How to Fix Flat Looking Food Photos: Lighting Series PART 3

[@EmbracingHarvest]

Just that little candle behind you adds so much to the shot.

[@ChundomanX]

Once i'm a great photographer i'm going to send you a gift of my gratitude for all the lessons, right now is invaluable

[@couscousushi]

I have no words to describe how much you influenced and taught me. Bless your soul!

[@chriscauchi]

This is probably the most helpful product / food tutorial in all of KZbin

[@TheBiteShot]

Oh wow! So glad!!!

[@fergalclohessy2233]

absolutely love your videos

[@niceguyvibes4133]

From Kuwait with love and respect, thank you for helping me improve my food photography skills 🫂🙏🏾

[@bellatrixhs1]

You are AWESOME!!! not only are you a great photographer but a great teacher as well!!!

[@redefiningalldiets]

I love the way you explain how to work with light. It's helped my food videos in the short time I've been taking food photos.

[@hemaloveseating1816]

Joanie is a pro. Why doesn’t she have more views. Joanie thank you for helping all of us

[@leilaturlybek300]

I noticed that every time I hear your opening I start to smile )

[@nicolesy]

Light, Sciences, & Magic is the BEST photography book EVER. Every single photographer should own and read this book.

[@fatimahaljawi2047]

Your smile makes it easy to digest the lesson... thank you

[@FlavoursBySreekala]

I'm so thankful that you happened to me. Came across your channel when I was searching to grow my food photography skills. And no one explains the details like you. My food shots are improving and I m soooooo very happy that i got you as my KZbin teacher. Thank you so much. I have a KZbin food channel , do check out ur student's progress. I am trying with whatever accessories I've got. Love Sreekala Abhishek Nair

[@federicacerniglia6581]

I'm watching your videos for the first time and OMG I'm just in love. I just started with food photography and this explanation was extremely clear and simple!! I think I've just found a new favourite photographer who makes youtube videos! YAY!

[@priyadarsheni9240]

She is the best♥️

[@user-ow7bi3se2b]

100% agree

[@jessyfabulous4809]

A gifted teacher!

[@sergiodiazrengifo8626]

You are the best!! Don´t stop sharing your videos pls

[@amrutafolane3040]

Thank you so much for doing this and sharing your knowledge on light in food photography! I've been looking for how to create dark moody photographs but couldn't find any good ones on the internet! Hope you have a video of that! 😊

[@TheBiteShot]

I have a few! Hit up the popular uploads playlist and I think at least one of them is there.

[@lefthandright01]

A pro tip tutorial on high gloss ceramics would be great. I, fortunately have access to hundreds of hand made plates. Some are ceramic, terracotta, porcelain..however it is the high gloss ones that cause the biggest issue. Getting the lighting to illuminate the food, without creating a bright reflection off the plate rim can be a nuisance.

[@sintinglb]

Extremely useful video for beginners👍👍👍 in such a short amount of time, I learnt so much. Thank you!

[@cookingwithcheffred8705]

Wow you make complicated things so easy to understand. I can't wait to try this.

[@allright8]

amazing video Joanie I love it how you make it easy, you are the best , keep up the good work .

[@mojibolataiwo1042]

Hi, first time watching your videos, am not a professional but I have been looking up food photography for my bakery. I really loved your explanations, you are a really good teach. Thanks for this

[@user-ow7bi3se2b]

OMG OMG this is what is wrong with my photos!!!! This right here. How did I never see it?! Thank you! I have just been staring at my photos shaking a fist, wondering what I'm doing that's dragging down my photos so much lol! So helpful. I just took notes like in class hahah

[@drewrobertson6286]

Wow, this took me back to my colour theory class I took in college my freshman year in 91. Good stuff Jonnie, good stuff. We were also taught to squint at the image, & if any colour(s) stood out too much, we were told to evaluate and assess to see if we needed to “tone” them down a bit, or if all the colours were too flat while squinting, then again we needed to asses the situation and see if we needed to add more “saturation” to the colours to balance out the painting. I still do that to this day with my photography, as I found that the same principle applies. Thanks again for the time and effort you put into making your videos!

[@TheBiteShot]

That is a brilliant trick! And yep, it's so much fun..I took a number of studio art classes in college and it's totally taking me back

[@annelienpienaarfoodconsult139]

Yes she took me also back way back when to my post Graduate years. We had a book called Design basics and fundamentals...and until today I use this book when I struggle planning layouts for food styling. Had I know what I know now and how technology in photography has evolved, I would have done a post Graduate in this as well...thank you Joanie for making us remember...the fundamentals is a bit dusty...but it is there!

[@ramonbannister9498]

She's very camera friendly. :) As a videographer, I noticed she practices what she preaches for video. The one key light she has is producing shadows on the left side (our right) of her face, and making that well-known look with the triangle of light on her cheek (I think that's called the "Rembrandt"?). The left side of her face is slightly darker than the right, creating depth. She's also using the same concept on the background, where the right is brighter than the left. To bring in a point of interest, she uses a common technique of lighting a candle, which makes a potentially dark, underexposed section of the video more interesting. The candle also adds some orange to the overall black and white theme. That B&W theme is emphasized with her black top, black hair (w/ bluish highlights), which sets a sharp contrast with the white bkgd. So as to add a bit of color, she adds a pot of green grass, books with colored bindings, and even a multi-color cup in front of her. When color grading the video, she increased the contrast to accentuate a sharp look, possibly adding slight saturation in the red/orange spectrum, giving her skin a more natural look and bringing out the cup in front of her and the small painting in the bkgd. Finally, she uses the common technique of a lens w/ a fast shutter (I'm guessing in the 1.x range) that adds slight bokeh, making the bkgd out of focus and emphasizing the foreground (her) even more. She may be a good photographer, but she's an excellent videographer as well!

[@chefkuyajoey]

Thanks for the tips! Will try to incorporate some in our Food Videography as well!

[@shanescott3168]

Great content and video. The possibilities are endless, aren't they? Lots of experimentation and shots required to nail desired and unexpected great photos.

[@cookthailikeapro7956]

I watched so many of your vids and they are awesome. I am not photographer or anything near that field. I am a chef who often had to take food photos for menus and events. The knowledge I learned from The Bite Shot really helped me in meny cases. I paid a lot of attention to the vids you talks about lighting. I am planing to do a cooking video but the light setting is maybe different from photo taking. If you can suggest on this is would be greate. Thank you in advance, and wish you a great day. I love your work

[@annelienpienaarfoodconsult139]

Been so busy lately and miss following your playlist of tips and tricks. I realize that you have to juggle to keep up with this pace and I do salute you for this. Thank you for always putting valuable and relevant info out there. This book is one of my wishlist books going to my stash of fundamentals of design. Kind regards A

[@etayalony8765]

You nailed it. The most important and difficult subject in my opinion. Thanks !

[@hafiz2664]

This was very helpful. It was explained clearly with simple to understand concepts and examples.

[@gunndra9]

Well, very nice explanation! I can understand this easily without having to think about lighting very hard. This is what other photographers wouldn’t share online, but you share it for free. Thank you! It helps me a lot.

[@Bishnu_Deb]

Joanie, your tutorials are awesome.

[@michelehill6649]

So helpful! I cant get enough of your videos🤗☺💙

[@dhavanj]

You are awesome Joanie, thanks for your videos! Love your style and your spirit

[@yesineg5248]

I heard you say before that diffusion breaks light into smaller particles and I thought that's some scientist talk. now I understand why. Thanks for your awesome videos. I've been binge watching your videos and I started taking photos of my dinners for practice.

[@haddadimohamed724]

Another great video, i'm grabbing a copy of that book right away ! Thanks for the brilliant work 😉

[@lynnjohnson3669]

Amazing, thank you. It is all logical about light direction, but you explain it so well. thank you

[@sayadamohamedredha8821]

Wow! Just love your way of teaching! Thank you! for making it so easy to understand

[@sugarcoder]

Joanie, your videos are just so awesome. You are so gifted at teaching and presenting on camera. Thank you for all that you do! :D

[@Surge1045]

Nicely articulated

[@mamaboops8453]

I remember using this textbook for my photography diploma in college. It was the first time I ever used a textbook to its full extent, unlike other mainstream courses. It's also one of the only textbooks I didn't try to sell back for money. xD

[@alexandrapaola8638]

Joanie this is the best video explaining how to work with light!!! Thank you so much

[@garybone1337]

Hello 👋 dear.

[@levandergirly]

i love your content, its very useful. i am working on improving food photography skills, wish me luck

[@BrieWilly]

Loved this video Joanie!

[@fikrisurbakti7634]

You are my mentor, Joannie!! Great video. Simple but meaningful explanation!

[@TheBiteShot]

Cheers, friend!!!

[@jorgeterrones3800]

Realmente me ayudan mucho tus vídeos, it's a really helpfull..!!!

[@desfoque7961]

I love so much every thing about you and your photography ! Excellent work always ! Congradlations...

[@Lflordecoco]

Wow. Great tips. I'll practice some today. Thanks!

[@johnlochness]

Awsome. Makes so much sense when you explain it.

[@LowtechLLC]

Great video! Can't wait for the next one.

[@hanna3886]

Could you do more editing videos ? Where you show how you edited some pictures of your feed ? Love all your videos ! You’re an inspiration 💕

[@TheBiteShot]

I do those over on Patreon ❤️🤗 a new one coming tomorrow. Patreon.com/thebiteshot

[@BrunoRBSilva-fh9rw]

Watch your color grading, the blacks are clipping, Joanie ! Great video as always !

[@Jdikmen]

Using B&W to evaluate contrast - good tip!

[@TheBiteShot]

Thanks, John! Hope you’re well!

[@colleenbartkovich2397]

I was totally paying attention to you and then suddenly I thought a fire was starting in your kitchen behind you! I wanted to jump in a save the cookbooks back there! LOL!!

[@ElspethEvans]

Very helpful thanks! Going to try converting some of my photos to b&w to see how they hold up :)

[@TheBiteShot]

It's a fascinating exercise. Happy Thursday, Elspeth!!

[@DaveMody]

Really well done video! Congratulations!

[@conniekrout320]

Always awesome

[@ghlee2300]

I really love your videos! I just shared this one on my Facebook page with a shout out to you.

[@jcuppacakes5747]

Im in awe that I discovered you joanie! You are super talented im so impressed with your work 😍😍😍

[@markguerin6071]

Great lesson! Bite-sized learning! Nutrition for the brain.

[@TheBiteShot]

I like that! Bite sized!! 🤗

[@megi208]

I loooove your videos. I was not even interested in food photography. But then, I have watched couple of your tips and I am now all into food photography. 😂

[@MoonSun0001]

This really a great video and tutorial...Always enjoy to watch ur vid....Thank you so much for sharing your experience and knowledge.👍👍👍

[@maryamsamadi4714]

It's great to learn how to control light to your advantage and that cheesecake looks fantastic. Can you share the recipe?

[@ohrah2003]

The flame is back, yay!

[@TheBiteShot]

🔥

[@Michaelajacksonfilms]

Book, sold! I was just searching for a book on light, thank you.

[@littlepowerplant]

I love this intro so much!

[@carolinekouns9077]

Great video, you’re so great at explaining things 😍

[@taylorlindsey.allred]

I am in love with this series! Thank you so much for the great info!

[@sandywood]

Thank you! I've been ploughing through the book, but you make so much more sense... and you're so much more concise :) !!

[@TheBiteShot]

It’s definitely a thick one...kudos for digging into it!

[@garybone1337]

Hello 👋 Sandy

[@jacquescuster7789]

perfect explanation!!

[@eliasRamadanCph]

Would love to watch you review some followers food photos 🙌🏻 Learning from others mistakes, so we don't make the same ones 🙏🏻

[@TheBiteShot]

I do that every three weeks over on Patreon. Patreon.com/thebiteshot. New one coming next week.

[@MadeleinesVego]

This helped me so much answering why my pictures look a bit flat. I do only use natural light and I mostly work with light coming from the side of the object (the food). I have tried with backlight but that makes it way too harsh and shadowy almost every time. Not the pleasant amount of shadows like you had. Why is it like that? ☺️ If anyone here could help too I would be very thankful. 😄

[@sprinkles21]

Jonnie!!! You are like a food photography institution 😁 loved loved both the video and You as always 😍

[@TheBiteShot]

Thank you, friend! So happy to spread the food photography love

[@helenesun8364]

Love this video! 💕

[@bikecommuter24]

Nice Video. Could you do a video on how to set a certain mood? for example candles and soft light to infer a romantic or elegant situation? I think I got the basic idea down but I would love to see how you would approach the topic. I want to shoot a wine bottle and glass setup with grapes and moisture drops on the bottle. EDIT: never mind I just did a search and see you got some videos on Dark Photography I'll give those a watch later on toinght. Thanks😊 I love to do Black and White Photography but all my clients want color. I got my start in photography developing black and white film and making prints only now with digital it is way easier (also less messy and smelly) and shooting Raw gives you a ton of adjustment in photoshop.

[@ChefMireilleGKT]

very helpful and informative thanks

[@mahmoudothman8699]

I hope you see my comment, All my photos looks very flat when using soft box or big octa I wish you make a video when to use soft box and when to use light directly behind 5 in 1 diffuser All my images are flat except when I shoot with direct light behind diffuser But nothing works with me with soft box or octa box Although I follow all your guildines and I learnt food photography here

[@tellme238]

You are the best love listening 2 you 👍🙃thanks for all the tips

[@nelsonzambrano1744]

I love your videos, they are very good. I ask you a tip what type of lens you use to make senital photos or flat lay as you want to call it, thanks a lot

[@michaelsmusic-relaxingsoun2360]

Great tip 📷 😎❤️ Subscribed’ God bless

[@sovoelker]

I'm so enjoying your videos! You are amazing! I have to ask...on your counter...Is that a Betty Crocker cookbook? It looks exactly like my first cookbook I received as a wedding present in 1969. Lots of good stuff was cooked for my family from that cookbook. :-)

[@KenHollowayshow]

Thanks Joanie. I ordered the book. I'm enjoying my learning curve about photography and light, but I'm wrestling with haze and glare. The cookbook images I love the most seem to be perfectly clean, with no glare or extraneous light "noise". Is this only possible in a windowless room with carefully controlled lights, or can these images be made with natural lighting? I want my food to really pop, without being overly contrasted.

[@Pachiscruz2]

Excelent teacher!!!

[@spencerbigum1309]

Really helpful tips! I'm wondering what type of light you are using here and what size that diffuser is, obviously huge lol. Thank you so much for this great content!

[@walescatimmen8247]

I always learn something interesting, thank you! : D

[@monuscookbook8817]

Very well explained.... thank you....congratulations for 100k.... 😊

[@TheBiteShot]

Thank you!!

[@GuilDormeus]

Thank you so much for this!

[@aboabeeer9920]

You are the best teacher 👍🏻

[@TheBiteShot]

It's one of my favorite things to do

[@geatsandtreats]

What card did you position the second time? It wasn’t the black card. Was that a reflector?

[@Doulaayat]

You are amazing ❤. from middle east

[@danperez7804]

Almost 100k!!! Good for you!

[@TheBiteShot]

Doing a big giveaway with Canon when we hit it!! 🤗❤️

[@Thespicyapron]

Joanie! I'm so happy I found your "new" channel! It's amazing! I followed Joanie Simon and loved that too! Keep up the good work. I'm so happy for your success.

[@TheBiteShot]

Thank you! hope you're well!

[@andratannenbaum4484]

Thank you ♥️

[@craig_m_mi]

If your camera has a B&W shooting mode, where you can see in B&W, you can use that while composing and setting up the lights to see the tones... then when that looks right, switch back to the color and see the difference, or try and see the tones in color...

[@mackenziemjordan]

Mind blown 🤯

[@rondonshala8373]

very nice video thanks

[@waseemsherief3409]

Hey.. love ur vids ❤️ 💕.. could u make a video about various types of lights and setups u can use for food photography

[@BryanBenoitPhoto]

Very useful