Using a softbox

[gsgary]

Excellent contribution, gsgary! The photos are very helpful!

OP--please take note of the boom arm, its counterwight down near the end of the arm, its pivoting assembly, and the way the light is angled...this is what a boom arm allows you to achieve.

Oh, and also--notice the reflection on the LCD/back of the camera the man is reviewing his shots on!!At that ONE, specific angle of camera/subject/light, there's a big reflection on the guy's camera LCD screen...just as there was on your table's surface, with your camera at the angle it happened to be at.

It makes a change me being helpful

 

[redbourn]

You need some way to properly position the softbox "in space", like a short boom arm with a counterweight. As shown, the softbox is right at the table height, and it is creating a big, lengthy shadow that comes forward, toward the camera position. Where the main light needs to be positioned "in space" depends on the individual photo and the desired objectives. Many food shots have some highlights that are actually reflections of the front of the main light, such as the sheen on top of a bowl of soup...that sheen, that diffuse reflection from say, the front of a flat-faced softbox that has been "flown over" the set, that is what gives the liquid its visual weight in the bowl...

This is the kind of stuff that the lighting book Tirediron mentions will discuss at great length.

I am going to give you the most valuable tip I can. You need to frame up the shot you want with mock-up food, or the real food, and have an assistant literally move the light through an arc, or two, or three arcs, while you look through the camera and continuously observe WHAT the light CREATES as it is moved. There is no substitute for moving the light through an arc, and observing what the heck happens, especially for a beginner. It takes a huge base of learning and practice to previsualize a lighting scheme, but with an assistant moving the light as you observe, you will quickly be able to evaluate light placement and correlate it with the effect it has on your food and plating. I can tell that you are struggling with some basics, such as why a flat,shiny table has a reflection from the softbox face.

Again--you absolutely NEED some method to hold the softbox in a variety of positions and orientations, over the set. You need a sturdy light stand, and a boom arm and its mounting assembly. You can rig a counterweight with tape and some cans of soup or bottles of water in a bag.You do not need a 13 foot tall stand such as this one, but this is a good example of what is available at the lower end of the price ladder. Impact Multiboom Light Stand and Reflector Holder - 13' (4m)

Thanks. The softbox is on a similar stand to the reflector so I can change its height or angle. It has a stand and a boom

I put it where it is because that's where I saw it in a couple of tutorials - an example. A Simple Way To Light Your Food | Fstoppers

In the past I've either used a table cloth and if I wanted wood then I changed it in FB

I will see if I can get somebody to move the light for me.

Thank you, Michael

 

[redbourn]

Buy/borrow/steal a copy of the Lighting Bible - it will give you all the information you need, and then some.

I will check it out, thanks, Michael

 

[Dao]

Now.... I am hungry

 

[redbourn]

Now.... I am hungry

Shot in light through the window.

Can't be such a bad photo if it made you feel hungry ;-)

I'm a very good cook and thought my book would be a snap because I have the recipes, but quickly discovered the super importance of the images.

Book will have about 30 recipes but that's not its thrust. Tips Tricks & Substitutes and will be aimed at beginners.

Most recipes on the web have copy and pasted mistakes and don't include metric etc. And many imagine that people have all kinds of exotic spices and herbs.

Many people believe that they can't cook because they followed a recipe faithfully and it didn't work.

Quite likely the recipe.

Was going to learn InDesign but can have it done in Romania for around $100 bucks and may have it printed in China.

Would love to have it all done in the States but it would be cost prohibitive for me.

If the book breaks even and helps people to cook good or great meals then I will be very happy.

 

[wfooshee]

OK, we see where your light is, and where the reflector is, but where are you putting the camera? Facing the softbox? Far end of the table. Overhead looking down?

Where you're shooting from helps determine where you light from. When I first saw the setup I thought maybe you were shooting towards the softbox, looking for a white background. PLEASE say that's not the case!!!

If these show where you want the light to come from, they should be reversed, with the light overhead and the reflector behind. I think. Not sure since I don't know where the camera is meant to be.

 

[redbourn]

OK, we see where your light is, and where the reflector is, but where are you putting the camera? Facing the softbox? Far end of the table. Overhead looking down?

Where you're shooting from helps determine where you light from. When I first saw the setup I thought maybe you were shooting towards the softbox, looking for a white background. PLEASE say that's not the case!!!

If these show where you want the light to come from, they should be reversed, with the light overhead and the reflector behind. I think. Not sure since I don't know where the camera is meant to be.

Thanks for the comments.

The reflector is on the left and the softbox is on the right level with the table.

My intention was to shoot facing the softbox and pointing down at a 45° angle.

Michael