After months of researching, debating, waiting and comparing I finally bit the bullet and bought a light.
I know, with an introduction like that it sounds like I’m shopping for house and not a light.
However, if you take pictures of food and prefer not to eat all your meals at 2pm on a Saturday then you understand what a dilemma this is.
Winter lighting. It’s been getting to me worse than waking-up with zits the day before prom.
Every photographer agrees that the best way to shoot food photos is in natural light. But when you are in an office nearly every moment the sun is actually out, it makes it pretty impossible to show how delicious that meal was on Tuesday evening when the only lighting you have is from the oven timer.
So for the past month, I’ve been trying different things. I’ve taken off lampshades, held my steaming plate of food under every light in our home and have been re-introduced to the whiteness balance on my camera. Still my photos looked yellow and dim.
So I bit the bullet and bought this Lowel EGO light. After comparing several options that either were cheaper but had poor reviews or would make our dining area look like a photo studio (because let’s be honest, I would set it up and promise to take it down “soon” but never really do so until summer lighting returned), this seemed to be the best fit. If you’re interested in more info, it was actually this post that really convinced me to pay more for a light than I would for a pair of shoes.
So far, I couldn’t recommend this more and have been so pleased with the results! Of course, I’m no professional photographer. In fact, I still don’t have a DSLR camera (I know, the horror; how can I really call myself a food blogger?) But the one thing I have learned in these 2+ years of taking pictures of food on a nearly daily basis is that lighting matters. A lot.
This light comes with a sturdy white cardboard. The closer you move the cardboard to the light, the more reflection (less shadows) on the object.
As you can see, these pictures were taken in the evening. You can see more of the results here, but these photos are from the first time I used the light and so far, I’ve been very happy with the results!
Oh and just to keep the record clear- I bought this product with my own money and am doing the review for no one but you. I know how many blogs and websites I’ve looked at to try and figure this out so I wanted to let you know my first-hand experience, as I imagine you may be doing the same.
~What are your favorite photography tips?
