Why Lighting Matters More Than Equipment in Food Photography
The general consensus was that lighting was the more important of the two and for good reason. As you can see in this video, when you understand light, you understand how to create better photos. Light is what helps to create the form, the dimension and the overall mood of your photo. With food photography, the items we take photos of are just that — food. It is up to the photographer to create a beautiful subject in order to get the best results. Lighting is what can make or break the photo. It’s what can make the food look appealing and appetizing or unappealing and flat. Even if you have the best equipment, without the best lighting, you’ll only get mediocre results. Take a look at this video by Two Loves Studio on lighting and how it affects your photos.
Noticing the light Light has a way of telling us what is appealing. If you notice how the light falls on the edges of the food or the highlights of a drink, it will give you an indication of what will work and what won’t. This is one of the reasons I love taking photos in natural light. As the light changes during the day, it will constantly give you different options. I find that working with light in this way means that I am more inclined to work with the scene rather than fighting with it. In natural light, it is rare to be able to exactly replicate the lighting from one day to the next. Noticing the light means you have to be more spontaneous and flexible with your photoshoot.
Having the ability to work in this way gives you the confidence you need to take the photo, because you are not trying to force anything. Having said that, there are some instances where you will need to force the light to do what you want. But, in general, the best photos are those where the light is working for you. Image by Unsplash user Joanna Kosinska Emotional light I also love that light has an emotional effect on us. Think of a warm light and how it makes you feel. Think of a cool light and how it makes you feel. It’s interesting because, with food photography, there are times when you want to create a warm atmosphere and times when you want to create a cool one.
Light is how you can do that. The light you choose to take your photos in will determine the mood of the photo. Equipment doesn’t do this. Equipment just helps you to take the photo. Lighting helps you to create the emotion in the photo. I think this is really important because it’s the emotional photos that are more likely to resonate with people. If you can create a photo that makes a viewer feel a certain way, you are more likely to connect with them. The beauty of working with light in this way is that you don’t need the most expensive equipment to create beautiful photos. You can still take amazing photos with your smartphone.
The trick is just to understand the light. Better equipment or better lighting? I think it is really obvious that when it comes to better equipment or better lighting, it is better lighting that will always win out. For me, it’s not even a competition. There are so many other things you can do with light to create a beautiful photo. I hope this little exercise has helped to show you why.
