you need for food. Try what you have first before investing in lighting just for food photography, you might be pleasantly surprised. Your on-camera flash with a homemade modifier (even as simple as a piece of paper taped to it to help diffuse the flash) would give you fine results when cooking.

 

[Vtec44]

It depends on what kind of lighting you're going for. I typically use very bright/almost flat lighting for product photography so I go with a 2-light setup, 1 36" soft box for key light and 1 36" shoot through umbrella for fill light.

 

[rawny1016]

Cool, thanks for the feebacks! I will try as much as i can listed and see what works best for my situation. nice shots of the clementines... makes me wanna reach in and grab one