Food Photography Lighting at Home, Part 1: Natural

Light
By Robert Sansivero

If you are just getting started with food photography, you probably have some questions. I
certainly did. There are countless ways to set up a beautiful shot of a meal or enticing
ingredient. Where to start?

This three-part series will focus on how to light food for photographs. We will start with
natural light since it is the most abundant and affordable light source. Many successful food
photographers create stunning images using only natural light. Next, we will consider
continuous lights, ranging from incandescent bulbs at home to tunable LEDs. Finally, we will
take a look at the many possibilities that strobe lights can introduce to your food photos.
Want to create images like this without fancy lights? Read on to learn how.

Gear for Food Photography

If you are serious about food photography, or photography in general, then you most likely
own a camera already. Many new smart devices can work for food photography, as well. The
only requirement for the camera itself is that it can capture in manual mode. This is crucial.
You do not want the camera making decisions for you. It does not have to be a top-of-the-
line camera, but you want as much control as you can get. I will be shooting images with
a Nikon Z7, but a Nikon Z30 would work just as well here.

The lens you choose is arguably more important than your camera. There are specific lenses
that render food more aesthetically. Anything in the 50mm range or higher is a great start.
This is the preferred focal length for many food photographers. A longer lens, such as an
85mm or 105mm, will allow you to get even closer for detail shots.

If you have a tripod, use it. When relying on window light, it is difficult to maintain a fast
enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake. A sturdy tripod will virtually eliminate this risk
when shooting at slow shutter speeds. The photos in this article were made using
a Manfrotto tripod with a ball head to maximize my range of motion. A geared head can also
be used to make precise adjustments.

A tripod is essential when working with natural light. A ball head will allow the most flexibility
when framing your shot.
Choosing your ISO and Shutter Speed
Generally, I like to start with my ISO as low as possible and base the rest of my decisions
around that setting. A low ISO means your images will show less digital noise. However, the
tradeoff is you now need either a great deal of light or a very shallow (wider) aperture.
However, it is okay to start with a higher ISO if your natural light source does not provide
enough intensity to get your image lit the way you want it. If your camera is on a tripod, then
you can keep your ISO and shutter speed low. On a tripod, a shutter speed of 1/50-second is
no different than a shutter of 1/200-second except that it allows light through your lens for a
longer duration.

Setting the Table

Food may be the main subject for your photo, but do not overlook everything else in your
image. I chose an old piece of wood as my stage and added a few weathered cooking
utensils from an antique store to give my composition a little more visual interest. These
offered valuable contrast to my subjects: fresh vine tomatoes.

Antique stores and lumber yards are great places to search for props.

Working with Natural Light

Search your home for the window with the best light. Knowing where the sun is in the sky
helps. Does your space get more light from southern exposure? Go find a south-facing
window. You will want to find the most abundant source you can. It is always preferable to
have to block bright light than have to add more light. If you are shooting with only natural
light and you do not have enough of it, you will end up having to make compromises that will
show in your final image.

Keep in mind that an ill-timed cloud might roll in just as you are about to snap your first photo
after an hour of setting up. You make changes to accommodate the loss in light, then that
pesky cloud moves on and you’re back to your original light.
The temperature of natural light changes throughout the day, as well. Keep your white
balance set to a constant Kelvin temperature, such as 5600K. This is the temperature of
direct daylight. Adding a cloud to the situation will increase this temperature, but keep your
camera fixed at 5600K. It will be easy in post to correct for this. Use a gray card to provide a
frame of reference for when you edit your images. You do not want to end up with a slew of
images that have different temperature settings.

Find the brightest window available before setting up.

Once you have decided on your window, you have to position that light to best flatter your
subject. Directionality is important. Food tends to look its best when lit from the side or from
the rear. This is what gives it its depth and contrast. Lighting food from the front can make it
look less appetizing, since it now lacks dimension and looks flat. You want to create a sense
of drama in the image. Lighting with a single source is also good practice, since it will
instantly create contrast.

Another important factor to consider with your window source is how hard or soft the light is.
This comes down to personal preference. If you are going for a more dramatic look, then the
light can be a little harder. This just means it is a more direct source, with harder edges and
deeper shadows. If you placed a thin white layer of diffusion over the window, such as a
curtain or a sheet, the light will be diffused and create softer shadows with less defined
edges. The light will wrap around your subjects more. Play around with different levels of
diffusion until you like what you are seeing. I happen to be shooting on a cloudy day, so the
light coming into my window is already very diffused. No need to place anything in front of
the window to soften the light.
Final Touches
The light in this image is coming from the side and creating a nice highlight on the rounded
surface of the tomato. You do not want your shadows to be too deep, so a reflector in this
case will help open up those shadows and give a better contrast ratio. If you do not have a
reflector, a simple white foam board will do the trick. I have dozens of these in all shapes and
sizes that I use when I need to bounce existing light around a subject a little more. V-Flat
World makes an assortment of tabletop sizes that can be used for the desired effect. You are
going to get a clean color bounce from a pure white surface. In a pinch, you can use a foam
board, as I did here.

Fill light can be bounced from any white or neutral surface.

I am shooting down slightly at the setting on a 70mm lens to help hide the background a little
bit. I started with a base ISO of 200 to give myself a little extra latitude. I did not want the
focus to be too narrow, so I chose an f/stop of f/5. Lastly, I adjusted my shutter speed
accordingly to match my other settings and ended up at 1/30-second. Since I am on a tripod
and this is technically a still life, it does not matter too much.
Use vegetable glycerin to help your water droplets stick to fruits and vegetables.

With a single source of light, we have a dramatic image that entices the viewer to take a bite
of a fresh tomato. If you have a lens with macro capabilities, you can keep your setup the
same and move in closer. At 105mm, I can get nice sharp water drops on the edge of the
tomato. If you have a spritz bottle, fill it with a little water and mist the surface. The water
makes the fruit look fresher and more appealing. Add a small amount of vegetable glycerin to
the water to help it stick to the surface and bead up. For these images, my f/stop changes to
f/7 to give me deeper depth of field, and my shutter speed drops to 1/13-second to
compensate.
Our final product

By utilizing these simple techniques, you can begin producing dramatic images of ingredients
and food. Try swapping out a different item. If you have a darker food item, then try using a
lighter color surface. Play around with composition so the subject looks as enticing as
possible. In the next installment, we are going to get away from the window and utilize
artificial continuous light sources.