Would you consider this shot was taken in a rest room between a bathroom and a bidet in an Italian Airbnb? Let’s go behind the scenes to see precisely how I lit this shot by manipulating pure mild in meals pictures.
In case you’ve ever rented an Airbnb and also you’re a meals photographer, you’ll know there are often no props to shoot with. For me to make a good looking picture, I knew that sturdy mild needed to play a very powerful function.
Particularly utilizing pure mild, manipulating pure mild could make all of the distinction.

Manipulating Pure Gentle: Highly effective is Key
I scoured the whole Airbnb to discover the perfect mild which was really within the lavatory.
As you’ll see within the behind-the-scenes shot, now we have somewhat a daring inexperienced tile, which isn’t my go-to for pure mild meals pictures, however the mild was simply so beautiful that I’ve simply needed to play with the sunshine on this room. Manipulating pure mild in these situations was fairly a problem.

Now within the lavatory, there was a small window that had slightly little bit of frosting and it was fairly excessive. Within the shot, you possibly can see that now we have exhausting mild as a result of now we have a small mild supply. The window was fairly small and as you possibly can see from the path of the shadow, it’s fairly excessive.
This has created some actually deep shadows. In case you check out the sting, you see now we have an outlined shadow which tells us that now we have that arduous mild. By wanting on the shadow, we are able to inform it’s exhausting mild as a result of the shadow has an outlined edge.
The shadows aren’t as exhausting as having direct solar hit the scene, however that little little bit of frosting has helped us take the sting off. So the deep shadows, I feel, creates one thing fascinating in a really minimal scene.
White Bouncing Gentle Across the Body
Now, see that now we have loads of white options within the lavatory. There was a sink, there was a bidet, and there was a bathroom. Slightly bit of sunshine is bouncing round off these key items and serving to us fill a few of the body.
We’ve got a way of exhausting deep shadows however we even have loads of areas that really feel delicate as effectively. The location of the meals itself, you possibly can see on the high right-hand nook of the body that now we have the bathroom blocking a few of that mild. So now we have this shadow that’s coming by way of the body. That is one other instance of how manipulating pure mild can change the temper of the picture.
Now it’s the mix of this lighting that’s enhancing what’s vital in that picture and what do you suppose that’s? It’s the texture that now we have within the zucchini flowers. In pure mild meals pictures, texture is commonly highlighted by the best way mild and shadow interaction.

Reveal Texture in Meals
This lighting is bringing out that stunning texture that we’re seeing within the zucchini flowers.
Now, after seeing this stunning texture and being invigorated by capturing on the lavatory flooring, I made a decision to maintain attempting to find mild.

Manipulating Pure Gentle
The Airbnb had these stunning tall home windows with blockout shutters and I may see myself enjoying round with to dam mild. Now I did discover a wok that I used to be in a position to put the zucchini flowers in to create a Chiaroscuro picture.
For this shot to work, I wanted to make it possible for the sunshine was greater than the precise topic.
The wok right here is simply sitting within the little window space and I’ve the shutters closed in order that we simply are creating this actually tall strip mild. That’s going to assist us mild the highest of the topic. And permit these deep shadows to enter the bowl to create that impact. Manipulating pure mild by way of these shutters gave me the delicate shadows I wanted.

Utilizing a Wok to Create Lighting Distinction
Now the explanation the wok works is, one, as a result of it was black, two, it was giant and deep sufficient that we may maintain the topic, and three, there may be loads of mild that’s getting misplaced within the backside. So it’s exaggerating that feeling.
The standard and kind of sunshine on this shot are totally different. So now we have delicate mild right here. Within the different picture set-up, we had a small window and light-weight supply. On this one, now we have that very tall strip of sunshine.
Now, despite the fact that it appears skinny, it’s a lot bigger than what we had earlier than and our topic is way nearer to it, which is making the obvious measurement bigger. So it’s creating delicate shadows that present the feel slightly bit in another way on this picture.
Now I do keep in mind that this was an east-facing window and I used to be capturing within the afternoon. So the sunshine can also be going to be oblique, which supplies it that basically stunning delicate high quality.
Energy of Gentle
As you possibly can see behind the scenes, I used to be near the home windows.
Meaning the facility of the sunshine if we have a look at the picture, inverse sq. legislation goes to be far more highly effective than if I used to be throughout the room. In case you check out the behind-the-scenes in the remainder of the room, you possibly can see it’s fairly darkish.
We’re utilizing these block-out blinds there and probably the most highly effective spot for us to take that picture is near the sunshine.
When you’ve got stunning mild and delightful produce, you possibly can take a good looking meals picture. Pure mild meals pictures simply requires some exploration of your lighting choices. And don’t be afraid to shoot within the lavatory! Manipulating pure mild can result in surprisingly gorgeous outcomes.
To study extra about pure mild, take a look at this video.
So inform me, the place’s the craziest place you’ve taken a photograph? Let me know within the feedback beneath.
FAQs
The Inverse Sq. Legislation is a pictures precept that explains the facility of sunshine, how mild falls off and the way far it spreads inside a given distance. The fundamental concept is that mild is at its biggest energy the nearer you’re to the sunshine supply.
Chiaroscuro is a high-contrast lighting approach that achieves stark distinction between the topic with a darkish black background. This creates a really hanging picture.
Through the use of a light-coloured or reflective floor, you possibly can bounce mild from the supply again onto your pictures scene or topic. The nearer you’re to the sunshine supply, or the bigger your reflector, the extra mild you possibly can bounce.