Research - Lighting (Pt.2)

Lighting Techniques

 

Hello everybody! Welcome back to another blog post. Today I’ll be finishing up the 3-part lighting series with techniques. This includes things like side and back lighting. So, let’s get started!

 

Side Lighting

 

Side lighting happens to be very common in food photography since it is great at enhancing the textures of food and adding an overall depth to the photo. Depending on how it is placed side lighting can be used to create dramatic shadows and highlights to give life to the dish, or when using reflectors can create a lighter and softer shot.

This lighting is especially good for foods with clear/flat surfaces, dishes with lots of details such as pasta or grilled meats, as well as bread and pastries

The biggest downside to side lighting is that it can create really harsh and unpleasant shadows if it isn’t managed properly (using diffusers), when in use it will balance the shadows and create the intended look.

 

 

 

Back Lighting

Back lighting is exactly what is sounds like, a source that illuminates the subject from behind. This creates a nice glow and translucency in the food’s elements, with the shadows falling to the front of the subject.

It’s great for steaming beverages/dishes and foods that are glossy.

However, back lighting almost always need a form of a reflector to avoid underexposure and it can also cause the lens to flare if it isn’t controlled, it is definitely a lot harder to achieve a good look with it than side lighting, so it requires a bit of playing around, but when it is done right the results are amazing.

 

 

Front Lighting

There’s a little secret about front lighting that took me a while to even realize, and it’s that… it is one of the BIGGEST mistakes that amateurs make when photographing. Front lighting is just about the one technique to stay away from at all costs, it flattens the photo and removes texture from the subject and ruins the image. The best way to describe it is  like taking a photo you’re your phone with zero equipment. After learning this I looked through a bunch of professional food photography and realized just how true it really is, so this will serve as a great reminder to stay away from it.

 

 

Overhead Lighting

Overhead lighting gives a very balanced look to your image and removes a lot of shadows that other techniques would give to it, this makes it perfect for flat spreads and menu photography. It is also popular for a lot of social media dishes and big platters.

A downside is that since it gets rid of so many shadows it can make the photo appear flat and boring (kind of like what front light does to food) if it isn’t managed with reflectors, or even another light source.

 

 

Reflection

Today’s blog post did a great job at telling me the do’s and don’ts when it comes to using the various types of light techniques. I think the most appealing ones are definitely back lighting and overhead lighting, while the most doable is side lighting. I’m hoping that I will be able to utilize most of these effectively when it is time to actually start taking photos. My next entry is definitely going to be on the longer side because I will be going over audience, so stay tuned for that.

See you all on the next post!

 

 

References:

https://www.jonathanthompsonphotography.com/stories/back-lighting-food-photography/

https://foodphotographyacademy.co/blog/lighting/lighting-artificial-light-food-photography-lighting-setup/

https://www.francescosapienza.com/food-photographer-nyc-restaurant-new-york-blog/professional-food-photography-social-media-8wett-3eynl-cecjp-2dsaz-aa9lh-tg8p7-3a2bn-sw973-3e282-f9f37-leef6-j35np-en6sd-ntpj8-axwcz-3lmww-lrg8j-erb8k-c84zt-c7gwx

https://besteverbackdrops.com/blogs/news/how-food-photography-looks-with-different-types-of-lighting?srsltid=AfmBOooN0-GQj_qRYNx3dOO1gIhz-UWCvQsZ7EdM0cukVa5AKRDs2P7F