Photography 101 – playing with light
March 3, 2011 There are some things that just go together. These are a few that come to mind right away!
chocolate + cookies
chocolate + chocolate
peanut butter + jelly
peanut butter + bananas
caramel + apples
cherry + almonds!!
I’m not sure what it is, but it just works. The cherry almond buckwheat bake was one of my favorites and this smoothie is right up there as well. It’s a small smoothie with a big healthy punch. I loaded this with healthy fats + protein, in hopes that it would really hold me over.
It’s just been one of those crazy hunger days!
Lately, my photography has been very go-go-go. Sure I think about what I’m doing, but I haven’t really been focusing on improving my skills or trying new things out. In a mere 5min today I did a little light study, while I was waiting for my smoothie to thicken up, from the ground chia seeds.
Here is a photo that is taken with my typical set up. I have a big sliding glass door to the right, which is where the direct light is coming from. I usually set up a light bounce [large white piece of foam board] on the left side, to soften shadows, but for this experiment I didn’t use it.
If I had used the light bounce, the left part of the photo wouldn’t be so dark. The white board would have bounced light coming in from the right onto the left part of the photo. Does that make sense at all? Maybe I need to draw a diagram. :)
Ghetto drawing with a capital G!
So literally the light bounces off of the board, and onto the food/object. I do this with almost every photo, but sometimes it gives the food a more dramatic look to take the light bounce away. Shadows can be your friend!
Here we have a back-lit photo. This is my favorite photo of the group and all I did was turn my table 90* clockwise! The light came in through the door to the back of the photo and left the front of the photo in shadow.
This is also back lit, but was taken at an angle, instead of overhead. Huge difference, no?
More ghetto diagrams? But of course…
Backlit shot. The light is coming through the glass doors and hitting the back of the food. It’s a little hard to tell the direction of the light with the arrows in this flat drawing.
So let me be a total nerd and bust out a sweet perspective drawing for you.
light –> doors –> food <- camera
This is side light, taken at an angle, still with no light bounce.
It’s funny how you can sort of tell the approximate time of day depending on where your shadows are. When the light is higher, you’ll have less shadow, but when the light is lower, it will create a longer shadow.
Hmmm, I just thought of a fun experiment! Set up an object and photograph it every hour, standing from the same spot every time, and see how the shadows shift. I’ll be sure to do this in the next few days and post the outcome. Actually it might not be until next week because we’ll be busy tearing up the kitchen at the new house this weekend!!
Oh…and about that recipe!
Cherry Almond Smoothie [serves 1]
- 1 small container plain Greek yogurt
- 1/3c water
- 3/4c frozen cherries
- 1/8t almond extract
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- 3T raw almonds
- 1T chia seeds
- Combine everything in a blender, and blend away until smooth.
- Let sit for about 3min to thicken, if desired.
*Banana would be a great addition as would 1/4 avocado for more creaminess and healthy fats.
*If you want to veganize this, you can just use about 3/4c almond milk and omit the yogurt + water. Add vanilla protein powder if you’re looking for a protein boost or 2T chia seeds, instead of 1T.
This wasn’t so much a tutorial, per se, but just something to think about. Lighting is a GIGANTIC part of photography and it is extremely fun to play with. If you feel like you’re in a photo rut, try to play more, instead of worrying about getting “the shot.”
I’m proposing a little photography assignment, because it was actually requested multiple times after my last photography 101 post.
- Photograph food or an object playing with shadows and light, all from the same location. [don’t move to a different area of your home with the object] Use a light bounce, don’t use a light bounce, move the food, move yourself, etc. Email me 2 photos from your shoot that show the object with two different light/shadow looks. Make sure to downsize your photos before emailing [around 4-6” wide] and describe the set up you created.
This is meant to be a fun study of light! No need to spend hours on it, unless you really want to. Hopefully you will learn something along the way, as I did. I never turn myself or the table to backlight the photo and that was my favorite photo of the group!
Have fun!!
Email me at: edibleperspective AT gmail DOT com
Email subject line should read: edible homework
I’ll take submissions through the weekend and post them early next week. I can’t guarantee I’ll post them all. It will depend how many come through. If you have a blog, please include an embedded link in the email so I can link to it. For example: The Edible Perspective If you make a blog post about this, please include the direct link to that post, and I’ll include that as well.
See you tomorrow. We’re going to be homeowners in TWENTY SIX HOURS!!!!!!!!
Ashley
Photography 101, Recipes, almonds, cherries, smoothie
Reader Comments (72)
Awesome! A couple people have just posted photography tips and stuff and I'm so excited because I need all the help I can get! So thank you! I'm learning so much. I'm off to go find something to take pictures of for my homework! :D
I appreciate your food blog but the use of the word ghetto is unnecessary. It has so many negative cultural implication for so many marginalized groups throughout the world. You may not agree but I thought would bring it to your attention.
I love getting photography tips! Your photos always look fab and its great to see how other bloggers are photograping :) ill be emailing ya!
My favourite is the back lit photo (#2) so gorgeous! I NEVER take backlit photos and now I'm excited to try! Thanks for your tips :)
This reminds me of this article:
http://www.techblazer.com/2011/02/learn-the-basics-of-photography-lighting-by-remembering-the-egg/
It's really interesting and very similar to what you're showing.
Ahhh I'm so excited to buy my camera! I just don't know which one yet..
Great tips, thanks. Your pictures are always amazing and I need a lot of help there.
What a great idea! I want to go get a foam core board now! It would solve a lot of the lighting questions I've had recently...
Thanks for all the tips! I definitely need some!
I LOVE anything almond flavored. I used to make this mean almond and cherry cake that was just to die for! Haven't made it in a LONG time! I think it has something to do with how much butter is in it... lol :)
Isn't it weird when you buy a house? We got so dressed up to go fill put the paperwork because we felt like such grown-ups!
The lighting thing is totally fascinating and honestly, sometimes I like the crazy lighting...even right at dusk.
This looks like fun homework! I hope to mess around with my lightings and set up over the weekend.
Our house doesn't get good light so most of the time I use my light box. Any special tips when working with that?
I always like reading your photography tips. Thanks.
I cannot WAITTTTT to try this one out!!!
Such a cool project!! I actually just bought a board last night and I will try and submit! CONGRATS about the house :) :)
ooh I'm in. I have been having so much fun taking pictures, and had one each accepted to Food Gawker and TasteSpotting! But sometimes they comment about poor lighting or composition, which I usually don't understand why, especially the pictures from today's blog post of zucchini bread which I think are really good.
But anyway, I'm going to do my homework and report back.
Awesome photography tips! You are quite the artist ;)
I love when you have photography tips. I still need to make a light box.
I'm bookmarking this so I remember to do it! I've been playing around w/ food photography on my blog, and I have to say that whenever I come here, I'm always impressed by how your photos always look so darn lovely.
Congratulations on being a soon-to-be homeowner! I can't wait for when we finally stop paying rent and can plant a huge garden in OUR home! So exciting!
Haha...get on it girl! ;)
Congrats!!! I've gotten about 15/20 denied from Tastespotting all because of Composition. The SQUARE size is not friendly to photography rules, like the rule of thirds. It's lame! If you ever want me to check your photos out let me know. :) Not that I'm an expert..or even close!
Thanks!! Can't wait to see your photos!
Awesome..very excited!
When working with the light box or bad lighting? I don't have the light box mastered at all...haha. I'm still only using two lights because I don't have a lamp to hold one directly of the box. Again, moving the light around to see what looks best. You get to play "the sun!" If you have poor lighting in your house, do you have a little table you could set up outside for some photos this weekend?
I'm totally with you!
That's so funny..never thought to dress up! I'm overwhelmed...baaaaaaaa
Welcome! Ummm...almond cherry cake sounds ridiculous!
FUnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!
Mine too! Who would have thought!? Have fun playing!! :)
Yaya...can't wait!
Thanks for the link!
Glad I could help!
Thanks so much for this post Ashley. I really need to improve my photography skills so I appreciate it when you include photography tips.
I'm excited the days are getting longer so we have more natural sun light to play with!
How fun!
Also, something I learned today: taking good photos of glass straws in glass mugs is HARD. Any tips?
ooo! Fun homework! I have to get on this one!
Sounds like you have been busy with all the house stuff. So excited for you though, everything will work out the way it should!!
Great photography tips as always :)I sometimes feel like my lighting is all over the place, haha. I love the color of your smoothie!!
Maybe I'm a callous bitch, but I'm laughing at the above commenter's criticism of your use of the word ghetto. I say things are ghetto (and ghetto fabulous!) all the time, but maybe since I live in a ghetto area of town it's okay. ;)
Almond extract has always tasted kind of like cherries to me, and I think that is why they go so well together!
That smoothie looks amazing! Congrats on being almost homeowners!
I wish I could do homework. But I'm too busy doing Gigi's. I mean, helping her...yeah, that's it.
You better submit your h.w. missy!! Or I'm calling your mama!
Ahhhh thank you!!
i <3 you
Thanks!! It's all pretty crazy!! :)
yay!!! :)
You are so welcome!! :) I can't wait to figure out a photo setup in the new house!
It depends what effect you're trying to get. I just looked at your photos. So say for the 2nd photo...where it looks like you're trying to focus on the blue knobs or maybe the tip? I think it would have been more effective if you focused on the very end of the straw and had a little bit wider aperture setting, so the photo fades down the straw, instead of starting part of the way down [where it looks like you have the focal point set]. Does that make sense?
I'm sorry...I meant a tighter [higher number] aperture, not wider. :)
If only my photos looked as amazing and glamours as yours.... if only :) One can only dream!
I love cherries, vanilla, and almond! Another match made in heaven combo :)
I am totally in.
This is my project tomorrow :)
It does, and I'll try it. Thank youuuu!