Let’s talk about artificial lights for food photography! I’ve been so excited about this post, because switching from natural light to artificial light was a huge game-changer for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love natural light. But, artificial light is all about having full control over your lighting. The more control you have, the more creative you can get with your images at any time of day and in any location. Let’s dive into three different artificial lights to consider for food photography.

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Artificial Lights for Food Photography

GETTING STARTED WITH ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

Like most food photographers, I started off shooting with natural light and became very comfortable with it. In fact, I am not a very technical person at all and the thought of learning artificial lighting was intimidating to me in the beginning. Maybe you can relate to this?

After I booked a shoot with a restaurant that was located in a BASEMENT with NO WINDOWS (gasp!), I was faced with the reality of needing to learn artificial light. After a slight meltdown, I decided to buy an online class through CreativeLive and bought my first speed light.

Much to my surprise, setting up the light wasn’t complicated at all and it was actually FUN to start manipulating the lighting to do whatever I wanted. Discovering that my images could still look like they were shot in natural light was also very exciting for me. I wish I had switched much earlier, because having this kind of control over my lighting has really boosted my confidence as a food photographer.

Check out this OLD behind the scenes pic from that basement shoot back from 2014!

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Read More About: My Current Gear for Food Photography

Artificial Light Myths

MYTH 1: ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING IS TOO COMPLICATED.

It’s really not. There’s just a little extra setup involved. No matter what light(s) you get, there are four things that you’ll learn how to do which will come naturally after the first couple times you set them up.

1. Setting up your light(s).
2. Getting your camera and lights to communicate together using a sync cable or wireless trigger.
3. Setting your camera’s shutter speed for the correct sync speed.
4. Adjust the position and power of the light(s) so you’re lighting the food the way you want.

MYTH 2: MY IMAGES WON’T LOOK NATURAL.

With artificial lighting, you can create any type of light you want, including a natural look. Your camera settings, light modifiers and the placement of the light(s) will help you achieve the mood you’re going for.

Can you tell which tomato image below was shot with natural light vs. artificial light?

Tips for Using Artificial Lights in Photography

1. USE LIGHT MODIFIERS

Light modifiers are soft boxes, umbrellas, diffusion papers and grids. Having a variety to work with will allow you to manipulate and shape the lighting style that you want.

2. ADJUST THE POSITION OF YOUR LIGHT

Think of your light as your window. You can move your light anywhere you need it to be, whereas with natural light, you can’t move your window.

3. USE A WIRELESS TRIGGER OR POCKET WIZARDS

My first speed light didn’t have wireless capabilities, but my strobe lights do and it’s so nice not to be limited by a sync cable. I highly recommend making sure your lights can work with a wireless trigger such as pocket wizards so you can move your lights around more easily.

4. SPEED LIGHTS & CAMERA MODELS

Certain speed lights don’t always work with certain types of camera models. If you’re considering a speed light, make sure it’s compatible with your camera model. The product description will have this information and you can always reach out to customer service to be sure.

5. CHECK THE CRI OF THE LIGHT

CRI stands for color rendering index. A good strobe or continuous light will have a CRI that is greater than 90. So the higher the CRI, the better the color rendering ability. This varies per light and is listed in the product description.

6. CHECK THE RECYCLE TIME

Recycle time is important when considering a speed light or strobe. Recycle time basically means how much time the light needs to reboot before it can fire the flash at full power again. This varies per light and is listed in the product description. You don’t need to worry about recycle time with a continuous light since those types of lights do not flash.

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Three Types of Artificial Lights for Food Photography

There are a variety of lights to choose from and I remember feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out what to get. I’m listing three different light recommendations for you to consider to help you navigate the world of artificial lighting. In addition, you can use my recommendations and do some light comparisons online to figure out what light(s) will be best for you, your space and your budget. This post is going to review using the following lights:

• SPEED LIGHTS
• CONTINUOUS LIGHTS
• STROBES

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Artificial Lighting: Speed Lights

A speed light is a great place to start before diving into strobes, especially if you’re new to artificial lighting. Speed lights are a more affordable setup and smaller in size, which makes them great for smaller spaces. They can also be pretty powerful little lights. CreativeLive offers a great online class about speed lights.

I’m sharing my first speed light kit in this example, but I highly recommend getting a speed light that can work with a wireless trigger. My first speed light required a sync cable and could not work wirelessly. This was fine to start with, but it can be limiting if you want more flexibility with moving around.

SPEED LIGHTS: THE SETUP

I setup my tripod and camera at an angle using my 105mm 2.8 lens. My speed light is positioned closely behind the glasses for a strong backlit look using a 16″ soft box. I had to use a sync cable with this speed light that connects from the light to my camera. The power of the light is set at 1/2 power (almost the strongest power setting for this speed light).

CAMERA SETTINGS

My camera settings for this demonstration were: 1/200; f10; ISO 160.

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SPEED LIGHTS: EQUIPMENT

PICTURED:

• Promaster speedlight for Nikon (no wireless capabilities)
• Promaster Light Stand
• Mounting Bracket
• Softbox 16″ (includes a mounting bracket)

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

• Godox V860II-N with Trigger for Nikon (wireless capabilities)
• Octogon Softbox 32″
• Softbox and Mounting Bracket Bundle

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Check out the final image shot with one speed light.

Artificial Lighting: Continuous Lights

Continuous lights don’t flash, because they are constantly on. This allows you to see how the light is hitting your subject in real-time and you can adjust the power as needed. Because they don’t flash, you don’t need sync cables or wireless triggers to make these lights work with your camera. These lights are used to shoot both stills and video, so if video is on your radar, this is definitely something to keep in mind. In addition, these lights are bigger than speed lights and require different mounts for larger modifiers. They can also be more of an investment.

CONTINUOUS LIGHTS: THE SETUP

I setup my camera on my overhead setup. I started the shoot using my 35mm 1.4 (which is pictured), but ended up switching to my 105mm 2.8 lens for a closer view of the details of the squid.

My continuous light is positioned to the left of the image with the bulb exposed rather than shooting through a soft box. I did this so I would get more power from the light and used a translucent diffusor to keep the light soft. The power of the light was set at 75%.

CAMERA SETTINGS

My camera settings were: 1/13; f14; ISO 200.

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CONTINUOUS LIGHTS: EQUIPMENT

PICTURED:

• Genaray Monobright Daylight LED
• Light Stand
• Reflector
• Reflector Holder

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

• Large Diffuser
• Soft Box for Genaray with Bowen’s Speed Ring
• Godox SL Series SLB60W
• Diffuser and Grids for Godox with Bowen’s Mount
• Softbox with Grid

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Check out the final image shot with one continuous light.

Artificial Lighting: Strobes

Strobes are my personal favorite to use for food photography because I love how powerful they are. They will require a wireless trigger like Pocket Wizards or a sync cable to communicate with your camera.

STROBE LIGHTS: THE SETUP

I setup my camera on my overhead setup. I used my 105mm 2.8 lens for a closer view of the roasted tomatoes. My strobe light is positioned to the right of the image with a soft box. I wanted to keep the light soft and even on the tomatoes. The power of the light was set at 1/3 power with a lot of power left to play with, if I needed it (unlike the speed light where I was almost at the max power at 1/2).

CAMERA SETTINGS

My camera settings were: 1/200; f14; ISO 160.

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STROBE LIGHTS: EQUIPMENT

PICTURED:

• Paul C. Buff Strobe Lights (X1600)
• Paul C. Buff Soft Box
• Light Stand
• Pocket Wizards Plus X

ALSO RECOMMENDED:

• Umbrellas
• Large Diffuser
• Hot Shoe Adapter for Nikon (if shooting with a sync cable)

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Check out the final image shot with one strobe light.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that artificial lighting doesn’t have to be intimidating. I wish I would have switched to artificial lights much sooner, but it’s easy to get in our own way, isn’t it? Especially when it comes to breaking outside of our comfort zone.

Once you learn how to setup your light and get your camera and lights working together, the real fun begins! Getting an online workshop is super helpful too. Knowing how to shoot with artificial lighting elevates your abilities as a photographer and opens the doors to a lot more variety of client projects. Give it a try… I have a feeling you’ll love it.

If you have any questions, please comment below or email me directly.

Happy Shooting!

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Read More About: Artificial Light Photography (How To Shoot A Bottle)

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This post contains affiliate links which means if you click or make a purchase through my site, I might make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only promote products that I actually use and support. 

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All images ©Regan Baroni 2020.