How I Film FOOD Videos for INSTAGRAM Reels | Food Photography

In this episode, I've filmed myself making a food video that I will use for Instagram Reels and KZbin Shorts. For me it has been a way to both play with food and build my following on both KZbin and Instagram. I'll walk you through my lighting set up, camera settings and show you how I film the food video. If you enjoy these types of videos or have filmed some of your own, I would love to see them. This specific recipe was for a Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce.
Tips and tricks for food photography. Join us as we discuss food photography, lighting techniques, food styling, composition, editing, gear, props and so much more.
#foodphotography #foodstyling #foodvideo
Full disclosure: I earn a small commission on these affiliate links although they do not, in any way, affect the price you pay for these products. It's just a small way to support my channel.
Equipment for the video:
Cameras:
Nikon Z6ii - amzn.to/441pFhz
Nikon Z50 - amzn.to/3vYabhy
Osmo Action 3 - amzn.to/443xxik
Lenses
Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S - amzn.to/4aZ73ky
Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S - amzn.to/3U4NekP
Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 - amzn.to/3W5Xhc2
Nikon Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S - amzn.to/49FFj3b
Audio:
Rode Wireless Go 2 - amzn.to/3U3BkI2
Rode VideoMicro 2 - amzn.to/3U3BkI2
Sennheiser MKE 600 - amzn.to/4dh7XuL
ZOOM F2 - amzn.to/4aEbOQt
DJI Mic 2 - amzn.to/4d1gd1I
Equipment
Flashpoint C Stand - amzn.to/3W4d7nm
Peak Design Travel Tripod - amzn.to/3W4tWyP
Colorado Tripod Company Centennial Tripod
edelkrone FlexTILT Head v3 -
iFootage Mini Tripod - amzn.to/4aSgPVG
FeelWorld V2 5.5" Field Monitor - amzn.to/4b12Axs
Godox SL-60W Video Light - amzn.to/4b38A8X
Software
Adobe Premier Pro, Adobe Lightroom Classic, Adobe Photoshop, Luminar 4, Adobe Audition
Where do I get all my music and sound effects?
Epidemic Sound Affiliate Link:
Music from Epidemic Sound www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Do you like chef T-Shirts?
bit.ly/onetomatots
FOLLOW ME:
Instagram: / ccina
Website: www.christophercina.com

[@JAB_Dani]

This video was perfect. Short and to the point but full of useful information. I too have a Nikon Z6. Got it as a Christmas gift. It’s a relief to see someone using the same camera as me providing lens information and camera settings! I am a portrait photographer who is ready to venture into the world of food shorts/vlogging. Thank you!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching and glad it was helpful! This Nikon Z6 is awesome for photos but even better for video, you'll be able to get some great footage. Would love to see your food shorts when you get them up so please share... Cheers!

[@teouratadze]

The first ever video with the whole process described in such details but also without the unnecessary information. Everything that I ever asked for !!! Thanks !

[@ChristopherCina]

Thank you for the wonderful comment, I'm glad you got something out of it! Best of luck shooting your videos!! Would love it if you came back and shared them so I could see!

[@TaratheFoodie]

I'm trying to get more active in making reels myself, so thank you so much for this! I'm off to film!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching and good luck! I've been a little lax in getting reels done myself but have a few planned for the upcoming weeks so I'm excited about that. Can't wait to see yours!

[@philq01]

Thanks! This was one of the best tutorials Ive seen For Food Photography!

[@ChristopherCina]

Glad it was helpful, I did have fun making it. Thanks for watching!

[@paulcookphotography]

Really cool look at how you film your top-down videos/reels. I might have missed it if you said it, but is there some kind of counterweight on that camera stand so it doesn't tip over or is it strong enough that it isn't a concern? I'll be honest, I never knew there was so much that goes into filming top-down videos, really interesting! That BBQ sauce looks absolutely amazing, definitely going to have to make some for myself. The slo-mo part of brushing the ribs was the best part of that reel for me, watching it drip down the sides looked so good! Great stuff as always Chris, really enjoyed it! Hope you are doing well!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks Paul! The base is pretty wide and I drop a sandbag on it to hold it down just in case. In this video, I did have a weight on the are that was holding the camera so there wasn't too much camera shake but I think that was out of frame. The sauce is easy, do need to give it a try! Thanks for watching, things are good here, hope you're doing well too!

[@Aline-Hans]

Thank you for your time

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching!

[@varunivardhan1988]

Thanks Cinn you were helpful

[@ChristopherCina]

Glad it was helpful and thanks for watching!

[@amakaonuoha6538]

thanks for the tips

[@ChristopherCina]

Hope they help!

[@vatosgym]

Thank you so much for this! I run a sports channel and although I know how much YT promotes shorts, I truly hate creating them and keep procrastinating... Your way of shooting the food preparation gave me hope, I am a professional photographer and already have all the equipment, incl C-stands, etc. and will definitely give it a go. Once again, thank you, sub+ here 👊🏼🔥

[@ChristopherCina]

Glad the video helped. Now that KZbin is getting ready to pay for Shorts, I'm assuming there will be a big explosion that aren't just carted over from TikTok and IG. I'm actually going to try and simplify my setup in my next short with a video filmed with an action camera, see if that makes the set up any easier. Good luck with the shorts and thanks for watching!

[@suecook8379]

Nice vid. So you filmed in a vertical format for IG. But do you re-shoot horizontally for KZbin or can you change the format for a regular KZbin video? Thanks

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I filmed vertically specifically for reels, but I don't post recipe videos on my YT channel, so no need for me to reshoot. That said, if you were going to use for both landscape and vertical formats, you would want to shoot in landscape for regular KZbin format. You just need to be cognizant about about what can be seen in the video so that it fits into a vertical format when you go to crop in your video editing software. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@suecook8379]

@@ChristopherCina Thank you

[@tomaszjench-abusinesssideo4562]

Hi, thanks for the vid !! Great tutorial!! Just a quick question-isn’t steam a problem? Does it not fog up the lenses?

[@ChristopherCina]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Steam can be a problem if you are too close, most definitely. You'll notice I set the camera up quite high to make sure I avoided this, that's also why I recommend using the 24-70 mm lens, so you can adjust how close or how far away you need to be. If you are going to be doing something creating steam, I would also recommend you have a small fan going to help create a little airflow and move the steam away before it hits your lens. Cheers!

[@New-Hat-Gardening]

Nice work!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching!!

[@khalifhakim4693]

Nice

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching!

[@courtneecox4583]

I am just starting out so this is a very beginner’s question. But, how do you make your hands not look completely washed out with all that bright light? I use an iPhone for filming and Lightroom for editing and I’m not sure how to have the food be well lit but not have my hands look like ghost hands.

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching! Without having seen your videos, a couple suggestions I would make are 1) If you are using artificial light, position the light lower so it shines more on the side of your hands than on top of them. 2) When filming and shooting, under expose just a little so you capture all the detail, when editing you can raise the exposure (brighten) and, more importantly, take the highlights slider way down. This way you are more able to control your bright spots. 3) Adjust your color temp (white balance) a little so the light isn't so white (cool), warming it up a little will give skin a little more color as well. Let me know if this helps, good luck!

[@simaocranmer2949]

Very good video!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching!!

[@meninavinagre9670]

😀👏👏👏👏👏

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching!

[@guenstigkochen]

You shoud definately get yourself a field monitor ;-)

[@ChristopherCina]

Ha! I've actually made a video about wireless tethering... I may have mentioned it in the video, maybe not. Normally I tether wirelessly to an iPad for framing, this day I was filming, my daughter had taken the iPad to school. I do have a field monitor as well which I was actually using on the camera I was filming the video with, overall good advice. Thanks for watching, cheers!

[@prenotarecibo]

Can you tell me the brand of studio light and other illuminator you use? Please

[@ChristopherCina]

Sure, I use an Godox SL60 with a softbox (24"x36"), i also have 2 Neewer NL 480 bi color LED Panels that I use for fill light. They give me enough light to film the Reels in my kitchen.

[@Thespiceguyid]

How do you handle the hot came from the pan? It will effect the camera right?

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching! It depends on what you are making...you can see the recipe I used was thicker, there wasn't much water in any of those ingredients so the steam was minimal. The camera itself was far enough away that it wasn't affected by the heat. If I had set a pot of water to boil, it's possible the steam would have either affected the shot or maybe even condensed on the front of the lens, definitely something you want to pay attention to by testing a hot liquid below the camera. Good luck!

[@Thespiceguyid]

@@ChristopherCina i’m thinking to put direct fan to the camera or may be a mirror bellow the camera. But didn’t find any video about this.

[@ChristopherCina]

If you’re worried about the steam, a fan blowing across the top of the pan out of frame may work. I wouldn’t worry about heat unless you plan on getting the camera really close.

[@Thespiceguyid]

@@ChristopherCina yes you are right about this. I will try. Thank you. May be you can make a special video about this specific topic😊

[@Cooking_education]

شرح رائع

[@ChristopherCina]

شكرا على المشاهدة ، آمل أن تكون مفيدة.

[@jsn9532]

what iwatani stove is that? loved the video

[@ChristopherCina]

I'm pretty sure it's the 35FW, bought 2 of them about 10 years ago and they still work perfectly. Thanks for watching!!

[@truthseeker2047]

Which focal length is used for video shooting

[@ChristopherCina]

For the video itself (50mm) or for the food video? I used a 24-70mm lens for the food video, probably about 35mm.

[@VivaLaVixster]

What do you use to hold your camera vertically?

[@ChristopherCina]

In the video, you should be able to see the camera is attached to a c-stand.

[@rasoiculturebyjayabakshe3756]

Superb....can u suggest a good budget camera for cooking videos... budget around 60k

[@ChristopherCina]

Sorry for the late reply, your comment was held for review so I was not notified. Thanks for watching...When you say a budget of 60k for a camera, , which currency are you referring to?

[@rasoiculturebyjayabakshe3756]

@@ChristopherCina in Indian rupees INR

[@ChristopherCina]

Probably the most important feature you want is a camera that can record in 1080p and lots of budget friendly cameras can do that. I like Nikon cameras and both the Z30 and D3500 will get you really good quality for both short form (vertical TikTok, Reels & KZbin Shorts) and long form (landscape KZbin). I took a look at your channel (it made me hungry :-) and since you do both those cameras would work well. If you like Sony cameras, the ZV E10 and A6100 are great. For Canon, the EOS M50 and the EOS Rebel T8i would also fit your budget. Personally, I would look to buy a used camera if you have a market for that in India, and put more of my money to the lens that will go on your camera. Every single one of the cameras I mentioned will do pretty much the exact same thing. Where the difference will be is in the lens you choose. My last video about choosing the right lens could help you answer some of those questions. Hope this helps and I've subscribed to your channel, the food looks amazing!

[@rasoiculturebyjayabakshe3756]

@@ChristopherCina thx a lot dear....u answered in so detailed...my query is resolved with ur ans...yes i am thinking of sony zv-e10....and tnx Lot for subscribing...loads of gud wishes fr Rasoi culture....

[@isaacfrerichs3305]

Can you please do a video on editing?

[@ChristopherCina]

Do you mean editing the actual video? Let me see what I can do, thanks for watching!

[@urbanvegsa1928]

Yes how to edit a video.

[@040kitchen]

How do You lock manual focus?

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching! It depends on the camera you are using…a dslr or Mirrorless camera will let you turn off the focus on the lens itself. If you are using a phone or a point and shoot, you can tap the focus point on the screen and as long as you don’t power off, it should hold that point. Hope this helps.

[@040kitchen]

@@ChristopherCina I use Canon Mirrorless EOS R yeah, i did not know the use of that button on the lens. thanks it is helpful!

[@CookwithMishi]

Which apps do you use for editing?

[@ChristopherCina]

Hi! I use Lightroom from Adobe for all the photo editing. I have photoshop as well but rarely use it.

[@ewapodmokla1745]

How to add voice or written instructions in the actual video?

[@ChristopherCina]

You've got a few options here. If you're making any type of food video, you'll need to be able to stitch the clips together, either on your phone or on a computer using software like Filmora, DaVinci or Premier Pro. The easiest way to do this is compose your video and then record a spoken track following the video, which you can then import into your video, you can even do it on your phone. You can use a field recorder to accomplish the same thing or just a microphone into your computer, it all depends on your set up. For text, this is pretty easy to do both on your computer or in the Instagram app. Hope this helps.

[@shannonmccann7664]

Can you record this on video then upload as a reel?

[@ChristopherCina]

Not sure I understand the question...if you mean can you record on your phone and then upload as a Reel, then yes. When you go to post a Reel, you can hit the little icon on the bottom right of the screen and pull up your photos and videos, just select the clips you want and in the order you want. Hope this helps! If not, let me know if I misunderstood your question.

[@kinopilot]

Welcome diabetes!

[@ChristopherCina]

Thanks for watching...

[@Nehuu04_]

Wow yrrr superb reee 😊mast hai aap ke videos and please 1 time check karlo your channel nehuuu shorts 🙏🥰

[@ChristopherCina]

Will do!