Sofa to Bedroom: Tips for Photographing Food at Night

It's become more than a trend lately to snap a few photos of your food prior to digging in. It's great for your own personal recipe archives, blogging, and just plain old memory lane — but what do you do when you have less than awesome lighting? It's important to remember that food doesn't have to be photographed on the kitchen table. In the case of last night's midnight cupcake photo shoot... we found ourselves in the bathroom!

(Now, if you happen to be out to eat, please don't take your plate of food to the bathroom for an impromptu photoshoot. Besides being a little weird, it might get you a request not to return. Though we didn't think that actually needed to be said, we figured a quick disclaimer never hurt anyone.)

For years I felt frustrated by the photographs of food that came out of my kitchen in comparison with the pictures in the cookbooks. I felt frustrated that I had spent all that time and effort attempting to make something, but then the end result was not quite being what I wanted.

My biggest food photography tip is to use natural light, but if you happen to be a midnight baker like I am (it keeps the neighbors from knocking on your door and asking for samples), finding a room with multiple light sources is your best option. In my case, it happened to be the bathroom. With the help from a lamp (brought in from the bedroom) and the overhead lighting sources, I was able to take a half way decent photo of these Lemon Cream Pie Cupcakes last night.

Above is the same cupcake, as it stands on our kitchen counter. The light is so dim at night (remember kids, eco-friendly light bulbs aren't always awesome), that a flash was mandatory and things feel harsh, sloppy and unrefined. The end result, shot from the bathroom looks much nicer don't you think?

So if you really want to catalog your foodie habits, just make sure you have the best lighting you can, even if that means taking your food into your closet, placing it on your sofa, or even your bed (I've done all three!). We promise you'll be rewarded for your efforts.

(Images: Sarah Rae Trover)

Comments (9)

A good camera doesn't hurt either, i.e., one where you can control as many of the settings as possible.

At my first apartment in SF, I used to photograph things (including food) in the bathtub, because the fixtures and the white tub gave it the best lighting in the house.

I actually put together a really cheap lighting rig for my kitchen - it comes apart for storage, uses 2 CFLs, with PressNSeal wrap as a diffuser.

http://www.bakingaisle.com/2010/04/lighting-food-for-less-than-50/

As a photographer, I would say the first thing you should do is customize the white balance setting. Most cameras should have this option. It will do wonders for your color and even exposure, making everything look much more natural. I take food photos in all manner of light, and while there is no replacement for natural light, using a custom WB will always improve the shot. (I always reset the WB in natural light too.)

Yes, definitely white balance.

And a Lowel Ego. The midnight baker's best friend.

I always use flash. I find my kitchen lights aren't bright enough by far.

Flash is a harsh light that washes everything out. If there is no natural light, use a good bright light, turn off flash, and change your white balance.

I realized on my honeymoon just how awful flash is. Almost as a rule, even in really dark places, photos taken without flash looked better. There were a couple very rare examples in contradiction, but now I almost always turn off the flash. (My husband, a flash lover, now frequently frustrates me when he leaves the flash on. It's the "toilet seat" dilemma in our house.)

This is a helpful entry! I have started photographing food for my own records but do want the food to look as tasty as it is. I wish I had more natural light in my home. As I understand it, that's the only light source Cannele et Vanille uses, and I so admire her photography.

Still, sometimes I'm too hungry, and I can take only a few semi-artful snapshots before I dig in.

These are great tips! I always have trouble photographing my food and I agree that the flash just makes it look unrefined. I started playing around with my camera settings and made a customized exposure with a higher contrast, so it doesn't need a flash, just a steady hand or tripod.

http://stayinthelines.blogspot.com/