One of my current goals is to learn how to mimic that kind of low side-light with artificial lighting. Ah, it's nice when it comes close to happening naturally though (like below at our table at Tribeca Grill — if I could modify the light there, I'd pull the imaginary shades down even a bit more until the light stops wrapping over the top of the food).
For my "light" example: I had a tiny bit of black sesame ice cream left from my pint from the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory; alas, scooping it with a rice paddle spatula does not yield a pretty scoop! (Not that I was expecting it to. This is more to illustrate a point :P.)
What about you — are you more drawn to one style over the other?
I tend to be drawn to both styles but I love the light food photography more! =) That ice cream looks delicious!! =)
ReplyDeleteErgo - Blog
I've been experimenting with artificial light too, trying to find that drama in the shadows that can be so beautiful. I think it depends on my mood and the subject. I do love the moody quality of shadows, but then clean white shots with plenty of gorgeous light can be powerful too. Ok, I'm going to go with dark and shadowy as my favorite!
ReplyDeleteI love the moodiness of dark food photography, but I think light wins in my book! Gorg photos!
ReplyDeleteYou can't ever go wrong with Light photos but the dark ones have this drama richness that I love...
ReplyDeleteI like both actually. For me its the aesthetics/props surrounding the food that can knock my socks off and leave me feeling "meh".
ReplyDeleteDark photography. A little more intimate and dramatic.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it depends on the color scheme of the food and tableware. Sometimes it pops more on lighter and sometimes more on darker.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have a love for both. I've noticed a shift to the dark side though lately... something magical about that rich black filling the frame and highlighting a lone object...
ReplyDeleteI think it goes hand in hand with what is being photographed! I am easily drawn in to both though, as they create such different moods.
ReplyDeleteThat ice cream looks divine! x
I think the dark photo conveys a sense of intimacy - that seems to work really well with the pasta.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos. I have a definite lean to the dark side.
ReplyDeleteI tend toward the dark side (that sounds more dramatic than intended...) unless it's breakfast, in which case I almost always go for light to capture that lazy Sunday morning feel. I think it depends on the season too - dark just feels more appropriate this time of year. Good food for thought!
ReplyDeletewhen I attempt to take food photos I definitely lean towards light, but I love looking at both :)
ReplyDeleteI love the colors usually attained in the light photos - but if the recipe is tantalizing, then I could go either way.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting question but I think I tend to enjoy the light photos for food. Maybe it is because unless you eat breakfast or lunch, you don't get that natural light in food photos. Most dinner places are too dark and the only way you get a "light" image is with a flash.
ReplyDeleteI often notice preferences for or changes to one of these styles when I look at photographer's/blogger's images. Personally, I'm more for the light style in my own images. I currently have a black dining table that I'm thinking of painting white so that I don't have to use a tablecloth. Perhaps the lighting for darker photos requires more work, but when I take them, I don't like the darkness and lack of depth of my table. Having said that, there are many dark photos that I appreciate looking at and find beautiful. I guess it still always comes down to how the available light is used on the focal object/s.
ReplyDeleteAlice, even if I don't comment often, I'm your faithful reader.
ReplyDeleteI still struggle with my style: I know more or less what I find appealing, but often I can not recreate what is in my mind, in my photos (which can be quite frustrating sometimes :-)).
I would love to be able to switch easily between dark and white, but, somehow, I can't get it right yet. I know what I like: I like elegant retro, spacious (all right, pictures by Kate Queens are appealing too!, with crisp light and natural details (like branches, herbs etc).
Please, keep writing about your artificial light experiments! I bought a flash after reading your "nature crap" series and now I try to work with it sometimes and I feel completely lost (despite I read some books about lighting;)) - I have a feeling that your images could be the best lesson I can get!
Thanks,
Atria C.
ps. was this "icecream white example" made with artificial or natural light?
ReplyDeleteI like em both and wanna eat them.
ReplyDeleteI tend to be drawn to both styles. If only natural light like in the dark photo would be available to us at all times. Experimenting with artificial lighting is the thing to do here, a lot of experimenting...
ReplyDeleteoh alice you had me on this one! i'm always fighting that on all my work! i started as a bit of overexposure freak, and i think i know why i did this so much, i live in lisbon! light is our thing, we usually have around 80% of beautiful sunny days and everyone who comes to visit talks about the dreamy light we have. but then i started to get a bit tired of the usual look and started to play with shades and less light. and every now and then i fight with myself on which to pick. i feel that shades are so tricky and can be so magic... and smooth. and light sometimes lacks that smoothness!
ReplyDeleteBoth light and dark photography settings depend on the mood you’re trying to invoke in each photo, so I don’t have much of a preference as long as the setting fits the scene. That being said, have you tried using LED lights to simulate natural light? They’re cooler than incandescent lighting and you can easily manipulate them by using different size panels and filters.
ReplyDeleteUsing large black cards over the top of your subject will cut down the light and increase shadows!!
ReplyDelete