Food photography cross-lighting technique adds appetite appeal

I’m often asked to shoot food products which have little visual interest. Every food manufacturer needs clean, straight-forward images to fill their sales sheets and web banners. The assignment is to shoot a straight-forward product shot of a food-service, dessert cookie. No props, just the cookie. Sounds boring, and might be very boring, if it weren’t for cross-lighting.

When the cookie is placed on the shooting surface my heart sinks. It looks so plain, so lonely, and definitely not appetizing. This cookie needs help.

I took two shots without moving the cookie or the camera. Between exposures the light was moved from the left side to the right side of the cookie. The lighting equipment used was a large, craned soft-box, made by Northlight. It’s exceptionally easy to move from side to side, as it’s cantilevered and swings from a double yoke. But, you really don’t need fancy equipment. Two soft-boxes, one on each side of the subject will suffice. I do not use of the usual fill card because I can always “fill” using Photoshop, masking the dark side of the object to lighten overly dark shadows.

food photography cross lighting technique, cross-lighting in food photography, david fisher, cookie, chocolate chip cookie, commercial food photography, advertising food photography, food photography on white, — Notice the dark shadows to the left of the cookie. Normally this would be considered overly

dark, but it’s filled in with the open, bright section from the other image. No fill card. food photography cross lighting technique, cross-lighting in food photography, david fisher, cookie, chocolate chip cookie, commercial food photography, advertising food photography, food photography on white, — Notice the shiny mess of crumbs between the pieces. These were masked, substituting the area from the other exposure.

Observe the shadows on the inside edges of the crust. They give the cookie depth and fullness, adding appetite appeal. Each image has shadows in different areas of the cookie. The images line-up perfectly as Photoshop layers. When in Photoshop just play with masks to select the best parts of each layer. As a bonus I was able to achieve a smooth background.

David Fischer is a photographer with over 30 years of experience, with brands such as Round Table Pizza, Del Monte Foods and many others. His studio, complete with restaurant sized kitchen, pizza oven, and hundreds of props, is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. For location work he travels in his Sprinter truck, serving clients throughout North America. Visit his webiste at: davidfischer.com

Food Photography Lighting Techniques

Throughout the food photography lighting techniques segment, we aim to cover anything from general tips to inspirational examples. We highlight creative and technical strategies from masters of different food photography styles. Get a new idea to run with on your own!