How To Set-Up Lights For Easy Night Time Shooting

Easy and Inexpensive Lighting Set-Up

Fluorescent Daylight balanced bulbs have recently become my new favorite type of light. I obviously still prefer to shoot under natural light, but like I mentioned in the previous post, my cooking and shooting time doesn't always correspond to the whims of the sun.

Shooting at night requires buying a lighting system, but purchasing lights doesn't have to bankrupt your budget. A few clip lamps, daylight balanced light bulbs, and tissue paper is all you need to take gorgeous shots any time of day!

Karen of The Eclectic Cook sent me images of her lighting set up to share with all of you. The images below are really helpful in visualizing how to set-up your lights



A few things to notice about Karen's lighting set up is that she uses a very small space and places the lights, one on each side, coming from above. Second, she covers the light with layers of white tissue paper to diffuse the light. THIS IS CRUCIAL! The tissue paper helps to soften the light creating even lighting conditions.
And last, all of the "equipment" is really inexpensive. For around $15 bucks and a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's you could have a very versatile lighting system.

Also note that Karen uses two locations for her shoots. One for shooting the ingredients, and another for shooting the "final product". She uses colored poster board to make a background and shoots her final dish on that.

Make sure to visit Karen's site and see the fabulous recipe for Thai Curry and Coconut Butternut Squash Soup from which these images come from. Thanks for sharing Karen!