Tips + Tricks
Food & Detail Shots: Light It Right
We've all been there – you cook a delicious meal at home and whip out your camera, and the resulting colors in the image are not as gorgeous as the design on your plate. Although I’m constantly learni...
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We’ve all been there – you cook a delicious meal at home and whip out your camera, and the resulting colors in the image are not as gorgeous as the design on your plate. Although I’m constantly learning how to vary and perfect my detail shots, one of the most important lessons I’ve picked up over the years is that the color of light influences the aesthetic quality of your food photography. As different types of light sources create different color shifts, my tip is to use daylight-balanced light wherever possible. This could be in the form of window light, strobe, or a speedlight.
Watch out for more excellent tips on creative and awe-inspiring food shots today on TWiT Photo at 1 p.m. PST from award-winning food and culture photojournalist, and contributor to Saveur magazine, Penny de los Santos!
Penny is a huge inspiration to me, both her attitude and her photography are things that push me every day to keep learning more and more about what I want to do.
Catherine, thank you so much for doing such a great job with TWiT Photo and having such wonderful guests on. I listen to every episode.
I always wondered about the color of light when doing food shots. Most of the food looks amazing in these shots. Most of the food on the dining room table looks amazing as well. But the color temp of dimmed light, with flickers of candle is clearly a lot more red shift than daylight. Is it 32K? Is it 28K?
Always wondered whether to correct towards a warmer palette when shooting food…?