Buyer: Taylor Mathis Transaction ID: j-o07516cb0c photographing. food WINDOW. issue 1

Transcription

1 photographing food WINDOW l i g h t i n g issue 1

2 Window Lighting In This Issue 13 The Tungsten Studio The Picture Frame Diffuser An inexpensive, small, and portable diffuser that fits on your counter The Big Stack An introduction to the tungsten countertop studio and shooting pancakes A Bloody and Blocking Controlling where your light falls with a bunch of Bloody Marys Directing your Lighting A closer look at changing your ligh t s direction. A Doughnut 2 Ways 2 different looks on one subject Introduction 3 Light Makes Shadows An introduction to the Window Light Set-up The Daylight Studio Light & Onions An exploration of hard and soft light. Light & Carrots Digging deeper and further understanding quality of light. The Table Top Reflector Portable, lightweight, and perfect for the shooter without a free hand. White on White Understanding why what you and your camera see are different. Shaded Window Light Exploring reflective surfaces and qulaity of light. Backlighting Beer Executing a theme and trying a new lighting style Photographing Food is written and shot by Taylor Mathis. Taylor is a food and lifestyle photographer based in Charlotte, NC. He blogs about food and food photography on Taylor Takes a Taste and is the owner of Taylor Mathis Photography. Any questions, comments and concerns can be sent to contact@photographingfood.com 29

3 The window on the right is our key light. Notice how the shadow falls on the left side of the orange. With a one light set up, the shadows will always appear on the opposite side of the key light. Light Makes Shadows Understanding and learning how to control these shadows is the goal. behind the subject. These shadows can be very harsh. To lighten them up, you can use a reflector to reflect light back onto the subject and fill in the shadows. This will lower the contrast of your image. You don t need anything fancy; a piece of white foam board is perfect. Experiment with the distance between the reflector and the subject. The closer the reflector is, the more fill and the lighter the shadows will be. The amount of fill you add is up to you. Move the reflector closer or farther from the subject until you find the right amount of fill for your image. Every example in this volume will have different shadows. Look closely at how they behave in different situations and with different subjects. The lighting examples in this issue are all done with what I call a window light set up. You don t always have to use a window. It can be an open garage door or an artificial light source. In a window light set there will be only one light source called the key light. This key light will come from only one direction and the light source will be perpendicular to your set. This set up will always create one set of shadows that fall opposite the lit side of your subject. If your light is on the left then your shadows will fall on the right. If the light is on the right, your shadows will fall on the left. If the light is behind the subject you will see shadows in front of the subject. And if the light source is in front of the subject? You guessed it, the shadows will fall Notice how the left side of the orange has a shadow on it. With no fill card, this shadow is prominent and dark. This orange has a reflector placed close to it. The white foam board reflects light back in and fills in the shadows. Notice how there is less contrast than with no fill. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3

4 The Daylight Studio Opening your garage door creates a beautiful daylight studio. Y ou don t need expensive lighting gear to take beautiful pictures of your food. Using the power of the sun, you can create captivating and mouthwatering images. A daylight studio can be created in a variety of locations. Your daylight studio should have light coming in from one direction. A window in your kitchen, living room, or bedroom are great options. Look for a window that has an unobstructed view and lets plenty of light in. Ideally, you would want a north or south facing window, but any window light can work. The quality of light will depend on the time of year and time of day, where you are in the world, the direction that your window faces, and the weather. The light available to you will change throughout the day, so experiment and try different windows at different times of the day. If you don t have a window available to you, don t worry. Try your garage! When a garage door is open, a large directional light source has been created. This directional light is perfect for an instant studio. The large area of a garage will give you plenty of room in which to work. In the following examples, I will demonstrate how to take beautiful pictures using a daylight studio. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 4

5 HARD Light & Onions Harsh shadows, edges, specular quality, over exposed hilights, not appetizing Not all light is the same. Some light will have a hard quality to it while other light will have a softer quality. You can determine the quality of the light by looking at the shadows cast by your subject. If the shadows have sharp defined edges, then you are dealing with a hard light source. As you can see from the pictures, this direct sunlight entering the garage creates hard shadows, blown out highlights, and an unappetizing look to the food. When dealing with foods, glassware, or other props that have a reflective quality to them, hard light will leave you with small specular highlights that can blow out very quickly. With a blown out highlight, the camera records the highlight as pure white with no information. These blown out highlights can cause problems with exposing the image properly especially in images with a large tonal range. If a hard light source is causing your food to look unappetizing, you need to change it! Don t worry, this is easy and inexpensive to do. Flip the page to find out how. When shooting with daylight, use the daylight white balance mode. Notice the blown out highlights and harsh shadows on the onions. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 5

6 soft Light & Onions Soft shadow edges, diffused quality, controlled hilights, beautiful food A soft light source will make your dishes look delicious! Soft undefined shadow edges are a sign that you are working with a soft light source. On an overcast day, the sun shining through the clouds will create a soft diffused light source. If there are no clouds in the sky, you can make diffused light by placing diffusion material between your subject and light source. This will create a nice soft diffused light source. On the next page, you will see what the onions look like with a white bed sheet used as a diffuser. Find your diffusion material I like using a thin white 1 bed sheet as diffusion material. Experiment with different materials such as wax paper, parchment paper, or other white translucent fabrics. Any white and translucent material will work. To avoid adding a colorcast to your subject, only use white diffusion material. Hang your diffusion material 2 Raise the garage door. Attach the diffusion material to the bottom of the garage door using A clamps. If photographing next to window, attach the fabric to a curtain rod or tape over the window. Make any Adjustments 3 Take a step back and see that your material is covering your set evenly. As you work, the sun will move across the sky and may fall outside of your diffusion area. Make any adjustments necessary to ensure that your set is covered evenly. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 6

7 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 1600 Aperture: f/5 Shutter Speed: 1/1600 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 7

8 When working in a daylight studio the quality of light will change throughout the day. As I have mentioned before, there are factors like time of year, weather, direction that your window faces, and time of day that will effect the quality of your light. In this example, I am using the same garage door and set up as in the Hard Light & Onions example. The difference is that it is now later in the day and the sun has changed positions in the sky. As the sun moves across the sky, from east to west, it will change the quality of light that comes through your window or garage door. In the Hard Light & Onions example, the photos were taken around 1:30 in the afternoon. At this time of day, the sun was at an angle that allowed for hard light to shine through the garage door. I didn t like the look of this hard light, so I used a diffusion material to diffuse the light. It is now later in the day, and the sun has now started to go behind the roof the house. This angle and obstruction by the house provides a semi-hard quality to the light. The time of day will effect the quality of your light. Experiment with different times to find what works best. On the next page, you will find the final version of the image. Notice how the shadow line on the left is hard and defined, but not as hard and defined as in the onion example. Also, take note of the highlights on the carrots. They are bright, but not blown out like the onions. Semi-Hard Light & Carrots photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 8

9 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 2000 Aperture: f/9 Shutter Speed: 1/250 second Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 9

10 This Tabletop reflector reflects light back onto the subject, filling in the shadows. Super Soft light & Carrots A large diffusion source close to the subject creates beautiful soft light. In this example, I am using the same semi-hard light source, but have added a diffuser to it. Using the same large bed sheet from the Soft Light & Onions example, I have created a softer look for the carrots. The sun shining through the sheet illuminates it and makes it a new light source. The larger and closer this diffused light source is to the subject, the softer the light will be. You may notice that I have placed a Tabletop Reflector on the left side of the subject. This reflector will not be in the image. The reflector will reflect light back onto the set filling in the shadows and reducing the intensity of the shadow that falls on the left side of the bowl. If you are looking for a light and soft feel to your image, using a large diffused light source, reflector for fill, and a light colored background will help in achieving this. On the next page, you will find the final image. Notice how the shadow on the left side of the bowl is subtle and less defined than the shadow in the semi hard light example. Also, take note of the difference in the intensity and length of the highlights on the carrots. Reflective surfaces reflect what they see. When a large white diffusion panel is placed close to them they will see this source and leave a long white highlight. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 0

11 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 2500 Aperture: f/9 Shutter Speed: 1/60 second Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 1

12 The Tabletop 1 Reflector Simple to make and perfect for the shooter without a free hand. The Tabletop Reflector s V shape allows it to stand up by itself 1 while reflecting light back onto your subject. This makes it perfect for when you have to shoot by yourself and don t have a free hand. Its small collapsible size makes it a great travel companion. To make this reflector you will need 2 equal sized pieces of white foam board and duct tape. The pieces of foam board can be 2 any size that you like. If you are traveling, size your reflector to fit in your camera bag. Make sure the two pieces are the SAME size. Line up two of the edges. Trim a piece of duct tape to the 3 length of the two edges. Hold the edges together with one hand. With your other hand, lay the duct tape along the top of the edges. Run your fingers along the tape and the edges to ensure they are stuck together. 4 Fold down the edges of the tape onto the outside of the foam board. Plan on traveling with your reflector? Cover the outside and corners of the foam board in duct tape. This will increase the reflector s durability Trim off any tape that may be hanging over the edges and your reflector is complete! Stand it up on a table and open it into a V shape. Placing this reflector on the shadow side of your subject will reflect light back in and fill in the shadows. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 2

13 Correct Exposure with White on White 1 What you see and what your camera sees can be different. Are you using the correct exposure given to you by your camera? Have you ever noticed that the whites in your images don t turn out white? If you are having this issue, you are not alone. To illustrate the white on white, I am using a white set, white props, and a white subject. Here is how to solve the problem. 1 The base of my set is a white folding table. The background is a sheet of white panel board I found at the hardware store I attached the background to a light stand using an A clamp. There was hard light coming 3 through the garage door. Notice the harsh shadow on the opposite side of the cup. This is not the quality of light that I want for my image. 4 To diffuse the light, I used 4 the same diffusion method as the Soft Light & Onions example. I hung a bed sheet on the bottom of the garage door. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 3

14 After stacking my white doughnuts on a white plate, I am ready to shoot. Everything in my scene is white, and I want my image to be a bright and vibrant white. I set my camera to the correct and normal exposure. Click. The result is the picture that you see in square 1. The whites aren t white. They are grey. If you have ever taken a picture in the snow, I am sure you have encountered this same issue. When a scene is filled with white, the camera s metering system will read the scene as grey and will think that grey is the correct exposure. To fix this, you will have to increase the exposure. You can increase your exposure by increasing the ISO, shooting at a wider aperture, or a slower shutter speed. In the images below, I increased the shutter speed in 1/3 stop increments until I began to blow out my highlights. The red indicates blown out highlights. When shooting white on white, you want to preserve all the detail in your subject. Blowing out your highlights loses that detail. For my camera, +2 2/3 from the normal camera exposure is the correct exposure for this image. The picture is a bright white and the highlights aren t blow out. On the next page is a larger version of the image. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 4

15 Camera Settings ISO: 800 Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/50 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro Final Shot photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 5

16 Shaded Window Light Let s move from the garage to an indoor set up. This set up uses a sliding glass door as the key light. Many of you may be shooting in a similar situation. This window faces east. Look at the top image of the scene outside. Do you see the shadow line outside of the house? Notice how the sun is brightly shining on the fence and not on the stone patio. If it was earlier in the day, the sun would be shining directly through the window. In this shot, the sun has already passed over the house and the window is now in the shade. This shaded light is softer than the direct sunlight you would find earlier in the day. If you have a window like this, try shooting at different times of the day to find when the light is best for you. Look at the two images below. Notice how one has diffusion material and the other doesn t have any. Do you see how the reflective slate background acts differently in each shot? On the next page we will further explore these differences. NO Diffusion Diffusion photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 6

17 Reflective surfaces reflect what they see. In this image the slate background and the martini glass are both reflective surfaces. They will behave differently in diffused light and non-diffused light. Under diffused light they will see the solid white sheet. In the non-diffused light they will see the glass window. Can you see the differences in the highlights on the glass? Which do you prefer? This is the same slate background. Can you see the differences? Which do you prefer? Diffusion No Diffusion photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 7

18 Final Shot The one I prefer Camera Settings ISO: 1000 Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter Speed: 1/80 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 8

19 Backlighting Beer A backlighting set up: Notice how the light is behind the subject. You have seen photos with the key light placed on the side. Let s try something different. Place the light behind the subject. Backlighting your set will cause shadows to fall in front of the subject and the back of the set to be brighter than the front. When shooting liquids, backlighting allows light to shine through and illuminate the subject. Decide on a Theme and Execute a message With every shot there are dozens of themes that will each convey a different message. The clearer your message, the more successful your image will be. I want to set a scene that you would see in a bar. I have scattered the peanuts to show that some were dropped while grapping a hand full. For the beer, I want it to be bright, almost glowing. Instead of a full head of foam on top, I want to show the legs of the foam that stick to the glass as you are drinking. To make these legs you pour part of the beer in and then use a spoon to remove the foam. When shooting beer, a room temperature beer will produce more foam than an ice cold one. If you are trying to achieve an icy frosted glass look, use dulling spray to give the glass a frosted look. Storing the glass in the freezer and then pouring a warm beer will not work. For this shot, I didn t want an icy glass look, so I used a clean beer glass. When selecting a glass remember to use one that works with your theme. Beer wouldn t be served in a martini glass. Pour the beer until it is about 1/3 of the way full. There will be a thick head of foam on top. Let the foam settle. Using a spoon scoop out the foam and place it into a bowl. Scoop, pulling the foam up the side of the glass. This will leave legs behind. Leave legs on both sides of the glass. Set your exposure. Increase the exposure from what the camera says is normal. Choose an exposure that gives the beer a bright glowing look, but doesn t blow out any highlights. Notice that with our backlighting set up the shadows fall in front of our subject and the beer has a nice glowing look. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 1 9

20 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 1600 Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/50 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 0

21 The Tungsten Studio D o you work during the ideal daylight shooting hours? Do short winter days hurt your shooting time? Do you have a house full of children and the only time that you can take pictures is at night? Do you live in a small apartment with poor window light? If you answered yes to any of these questions then I have the solution for you. This tungsten counter top studio will allow you to shoot at night. Its compact size is perfect for the smallest of shooting spaces. Its inexpensive pieces make it perfect for all budgets. The tungsten counter top studio system centers around a 500 watt tungsten work light. You can find these lights at your local hardware store for around $6-12. They are easy to assemble and bright enough to light your whole counter. A word of caution. THIS LIGHT GETS VERY HOT. You should never leave it on unattended and keep out of the reach of children. There is no on or off switch. Plugging it into a power strip that has an on and off switch will give you the ability to turn the light on or off. Again, THE LIGHT GETS VERY HOT, do not leave it on for extended periods of time. I arrange my set with the light off and turn it on only when I am actively shooting. If you keep these practices in mind, you will find no problem creating beautiful images at night. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 1

22 The Picture Frame Diffuser An inexpensive, small, and portable diffuser The second piece to the tungsten counter top studio is the diffuser. This diffuser can be made from items that you probably have around your house. It is small, lightweight, and can quickly fold up for storage. With this diffuser you are able to create a window for the light to shine through. 1 All you need is a picture frame, 1 Velcro, a white undershirt (that you can cut up), and black foam board. The size of the picture frame will dictate the size of the window that you create. For this example I used an 11x14 frame that was made out of plastic. You can use whatever frame you like as long as Velcro can adhere to it. Place 10 pieces of rough Velcro 2 on the frame. Place one in each corner of the frame s face and two in the middle on the face of the 14 inch sides. Place the remaining four pieces on the corners on the edge of the 11 inch sides. For the diffusion material, use a 3 thin white fabric with the ability to stretch tight when pulled across the frame. A white undershirt will work perfectly! Cut the fabric to the size of your frame. Place the soft Velcro pieces on the corners and middle of the shirt so that they will line up with the rough Velcro on your frame s face. For the frame to stand up, you 4 will need two rectangles that are the height of the frame. Measure and cut a piece of foam board so it is the size of your picture frame (11x14) and cut this piece in half creating two rectangles that are 11 inches high. Place two soft pieces of Velcro on each rectangle so that the line up with the rough Velcro on the frame photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 2

23 To assemble your diffuser 5 pick up the shirt and attach the soft Velcro to the rough Velcro on the face of the frame. 7 Attach one of the foam board sides. 9 Stand the frame up. If it is lopsided make an adjustment to the side boards. The frame should stand up by itself. Pull the shirt to cover the edges 6 of the frame. Aim for a tight flat surface when the fabric is attached. Adjust the fabric size if needed. 8 Attach the second foam side. 10 Your frame is ready to be lit! Flip to the next page to see the difference this diffuser makes. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 3

24 green landscape the way to go Bare Light The 500 watt work lamp packs a very bright light in a small package. Remember that this light will heat up while you are using it. Without any diffusion, the light is a very hard light source casting hard shadow edges. Look at the shadow cast by the orange cup. See how it is hard and defined? This is similar to the quality of light seen in the Hard Light & Onions example. For a softer more pleasing light, place the picture frame diffuser in front of the light. Diffused Light With the picture frame diffuser placed in front of the light you can see a distinct difference. Look at the shadow cast by the cup. Notice how the shadow is softer and less defined. This diffuser will cast a beautiful, soft light over our set. In the next few examples, I will show you how you can use this lighting set up to create beautiful images when natural light is unavailable. When using the diffuser, remember not to place it too close to the light and to use the work light only when shooting. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 4

25 The countertop lighting set easily fits on your kitchen counter. I am using a painted board as a background. The Big Stack In this example, I will walk through using the tungsten counter top studio to shoot a stack of pancakes. When using this lighting set up for the first time, you will need to adjust your camera s white balance setting. In past examples, we have been shooting with daylight and your camera s daylight white balance mode or auto balance mode will work fine. When working with a 500 Watt work lamp as a lighting source adjustments need to be made. The countertop lighting set easily fits on your kitchen counter. I am using a painted board as a background. No lighting Daylight Balance Tungsten Balance This first image is what the plate looks like with an auto white balance and no lighting at all. This was shot only using the overhead lighting that was in the kitchen. Notice how it is flat, directionless, and unappealing. This image is of the plate with the work lamp turned on. Notice the difference this makes. The ridge on the plate is defined and overall looks more visually appealing. There is one problem though. It is orange! This is what happens when shooting a tungsten light source in the daylight white balance mode. If using the auto white balance mode you will see some orange tint, but not this severe. The solution is to change the white balance mode in your camera to Tungsten. This is the same image as before, but with the camera s white balance mode changed to tungsten. When using a tungsten light, you must shoot in the tungsten white balance mode. Notice how the white plate is now a vibrant white! When you go back to shooting something in daylight, don t forget to change back to the daylight white balance setting. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 5

26 Placed on a counter top, the picture frame diffuser and work light make a workable studio in even the smallest of living spaces. If you live in a dorm room, small apartment, or anywhere else with limited shooting space, don t worry. Using the tungsten counter top studio, you can quickly create a studio on your counter top. Above is the lighting set up for the pancake stack shot. The light is situated on the left side with a reflector on the right. Here are a few tips for styling your pancakes. Take your time when cooking your pancakes. Use a measuring scoop and cook them one at a time to ensure they are similar sizes and browned to your liking. Stack Once your pancakes are 1 cooked, choose the most visually appealing ones. Save the one with the best browning and most ideal shape for the top. Carefully stack them one on top of the other until your stack is at your desired height. Choose the most circular edges to face the camera. Adjust Make any adjustments that 2 you need to. Turn any edges that you want and ensure that your stack is not leaning. While adjusting, look at the stack from the same eye level and perspective that the camera will shoot from. Check the final arrangement through the camera. Garnish Once you ve arranged 3 the pancakes, add the garnish. Using a spoon, I place the pecan garnish on top of the stack and let them tumble over the edges. Look through your camera to make sure that your arrangements will show up in the shot. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 6

27 1,2,3... POur Your lighting, exposure, and pancakes are all set up. The final step is the syrup pour! When you think about pancakes, you know they aren t complete without a pool of syrup cascading down the sides. After all, why would you stack them if you didn t want the syrup to run down the sides? When pouring the syrup, you have one chance to get the shot right. To ensure that you capture that perfect pour, use a tripod and a remote. With one hand hold the remote; Pour the syrup and with the other hand. Click away and capture as many pictures as you need to get the shot. When shooting multiple pictures, your focus can shift between shots. When the lens is on autofocus, it will refocus with each shot. Moving the syrup around could cause the lens to change change its focus after each shot. To ensure that your pancakes remain in focus, switch your lens to manual focus. This will prevent it from refocusing while shooting. With the lens in manual focus, focus on the front of the pancakes. Your focus will not readjust while shooting. Below are the 12 shots I took while pouring the syrup. On the next page is the final shot. Consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 7

28 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 640 Aperture: f/4.5 Shutter Speed: 1/160 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 8

29 A Bloody and Blocking With black foam board, you can control where light falls on your set. This allows you to draw the eye to one part of the set. Above is a picture of a set being lit by a 500 watt work light behind the picture frame diffuser. The light is on the left hand side causing the shadows to fall on the right side of the glass. Notice how the light covers the majority of the set. The light s range begins to fall off and darken in the back left corner. The bottom picture shows what the final framing of the image will be. No Blocking Above is the same set as the image to the left, but this time with a piece of black foamboard placed in front of the picture frame diffuser. Look what happens to the light over the set. Do you see how the back half of the set is darker than before? Blocking the light with foam board prevents light from directly falling on parts of the set. Below is what the lighting will look like in the image. Blocking photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 2 9

30 With the lighting set up, it is time to style the set. I am 1 going for a crowded, dark, and moody Bloody Mary Bar. Blocking the light in the back of the shot will draw attention to the Bloody Mary in the center and help create the dark and moody scene. Play around with different props. Try adding different numbers of glasses. Turn on the light and 2 see what it looks like lit. Remember to look through the camera and make any adjustments to the position of items. Salt the rims of each glass. 3 Run a lime around the rim of the glass then twist glass rim on a plate of salt. Carefully add ice. 4 Add beer (Bloody Maria) or vodka/water (bloody Mary). Carefully pour the Bloody Mary mix. Stir. Add garnishes and make any 5 last adjustments that you need to make. Style from the angle that your camera will be capturing the image. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 0

31 Final Shot Camera Settings ISO: 640 Aperture: f/9 Shutter Speed: 1/30 second Lens: Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 1

32 Directing your LIghting Need a new look to your images? Try a new direction with you lighting. You can place the light anywhere around the subject, but there are four main directions to light from. Front lighting, back lighting, left side and right side light lighting are the four basic directions. Below are examples of each. Look at how the look of a set can change when the direction of the lighting is changed. Front LIghting In this type of lighting, the light is placed infront of the subject. Notice how the background is darker than the foreground. Shooting with this type of lighting set-up can leave your images looking flat. Back Lighting This is one of my favorite lighting set-ups. The light is placed behind the subject with a fill card in the front. Notice how the shadows fall in front of the subject. Right Side Lighting In this set-up, the light is placed on the right of the set and the shadows fall on the left. The reflector is on the left side to fill light back into the set. Notice how the set is brighter on the right side and light falls off towards the left side. Left Side Lighting This is the same as the right set-up, but with the shadow and light on different sides. The light on the left causes shadows to fall on the right. The reflector is on the right side to fill light back into the set. Notice how the set is brighter on the left side and light falls off towards the right side. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 2

33 Back Lighting Here are the same wings with backlighting and a different camera angle. The light is not directly behind the wings but slightly askew. Notice how the light reflects off the wet sauce and the shadows fall in front of the wings. In the next image I will move the light farther to the left. Camera Settings ISO: 4000 Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/160 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 3

34 Back Left Lighting While there are four main directions from which you can light, there are an infinite number in between. Here is what the image looks like when the light is moved more to the left. It is now between left side and back lighting. Notice how the shadows fall differently in this setup. Camera Settings ISO: 4000 Aperture: f/7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/160 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 4

35 A Doughnut 2 ways 2 camera angles, 2 lighting directions, 1 subject As you have seen throughout this issue, there are a variety of ways to light your subject. I encourage you to try all of these methods and experiment to figure out what lighting best fits your photographic style. If you like harder, edgier, images then hard light may be what you gravitate to. If you like soft inviting images then super soft diffused lighting may intrigue you. When shooting, don t forget to experiment and try new things by changing your direction and camera angle. Below are two images of the same doughnuts with the two different lighting patterns. 1 In this shot of the doughnuts, I am using left side lighting with the 500 watt lamp and picture frame diffuser. The soft light created by the diffuser spills over the set. On the right side is a large piece of white foam board. The foam board reflects the light back onto the set filling in the shadows. This nice even lighting is great for highlighting the number of doughnuts in the image. 2 In this second shot of the doughnuts, I have moved the light behind. This backlighting leaves a brighter background with a darker foreground. Notice how the shadows fall in front of the doughnuts. Notice how changing the camera angle reveals more of the doughnut s shape. This soft backlighting casts a soft and flattering light over the doughnuts. This image has a foam board reflector filling light back in. If you are looking for more contrast, you can remove the reflector. photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 5

36 Final Shot 1 Camera Settings ISO: 2500 Aperture: f/10 Shutter Speed: 1/200 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 6

37 Final Shot 2 Camera Settings ISO: 640 Aperture: f/3.5 Shutter Speed: 1/200 second Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8l IS USM Macro photographing FOOD Issue 1 Window Light 3 7