Mimicking Natural Light

[liebherr]

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!

Thank you for the tips! Yeah, this photo definitely isn't my best. That's why I picked it haha. I've been at it a few months and I'm disappointed that I still take bad photos... but I guess that's par for the course. Yes, the styling needs work as well. All the little crumbs were deliberate actually. I try to make things look slightly messy/believable, but I guess I was off the mark with this one. It's nice when it all comes together... unfortunately I'm not at the point yet I'm glad the book has another vote!

 

[fmw]

I shoot plates like that in a light tent with two lights. It mimics soft light rather than hard light like your single light does. A soft box or umbrella will soften the light and you could use a large white card as a reflector for fill. However, a light tent and a second light will certainly make life easier. Looks delicious.

 

[liebherr]

I shoot plates like that in a light tent with two lights. It mimics soft light rather than hard light like your single light does. A soft box or umbrella will soften the light and you could use a large white card as a reflector for fill. However, a light tent and a second light will certainly make life easier. Looks delicious.

Thanks Fred!! I've been wondering if a second light would make life easier. Where exactly do you position the second light? Like coming from the opposite direction?

 

[fmw]

I shoot plates like that in a light tent with two lights. It mimics soft light rather than hard light like your single light does. A soft box or umbrella will soften the light and you could use a large white card as a reflector for fill. However, a light tent and a second light will certainly make life easier. Looks delicious.

Thanks Fred!! I've been wondering if a second light would make life easier. Where exactly do you position the second light? Like coming from the opposite direction?

It would depend on whether or not you use a light tent. They aren't expensive. You can buy one a good one for $35 or even less. Then put one light on each side. The tent will eliminate most or all of the shadows. If you don't use a tent then a fill light would be opposite the main light, high and further away. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a reflector for fill. If you aren't going to implement a tent then work with a reflector of some sort to see if that helps.

Also try some shots next to a window with a reflector on the opposite side of the subject. That can work very well also.

The rules for artificial light are pretty simple. The closer the light, the softer the light. The larger the light source (soft box or umbrella) the softer the light. The further the light the less the illumination but the harder the light. Think about sunlight. You get hard shadows on a sunny day because the light source (sun) is relatively small and far away. You get soft light under overcast skies because the light source is larger and closer.

There are many books on the subject of artificial lighting.

 

[liebherr]

I shoot plates like that in a light tent with two lights. It mimics soft light rather than hard light like your single light does. A soft box or umbrella will soften the light and you could use a large white card as a reflector for fill. However, a light tent and a second light will certainly make life easier. Looks delicious.

Thanks Fred!! I've been wondering if a second light would make life easier. Where exactly do you position the second light? Like coming from the opposite direction?

It would depend on whether or not you use a light tent. They aren't expensive. You can buy one a good one for $35 or even less. Then put one light on each side. The tent will eliminate most or all of the shadows. If you don't use a tent then a fill light would be opposite the main light, high and further away. Don't underestimate the effectiveness of a reflector for fill. If you aren't going to implement a tent then work with a reflector of some sort to see if that helps.

Also try some shots next to a window with a reflector on the opposite side of the subject. That can work very well also.

The rules for artificial light are pretty simple. The closer the light, the softer the light. The larger the light source (soft box or umbrella) the softer the light. The further the light the less the illumination but the harder the light. Think about sunlight. You get hard shadows on a sunny day because the light source (sun) is relatively small and far away. You get soft light under overcast skies because the light source is larger and closer.

There are many books on the subject of artificial lighting.

Thanks, this is very helpful!