Mimicking Natural Light

[liebherr]

Hi,

I'm new to this forum (and pretty new to photography in general). I've spent hours practicing and trying to find the info I need online, but I am stuck. I hope that someone here can help me.

I have a food blog and I am not yet satisfied with my photos. For various reasons (like I'm at work all day and live in Canada so it's dark in the winter), I've been trying to teach myself how to use artificial light. I bought an LED light and have been trying to mimic natural light with it. I've been playing with different positions and distance away from the food and so on, and bouncing the light with a white reflector card, but I am still finding that it's just not looking the way I want it to. Would buying a soft box help? Am I missing something really obvious? I edit my photos in Lightroom and really like it, but sometimes my photos just miss the mark.

Some examples of the light I really like are on blogs such as Half Baked Harvest and Baker's Royale. I believe they use natural light, but that's the look I'm going for. Is it possible for me to create it with what I've got? I've heard that strobes can mimic natural light, but at this point I don't have the money to totally change my artificial light setup and I'd like to exhaust options with what I've got first.

Thank you!

 

[astroNikon]

You may want to post pics of your photo shoots here and ask for Comments/Critique to improve it.

It's very hard to comment on what exactly you are doing without the pros here seeing it first.
Your description is only as good as your experience.
Your photos can describe exactly what you are and are not doing correctly.

 

[dennybeall]

Food is very, very hard to make look natural. That's why most professional food photographers use artificial food made from plastic and other non-edible materials.
You need "Daylight" bulbs to mimic natural light or do it in post-processing using software. I solve problems like yours by shooting in raw and using Photoshop to make it look right.
I've never tried it but someone years ago said use a "Grow-Light" from an aquarium store. I don't know about that one.

 

[liebherr]

You may want to post pics of your photo shoots here and ask for Comments/Critique to improve it.

It's very hard to comment on what exactly you are doing without the pros here seeing it first.
Your description is only as good as your experience.
Your photos can describe exactly what you are and are not doing correctly.

Thanks. Ok. I will post a photo that I took last night (of pork), which I don't particularly like and probably won't publish on my blog. I shot it in RAW and edited it in Lightroom. It looks bad to me. Is there some way I can mimic the diffused light streaming through a window? That's really what my aim here is. I am not sure if showing my photos will help with that, but I'm happy to do so in case it does help. Those sites I listed in my main post is really what I am striving for... that sort of look with the light.

 

[liebherr]

Sorry, here is the photo.

 

[liebherr]

Food is very, very hard to make look natural. That's why most professional food photographers use artificial food made from plastic and other non-edible materials.
You need "Daylight" bulbs to mimic natural light or do it in post-processing using software. I solve problems like yours by shooting in raw and using Photoshop to make it look right.
I've never tried it but someone years ago said use a "Grow-Light" from an aquarium store. I don't know about that one.

Thanks for the reply. I agree, food is hard to make natural... but plenty of people make a living off of their food blogs, using real food. The food blogs I mentioned in my post above do an exceptional job of using light in their photos IMO. I get compliments on my photos a lot, but we're our own worst critics, right? I feel I could do so much better. The attached photo is one I took last night that I am not too happy with. My LED light is set to daylight temperature. I do shoot raw and I use Lightroom to edit. Grow light from an aquarium store -- haven't heard that one before haha. Interesting

 

[Designer]

Is there some way I can mimic the diffused light streaming through a window?

This shot shows harsh light coming from almost directly above. Try a diffuser and position your light lower. You can probably make a diffuser using white open-weave cloth or a white plastic shower curtain.

 

[liebherr]

Is there some way I can mimic the diffused light streaming through a window?

This shot shows harsh light coming from almost directly above. Try a diffuser and position your light lower. You can probably make a diffuser using white open-weave cloth or a white plastic shower curtain.

Thanks, I will try that. I tried putting a white tshirt over the light and moving it around a bit height-wise with varying luck. I think maybe the t-shirt was too thick.

 

[table1349]

First let me say all light is natural. It is photons whether they come from a man-made source or a non-man made source they are all the same. All light does not have the same color temperature regardless of the source.

One of the best things you can do to help you with this and other lighting situations is to buy the book light, science and magic.

Once you understand light and how to use light you will be able to get the results you desire by using the proper source of man-made light.

 

[liebherr]

First let me say all light is natural. It is photons whether they come from a man-made source or a non-man made source they are all the same. All light does not have the same color temperature regardless of the source.

One of the best things you can do to help you with this and other lighting situations is to buy the book light, science and magic.

Once you understand light and how to use light you will be able to get the results you desire by using the proper source of man-made light.

Thank you!! I will look into this. Your comment makes me feel a bit better... like there's a hope I won't be screwed without using the sun haha.

 

[table1349]

One of the things that would help it if you got a white balance card and used it to set custom white balance. I use the whibal for studio work. Lots of people say use a piece of white paper white foam board etc. The problem with that is lots of things look white to the human eye that are not white to the camera sensor.

Amazon.com : GENUINE WhiBal G7 Certified Neutral White Balance Card - Pocket Kit (2.1x3.3 inches) : Camera Lens Hoods : Camera & Photo

 

[liebherr]

One of the things that would help it if you got a white balance card and used it to set custom white balance. I use the whibal for studio work. Lots of people say use a piece of white paper white foam board etc. The problem with that is lots of things look white to the human eye that are not white to the camera sensor.

Amazon.com : GENUINE WhiBal G7 Certified Neutral White Balance Card - Pocket Kit (2.1x3.3 inches) : Camera Lens Hoods : Camera & Photo

Thanks! I will look into this too. Do you have to do this prior to every shoot?

 

[table1349]

Depending on the light source if you're using the same one constantly you would not have to. But it only takes a moment so I always do.

 

[liebherr]

Depending on the light source if you're using the same one constantly you would not have to. But it only takes a moment so I always do.

That makes sense. Thank you!

 

[tirediron]

First and foremost, think about your shooting angle. How often do you look at a plate from directly above? It's not a normal viewing angle, so right off the bat you have one strike against you. Your plating isn't bad ('though there seems way too much food on it), but your garnishing is messy. There are little crumbs of mint leaf and salt all over; not the big intentional ones, but little bits. The viewer may not explicitly register these, but they will contribute to an overall 'dissatisfied' feeling with the image. The red napkin is way too large and overpowers the blander coloured food. Go for something small and white with maybe a stripe of colour on it. Lastly, as mentioned, your lighting needs work. More diffusion and bring the light in closer. The recommended book, 'Light, Science, Magic' is genius. When you get it. READ it! All that said, this image is head shoulders above most first-time phood photography!