Best Light Modifiers For Food Photography

A softbox is the most common light modifier used in food and still life.

Best light modifiers for food photography.

The following 5 modifiers are very reliable easy to use and they can bring dramatic results once you master the art of controlled lighting. The most commonly used modifier in food photography is the softbox. The differences in this series are the white balance modes and color temperatures of the lights. It is very effective in creating mood.

By shutterstock january 20 2015. Lighting modifiers and tools. Having an artificial light source is not enough. The image to the left is of a small monolight made by godox that is only 400 watts.

So again like the speedlites you are very limited in power with monolights. You need to use light modifiers for these as well as the bare head strobe has very harsh direct light. How lighting modifiers can improve your food photography. The westcott 35 deep parabolic zeppelin you can use it in the studio or on location for a gorgeous wraparound quality of light.

In the video above i demonstrate my go to light modifier for shooting fashion portraits. Yes you need to get enough light onto your set but you need to sculpt and shape that light to create the dimension that will show your food in the best way. Regardless of the light source that you regularly use in your photography daylight continuous or flash light modifiers can surely help you improve your work. This is more about using the dark colours of the food and its background and surroundings in combination with natural window lighting such as in the example below.

Choosing the best light for food photography. As you can see the light sources are very similar in placement and both use the same lighting modifier. Learn about two of my favorite lighting techniques to make your food photography look even better. The best lighting for photography is going to to be the best lighting for your style of photography one photographer may swear by his flash while the next insists her battery powered strobes are the best.

Dark food photography a growing trend in some food photography is to go the low light style and a dark setting. However the most used modifier in my own arsenal is a dish reflector with a 20 or 30 degree honeycomb grid. Armed with information on the types of lights and modifiers and the most essential specs you can choose the right tool for the shot.