Faking sunlight during food photography for restaurants in Kent

Faking sunlight during food photography for restaurants in Kent

It’s not always possible to shoot photography in the comfort and control of the studio but on location I frequently find myself faking sunlight during food photography for restaurants in Kent. It’s nice to have the natural look where you’re shooting on a large table by a nice window with soft light – but it doesn’t always work like that.

Either there’s too much light bouncing around (which make the food look flat) OR there is not enough directional light and the absence of any shadows or highlights means that again, the food looks dull.  Here’s what I mean based on a selection of food types shot on a table surrounded by 3 windows and harsh sunshine coming in. The final shots looks natural, bright and fresh .

Food photographers KentFood photographers Kent

To achieve this required (i) blocking out the sun top right with a huge diffuser panel to soften the whole set; (ii) adding a flash and softbox top left to create a backlight and highlights; (iii) a mixture of white, silver and black card to reflect or block light to fall where I wanted it. This look is similar to a larger studio setup (of lights shone through soft material and reflecting small amounts of light back into the food with a variety of cards, silver paper and mirrors). The end goal is to make it still look natural, even though it’s not.

If you’re thinking of updating your seasonal menu or are simply wanting to freshen up your website, please do get in touch. We can shoot your food pretty much anywhere!

Ref: Faking sunlight during food photography for restaurants in Kent
Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *