Introduction: Do you have experience photographing food in a restaurant? Shooting in a designated restaurant is one of the most common tasks that food photographers encounter. The following example will share my experience of photographing food using two different lighting environments.

Use natural light to shoot

When I come to a strange restaurant, what I look forward to most is a big window (like the picture below). Such windows will provide you with the best light conditions. In this environment, window light is most suitable as the main light source.

In this shoot, I placed the food in a backlit position and used a white foam board to reflect the light on the other side. Notice the white highlight above the table coming from the window.

Window light shooting effect

Many restaurants have wooden tabletops, which have the effect of reflecting light, and large areas of window light can provide a large area of ????the picture. Reflective area. If the window area is smaller or the desktop material is different, the light effect of the picture may be different. At this time, you can adjust the food position and shooting direction to achieve the best results. Generally speaking, restaurant tabletops are reflective.

Lighting method and shooting environment display

This is the simplest shooting method. The entire micro studio is set up very quickly. If the shooting time is in the afternoon, it will not even affect the restaurant at night. of business. But this method doesn’t always work? So, let’s look at another solution.

Use artificial light for photography

Not all restaurants have oversized floor-to-ceiling windows to provide bright light. In this shooting environment, you can find that there is a wall on the left blocking the window light, and the window light on the front is relatively far away from our shooting location. This is a relatively dark corner of the restaurant, and shooting here requires the help of artificial light!

There are many types of artificial light, but I have a suggestion here: the smaller the light source, the better. Your shooting location is not in a photo studio, but in a restaurant with a relatively narrow environment. The waiters in the restaurant will move around and look around curiously. They are not familiar with photographic equipment and may cause unnecessary damage. It is very likely that they will trip over those large lighting equipment. Photography in a restaurant is always tight, so the faster you can set up the studio and shoot, the better. I usually use a Canon flash and a soft umbrella as the light source, which is very convenient without the need for an external power supply.

Please note that in the photo below, the tabletop appears in the color of dark wood, rather than the white reflected light of the light source in the previous example, because the size of the light source and my shooting angle in this photo are the same as in the previous example. It’s different. The light source is located in the upper right corner of the screen.

Artificial light shooting effect

You have to pay attention to the reflected light from the light source on the right side of the table. If you push the food into the light source, the reflected light from the table will enter the frame.

Lighting methods and shooting environment display

When shooting food in a restaurant, make sure you are prepared to face natural light and artificial light environments. A diffuser is a great light-changing tool that works for me, but it’s not the only option. No matter what tool you use, it’s best to keep it low-key and fast in the restaurant, trying not to disrupt the work of others.