As a food photographer, it is essential to be aware of the type of lighting you are using. The type of lighting you choose for your food photos can affect the quality and mood of your images. Natural light can be a great choice for food photography but can often be quite low in contrast. In this blog, we will discuss how to get high contrast lighting using natural light as a food photographer.

Find your Light Source

The first step in mastering high contrast lighting using natural light as a food photographer is to find the perfect light source. If you are shooting outdoors, try to look for areas where the sun is bouncing off surfaces like walls or trees and reflecting onto your food. You can also use windows or skylights to get softer natural light indoors. The sunnier the day, the better for a high contrast image.

Use a Small Window

The second option is to use a small window. A smaller window prevents the light from dispersing over your entire set up evenly, instead it creates a high contrast lighting scenario. You can also get the same effect by using a medium sized window without a direct light source, meaning the sun isn’t streaming in such as the case with a window at the side of a house.

Fix it in Post!

Finally, you can use post-processing to get your desired look. Editing images in post-processing can help to make small adjustments to the contrast, highlights, and shadows. When using post-processing, it is important to be careful not to overdo it, as it can easily make your images look unrealistic.

By following these steps, you can get the perfect high contrast lighting with natural light as a food photographer. Being aware of the type of lighting you are using and taking advantage of the tools available to you will help to ensure that your food photos look their best.