Light Properties Used in Food Photography
We need to talk about four main features that affect light in photography. These four basic features determine the quality of our photo. These are brightness, contrast, color and direction. These four features are shaped by the light source we use and the interventions we make with accessories such as diffusers and reflectors.
Brightness
Brightness is a measure of the intensity of light. As you move away from the light source, the brightness decreases, and as you get closer, the brightness increases. Intense light coming directly from its source causes high contrast and harsh shadows in the photograph. It is necessary to use a high shutter speed in strong light and a low shutter speed in weak light. Low intensity light creates smooth, low contrast photos.
Contrast
The difference defined in terms of light between the brightest area and the darkest area on a subject is called contrast. Contrast increases as the light source gets closer to the subject and decreases as it moves away. Contrast is high in photographs taken with direct sunlight coming from the window, but by softening the sunlight with a diffuser panel, the light is filtered and dispersed in all directions and the contrast decreases. Very high contrast is generally not preferred in food photography.
Color
It is very important that the color of the light you use in food photography is natural, that is, the closest to daylight. The human eye sees by correcting the color of all light sources, but as I mentioned before, cameras cannot always achieve this, so it is important that the kelvin value of the light produced by the light source we use is around 5000K, which is the daylight kelvin value, in order to prevent yellow or bluish tones that may occur with artificial light in the photograph. For this reason, for example, if we are shooting in daylight, as I mentioned before, make sure that there is no open artificial light source in the environment and always pay attention to the white balance of your camera.
Direction of Light
The direction of light in food photography is very important and is slightly different from traditional photography. Now let's take a look at the light directions you can use;
Lateral Light
The light coming at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the food facing us is called lateral light. It is a preferred light direction in food photography, especially for dishes and drinks with reflective surfaces such as soup, as it reveals textures, details, lines and strengthens the depth effect. It often creates dramatic and strong shadows. If we do not want a very strong shadow in our photo, the shadows created by the light source can be softened with the help of a reflector.
Backlight
This is the light position where the food is illuminated from behind. It's the ideal lighting position for most food photographers and is best suited for eye-level shots. Backlight adds texture, depth and rim light to the photo and is the type of light that illuminates certain sections and makes the background pop, highlighting the food. When supported with a reflector, you can create softer shadows and illuminate different areas.
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