Working with natural light is one of the more challenging aspects of learning food photography, but it’s also one of the most important skills to master for beautiful images. Start practicing near a window or outside to become more comfortable with the way light falls and to develop your eye for capturing it in your photos.
Daylight is often the preferred and most ideal light for food photography because it is perceived as being more natural, soft and representative of the fresh food and thus reproducing an image that is perceived as more natural and appealing. Thus, it is very important for the food photographer to be knowledgeable about daylight and its varying effects on his photography. Daylight varies throughout the day (morning and noon) and the most creative and resourceful food photographer will be able to take advantage of these different light conditions and use them to his advantage.
Lighting is where the positioning becomes important. The orientation of the natural light will significantly impact your photographs. Side light will give your rounded fruit or multi-tiered pastry a nice depth without creating strong contrasts. Backlight will provide your sliced citrus or warm drink with a lovely light halo that adds warmth to your picture. Positioning in front of a series of windows or on an overcast day outside will give you a more diffused light and a more subtle approach to the dew on your fresh herbs or crumbs on your pastry. You will develop the instincts to know where to place your subject in relation to the light.
This practice enables me to control the consistency and reliability of my photography because light varies from one day to another and from one season to the next. A golden hour shoot, be it in the morning or the late afternoon, is perfect to capture long shadows and warm tones, which work perfectly with vegetables and spices. A midday shoot, however, will make your image be overexposed in the highlights and underexposed in the shadows. Shooting during winter will give you longer soft and warm light, perfect to shoot moody images.
A must-have in your toolkit is diffusers. It is fundamental for managing direct sunlight and achieving even lighting without compromising the natural look of the scene. Use sheer fabric, a white board, or any other white object to soften the direct sun. It will provide enough detail in shiny pasta sauces and in flat grains. If you are shooting outside, try to stay in the shadow or carry a portable diffuser. It is the best way to avoid hot spots and blown-out areas in shiny cutlery and fried food with shiny glazes. Diffusion will also help in maintaining the natural color of the scene. Red tomatoes will be more intense and fresh greens will look just that — fresh and natural — and not baked in a studio. With time and practice, you will master the technique and it will free you from having to correct the lighting so that you can concentrate on telling the story.
The final benefit to using natural light for food photography is that it promotes a philosophy of minimalism and modesty. It discourages heavy handed manipulation of the food and images, and instead rewards passive observation and patience. As your skills progress, you will see the best images being made when you work in tandem with natural light, and the images being made are actively capturing and preserving moments in time. The image making process becomes a lifelong study of light, and every shoot is a step towards better images.
