Lighting Equipment

Before we jump into how to light food, let’s go over a few of the basic pieces of lighting equipment that can be used in food photography. Lighting food doesn’t usually require a lot of equipment, but there are still some items that you’re going to want to have (or at least know about) before you get started.

Reflectors

A reflector is a very simple and basic, yet essential, piece of equipment that you need to create your food photographs. The way it works is that a reflector bounces light back onto your subject to add light into an area that is too dark or shadowed (Figure 2.12).