Thanks a lot for this video. Is it possible to have the settings of your camera ( and flash) ? How do you do you kill the ambiant light? Thanks a lot Sophie
The settings for the camera were ISO 64, 1/200 sec at f/5.6. At this part in the video: th-cam.com/video/pN53aLPN9Lc/w-d-xo.html I cover killing ambient light. Basically, we need to make sure that our camera settings will capture no light from the light in the room without the flash. To test this, you turn off the flash and take a shoot. If it's black, we know there is no light from the room getting into our shot. A tip that works is going to the max sync speed of your light. Hope this helps :)
It's a hard concept to understand at first. But no. What 'killing ambient light' means is that your settings are set in such a way that only the light from the flash is being captured in camera (no natural light or light from the room is being captured). This way, you can shoot in bright light (like I did for the video) or in darkness and the image would look the same. Because the only light that is getting onto the camera sensor is from the flash. if you don't *kill ambient* it just means you're mixing natural and artificial light.
Ok i think I understand. But with the light you had for the video and your setting how was that possible killing the light? I will try to do that, thanks a lot, until now I am mixing the light. Thanks a lot for the video
I was using flash for the photos and continuous for the video. So in order to make sure no continuous light (from the video lighting or window light) got into the photo, I *killed ambient* with my camera settings. So yes, it was possible :) Thanks for bearing with me. It'll sink in at some point I promise.
This video has 0 dislikes and it better stay that way! This is such a high production with so much information that is specific to food photography which is difficult to find for free. Thanks for making this session free for us, so many excellent takeaways.
@@Twolovesstudio I love how you aimed the artificial light at the window to achieve a diffused look instead of pointing it directly at the subject simplifying equipment. It takes confidence to share your workflow with other creators in your niche. It tells me that you're so skilled that you don't see other creators as your competition. :)
This could easily be a paid course but I really appreciate it that's here for the public so anyone interested could use the experience for free. Great work 👌
I learned more about small space lighting in this tutorial than anything else I've seen thus far. Love the way you allow us to see the whole process, even the tiny moves you made with the foam core. And I love the final images. Great tut!
Thank you for this. I want to set a lighting setup that I don't need to teardown every day. My plan is to do. this exact set up in my basement and just leave it there. Since we're killing ambient lighting it won't matter at all if I don't have any! These photos look killer.
Exactly! I'm so excited that this makes sense to you and I think this would be a great basement setup. Against any white wall would work well and you don't need height for it. Best of luck.
This is one of the absolute best, clearest, most enjoyable food photography videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much for the step-by-step run-through on everything. Just earned a new sub! Looking forward to checking out your other vids :)
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. Absolutely, there are a lot on my Instagram, but these are the same setup with a different angle. instagram.com/p/CwAf34apyZW/ instagram.com/p/Cj8LLBepPbC/ Let me know what you think!
I myself am a professional food photographer. But some of the things you taught me I never knew before. Thank you and seeing the clear examples in the clip. It made me very knowledgeable and impressed. Please continue to follow good content like this.
Thank you so much.. found it very useful to have been using same n simple light setup for two different moods of photography.. Experience is such a treasure.. you helped many of us by sharing it 🙏
I am so pleased to hear that! It really has made a difference for me and helps me in client shoots going from light to moody very quickly. Thanks for coming x
I loved it! It’s not as complicated as I thought especially the part about shaping the light. However, there are some concepts that are a bit more difficult for my head to get around. Like for example, “killing ambient light” but I’m glad that you’ve made this a TH-cam video that way I can go back and watch it again!
@@tiffanymauricio4337 it took me the longest time to understand that concept. All you need to know is that we have to change our settings in-camera so that without the use of flash our photo is black. That way we know the light is only coming from the flash. Maybe I will have to do a video on this at some point!
I am still in awe... with the precious info you shared with us... it was a truly eye-opener... itching to pic my camera and brush of the dust from my flash light🤩
Thank you for this great tutorial, I love how you walked us through building up your light and showing the different changes every modificatio of the lught did to the image. Keep up the good work.
This was amazing! I have never thought about shooting towards the diffuser for bounced light like this. I always shoot through it. Off to buy 40 pieces of foam board :)
I am so pleased you liked it Victoria! It's such a great technique. I use it all the time. Both work of course, but for small spaces this can really help. Hahaha, you can never have too many foam boards right!
I think the toughest part for me is to choose which photo is the best 😂😂 a lot of them already looked so perfect and you make them even better by trying different lighting, well done!
Love this, I have a big window and will use that space to try this technique, I usually have umbrellas but like the idea of bouncing it off the diffuser.
Hey Kim! I am so thrilled you'll give it a try. It's great bouncing off windows when we have a small space. You can also try bouncing it off blinds in the windows, that works too. Let me know what you think :)
Great lighting breakdown. I'm looking at helping out a few friends who bake with their websites and Instagram pages. This has given me a better understanding of what I can do with the equipment I already have. Keep em coming!
I love this lighting setup. Thank you, Rachel, for such a thorough tutorial and behind-the-scenes look at your process. I always learn so much from you.
An alternative method would be to have the strobe bounce off a white board and then thru the diffuser. Much more of a broad light source. Just Monday I shot a Profoto head into a white foam core in the shape of a "U". Soft to begin with but gets even more diffuse with a scrim.
Thank you so much for this video, Rachel. This is something I have struggled with for months. I also have a small area to work in - my room is very similar to yours, actually. I feel I can now start to progress after your help 👌 xx
You got this! I am so pumped to hear this! This setup has worked so well for me in small spaces. I think you'll love it and can't wait for you to test it out. Let me know how it goes.
I was actually connecting my iPhone to my camera via a wireless trigger. It works like any other trigger except instead of having a remove I can use their app on my phone. I've linked to it in my video caption.
Amazing tutorial, I love the way you explain how to mold the light in 2 very different styles in a simple, easy to understand way. I am going to try to replicate this setup for myself, so inspiring!
Hopefully you found it! As Shelly said, it's in the video caption section above. Right under the video title, there is a 'more' text to click which will show all of the details.
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING. I never thought to bounce my light off the diffuser, and I don't know why. Mind blown haha Also where do you get your foam boards? I love that it's two sided!
Hey Micole! Ah, thanks for watching. I use this all the time and I absolutely love it. SO glad you do too. We get them from a local photography store in Vancouver. It's very handy to have them double sided and super large.
I could watch you work and shape light all day! Thanks so much for this fly on the wall insight, Rachel, it's so bloody helpful. Side note - I blame you for my bundt pan addiction, which is totally out of control and must be partially hidden from the husband. 😂
I am so glad you enjoyed it!! I love being a fly on the wall too watching other photographers. We learn so much. Thanks for joining me...and re bundt cake pan addiction, I get it. We have to have all the shapes-lol.
Thank you! I hope to do more videos in the future. This did take about a month to create from start to finish, but I do hope to be able to share more :)
I really enjoyed seeing your behind the scenes on artificial lighting because I've been shooting with it for the past 3 years and always trying to figure out how to make it look more natural in my tiny space :) Thank you so much for sharing! I have a question though: This diffuser is almost somewhat translucent, right? So if the natural light wasn't already coming from your window making the diffuser brighter (whiter), how would it affect the lighting? Holding it up in front of a white wall could do the same trick?
I am so glad you enjoyed it! That's why we 'kill ambient' light with our settings (which we did at the start of the class with the black screen). So what we are seeing in the photos is solely from the flash. It's good to check this at the start of your session. You can also use a cover on the diffuser but you will get a different look as you might get more reflection. Putting the diffuser against a window or a wall will give the same look if you're killing ambient light with your settings. Does that make sense? i know it took me while to wrap my head around this when I first started.
@@Twolovesstudio ahh yes, I know this and get the premise, but somehow still trying to logically explain to myself why there isn't additional reflection :D thank you for your answer, I really appreciate it! Have a great day!
@@anazelic4964 I know, it does seem weird. I think seeing is believing. So if you do this in a window, with a white cover on the diffuser and against a wall (make sure to kill ambient) then you will see you'll get similar results. Always happy to clarify x
Thank you so much for this video - I found it incredibly helpful and can't wait to try it out! I just had a question regarding the diffuser you use. As it's slightly transparent I wondered what difference that would make compared to a solid white panel? Because I presume some of the light is going through the diffuser, hitting the window behind and bouncing back through the diffuser? I have a similar size reflector but it's solid white so I guess I just need to try it and see how it looks! Also, the light I use has an exposed bulb. So should I use a beauty dish to avoid light spill? Thanks Matt
Such a great question Matt! You have such a great mind and it is important to think about these things when it comes to lighting. I have, however, tested this setup with blinds down so there wouldn't be any bounce back and I have gotten the same result. The diffuser also comes with a white cover, and I find I get the same result (this isn't transparent as the other side is black). If you use a different diffuser you might have variations, but they would be slight. The thing I like about not using a beauty dish, or magnum is that the spill works to create the feeling of window light and helps wrap around the subject. You could use this for moodier shots, but pointing it in the direction in the video I think really helps with this look! Cheers for the questions.
By far one of the best and most detailed food photo. tutorials I've seen. I'm surprised to see that you shoot the light INTO the diffuser vs. THROUGH it, which is what I've seen recommended in the past. Question: if I don't have a boom and put my strobe on a regular lightstand, is the vertical shadow of the stand going to be captured in the scene?
Thank you so much for the feedback! You shoot through it for sure. You will just get a different look and I find that in a small space, it takes up a lot of room which some of us don't have in at our in-home studios. So this creates lovely light and doesn't take up a heap of room! It is something to be aware of correct. Depending on your light placement and the size of the scene, you may not notice it - but be mindful. A boom stand gives a lot more range of motion and it extremely versatile. But I always say, use what you have first and see if you like it :)
Hey Lucy! So glad you found it helpful. I link to where I get my backdrops from in this blog post: twolovesstudio.com/blog/best-food-photography-backdrops/ hope it's helpful.
Brilliant work, if these pics were taken at night with no ambient light from window, would the skim have reflected the strobe in a similar way. Would u get a similar result from a rectangular soft box ? .
You would get the same results when shooting at night as my camera settings are killing ambient light (meaning there is no light from the window or room in the photo). You can double check in the part in the video where I turn off the strobe and shoot a black image. You can get a window light look from a soft box, but you'd need a very large one and then you'd need more room between the softbox and the setup. This works really well for size and distance. You can also use a white wall if you'd like! Hope that helps.
@Twolovesstudio thank you , yes I did see u killed light, but was wondering why u set it up by window =so it could have been set up anywhere =I get it Vasili South Africa
Perfect! My idea here is that setting it up in the window works really well for small spaces which a lot of food photographers that work from home face :)
Second question Rachel - i use continuous light and this video is helpful! My shoot space isnt big and havent been able to to fit a giant modifier on my light in the space. However I am next to a big window so it dawned on me that i just need to ditch the modifier box and aim the continuous light towards my giant diffuser propped against the window. Hope this make sense and just wanted confirmation that this is what you are describing?
Yes exactly! The reason I use a window is that it helps me save on space. Pointing the light towards the diffuser in a window also helps save an extra little bit of space. Seems like you've got it in one :)
@@Twolovesstudio thanks for explaining that - I was a bit confused that you had a window already that could be used for good light. So your setup removes the extra space needed for a modifier.
Thank you so much for your videos, they are amazing. I want to sign up for the courses, is that a type of membership where i can pay to get access get of all the contents. I would love to have access of lighting, composition and editing. Also, where can I get these foam boards(black and whie)? Thanks a lot!!!!❤❤❤
Thank you so much for the feedback :) You can get the foam boards (depending on the country you're in) at craft or stationery stores. In North America, you can get them from Amazon or Staples. Currently, I have courses that you purchase and get unlimited access rather than a monthly membership. You can get bundles to all the courses and check them out here: courses.twolovesstudio.com
Hi Rachel, the small room I'm using to shoot artificial light in only has a high window. Could I place the diffuser below the window to get a similar effect? Thank you
You can do that Charlotte, the catch will be that will you need a boom stand over a lighting stand, as lighting stands tend to not go as low as boom stands. Your other option is to put it aginst a wall which will work the same way. Let me know if you have any other follow up questions and thanks for coming x
I am so glad you like it! You'll see a link to the product and its name as 'remote trigger' in the caption. Let me know what you think and if you can't find it.
Such a helpful video. I have been struggling to create natural looking light in my tiny shoot space. What flash/ strobe light would you recommend for someone on a budget. I have been using a Godox TT600 but it has been very tempermrental and eats batteries like crazy. I would like something that's not too big, ideally can be plugged into the mains and has a good bright output. My budget is around £300.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Elle! Unfortunately I am not very helpful when it comes to recommending gear that isn't Profoto as that's all I've shot with and can't recommend gear I haven't used. What I love about my Profoto B10 is that it's small, has a great modifier and can be plugged into the wall. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to be of more help.
Hello, thank you for this video. It's very explicative and useful for a person who Is approaching artificial light right now, like I am. May I ask what is the tripod you are using in this video? I really like It ☺️ Thanks again for all your incredibile tips!
It's just a technique you can use, especially in small spaces. Reflecting light off large surface is just one way to produce soft light. Of course, you can shoot a light through a diffuser to get different results. Give it a try sometime :)
hey Rachel, If you could choose one size of diffuser, would you recommend today a big 120 x 180cm like here, or still a 100 x 150 cm like you recommended last year?
I would recommend the 120 x 180 cm. It's such a perfect size. But the 100 x 150cm is close. If you have that one already, I am all about using gear you have.
@@Twolovesstudio not yet, but they are out of stock. So i was thinking buying the 100 x 150 that is in stock. They do have the 200 x 150, would you recommend that over a 100 x150 or is a bit to big?
Hey, I'm a complete novice so I have very basic knowledge. Why do you have the light faced in the direction of the window instead of toward the food with a diffuser in front it?
It's simply another technique to create soft light that really helps in small spaces. You can get similar results with placing a diffuser in between the food light and the food, but this does require more space and gear. This is a great option for those with small spaces. You can even bounce the light off a white wall for similar results too. Does this help?
You're so welcome! Thanks for joining me. it's definitely not wrong to do this and sometimes I do. Both will give a different look. This is the look I love the most, so it's what I use. I find it's easier for beginners as you can get softer light and fewer hotspots. But you can absolutely try that too. When ti comes to lighting, there are so many options. In small spaces, this setup really helps.
@@Twolovesstudio Rachel, yesterday and the day before yesterday, I implemented a few things from this lovely class, I finally got 3 bounce boards and oh my gosh! Doing a client jam product shoot more editorial style and I fell in love with how I managed to shape my light! Your advice & tips are amazing! Will be rewatching because 🔥 It got me thinking a lot though, I have recently started doing restaurant photography, and was wondering how do you manipulate this... 1.In an open/balcony/garden restaurant [sooo much light coming in from everywhere]-[sometimes good for those large space scape shots right? :)] ? 2. In darker spaces like the kitchen, etc [with all the ambient lights]? I'm just starting with artificial lighting, excuse me if my questions may seem obvious or silly.
Apologies if I missed this (or if this is a plain old stupid question), but I am super curious - are you simulating the setup during the daytime (as it looks to me), or is that little light so intense that it looks like daylight in your room but it's dark outside?
Happy to help. We shot this video in the daytime. The lighting *for* the video is a mix of video lighting and daylight from outside BUT the photo only contains the one strobe I am using (as shown in the video). The reason we know that is because we are killing ambient light (which I show on screen at the start of the video). Does that help?
Absolutely! This strobe will work and get the same results no matter the time of day or night. That's because the photo is only being lit by the strobe. At min 06:14 you can see that I kill ambient light with my camera settings. So without the strobe the image is completely black. Which shows the photo is only being lit by the strobe. So you could photograph in pitch black and still get the same results. One thing I like about this compact strobes from Profoto is that they are powerful for their size. Hope that helps.
@@Twolovesstudio Wow!! Thank you so much! Final question (I promise) - this strobe is a bit pricy for me - are there decent alternatives, or I should ask what lumens etc do you look for in a good strobe?
For this setup, I do use it for 45-degree shots. Same setup, just the camera angle is different. Does that help? Think of it like a window, we are recreating window light here so you can shoot any angle.
Amazing and helpful video. I would like to buy the Profoto 10 strobe, but they no longer make it, can you please recommend the best alternative? Thankyou!
Hey Johanna, you can still get this light, it's just been replaced by the B10X. It's essentially the same light just with a few changes. Either the B10X or B10X Plus would be great options.
Will you get the same result without the sunlight ? For example if you do your photoshoot at night. And whether can you get the same result if you do food videography instead
Yes! As mentioned in the video, my camera settings are *killing ambient light*. Therefore the only light in the photos is coming from the flash. You would get the same results during the day as at night - which is great news. You would need continuous light for video, but in theory you can use this same setup. Hope that helps.
Maybe someone asked, but itbis abut unclear. Are you shooting light through the diffuser into a window and using the bounce from the window as your light source through the diffuser? Or is that a wall behind the diffuser?
No worries, happy to answer. This technique uses light that is bouncing off a surface. In this case it's the diffuser and likely some of the glass behind it. Bouncing light off a white wall, white curtain or white blind will give you very similar results (which I have tested each version). Using a diffuser helps beginners understand what their natural light is doing / then using artificial to see how the light you are shaping compares. If you need continuous light for video and photo simultaneously, the diffuser in the window is a great option. Hope that helps.
You are fabulous on camera, so lovely to watch - thank you for your generosity. 😁 May I ask what the adapter is that you have to attach your MIOPS to your Overhead Arm? I need to attach my strobe remote trigger to my hotshoe and seeing you use the MIOPS has me sold on getting one! Do you use any of the other MIOPS features? (e.g. sound, etc)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's a spring clip clamp by Manfrotto 175F that has a cold shoe on it. We bought this years ago so I don't think this exact model is available but they will have a newer version. I got MIOPS because Nikon didn't have a good trigger option for the Z6 when it first came out. I have used it before to clap to take a shot.
Theoretically, yes. With continuous as you know you can't kill ambient in the same way so you might have to adjust blinds in you're using it in a window. You can use this against a wall as well if you'd rather. Flash and continuous will always give slightly different looks however.
Thank you so much for posting this video! Very informative. Your lighting is always so gorgeous! What was the red thing you were triggering the shutter with? Is that your phone?
You can absolutely use the solid white case diffusers come with and get very similar results. I've done this setup against a few solids surfaces and had good results. You can use the diffuser for something a little less powerful and it helps if you need to shoot continuous at the same time.
Thanks a lot for this video. Is it possible to have the settings of your camera ( and flash) ? How do you do you kill the ambiant light? Thanks a lot
Sophie
The settings for the camera were ISO 64, 1/200 sec at f/5.6. At this part in the video: th-cam.com/video/pN53aLPN9Lc/w-d-xo.html I cover killing ambient light. Basically, we need to make sure that our camera settings will capture no light from the light in the room without the flash. To test this, you turn off the flash and take a shoot. If it's black, we know there is no light from the room getting into our shot. A tip that works is going to the max sync speed of your light. Hope this helps :)
So that’s mean you shoot in the dark ?
It's a hard concept to understand at first. But no. What 'killing ambient light' means is that your settings are set in such a way that only the light from the flash is being captured in camera (no natural light or light from the room is being captured). This way, you can shoot in bright light (like I did for the video) or in darkness and the image would look the same. Because the only light that is getting onto the camera sensor is from the flash. if you don't *kill ambient* it just means you're mixing natural and artificial light.
Ok i think I understand. But with the light you had for the video and your setting how was that possible killing the light? I will try to do that, thanks a lot, until now I am mixing the light. Thanks a lot for the video
I was using flash for the photos and continuous for the video. So in order to make sure no continuous light (from the video lighting or window light) got into the photo, I *killed ambient* with my camera settings. So yes, it was possible :) Thanks for bearing with me. It'll sink in at some point I promise.
This video has 0 dislikes and it better stay that way! This is such a high production with so much information that is specific to food photography which is difficult to find for free. Thanks for making this session free for us, so many excellent takeaways.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! What was the best takeaway you had? Thanks for also asking questions during the premiere! I hope I got to all of them :)
@@Twolovesstudio I love how you aimed the artificial light at the window to achieve a diffused look instead of pointing it directly at the subject simplifying equipment.
It takes confidence to share your workflow with other creators in your niche. It tells me that you're so skilled that you don't see other creators as your competition. :)
TH-cam removed the dislike counter, lol
If you're just joining me or I didn't get your question answered during the premiere, please drop me a comment here and I'll answer them for you :)
I always use light behind the diffuser
How 5 in 1 reflector bounce or reflect light back I can't understand that
This could easily be a paid course but I really appreciate it that's here for the public so anyone interested could use the experience for free. Great work 👌
This is EXCELLENT! I have done so many of her courses if anyone here is debating, sign up!!!!!! Love these shots too, so amazing!
You're the best Ashely! Thank you so much for your support and kind words. XX
Beautiful work and fantastic tutorial! Love this method for smaller spaces!!
Thank you so much, Joanie! Thrilled you like it. It works wonders for me in smaller spaces :)
I learned more about small space lighting in this tutorial than anything else I've seen thus far. Love the way you allow us to see the whole process, even the tiny moves you made with the foam core. And I love the final images. Great tut!
Awesome, I am so grateful and pleased to hear that. Small changes shouldn't be underestimated. Let me know what else you'd like to see on my channel.
This is so exciting - to learn from one of the BEST!!! Thanks Rachel❤
I hope you enjoyed it Seema x Thanks for coming.
Can't wait to see you! :) Thank you for sharing!
I hope you love the training Kaare! Thanks for being here. So nice to 'see' you here x
Oh you clever girl! I have a big soft box, which sometimes feels cumbersome. I will have a lot of fun playing with this set up! :)
Glad you like it Wendi! Can't wait to see how you use it x
Thank you for this. I want to set a lighting setup that I don't need to teardown every day. My plan is to do. this exact set up in my basement and just leave it there. Since we're killing ambient lighting it won't matter at all if I don't have any! These photos look killer.
Exactly! I'm so excited that this makes sense to you and I think this would be a great basement setup. Against any white wall would work well and you don't need height for it. Best of luck.
This is one of the absolute best, clearest, most enjoyable food photography videos I've ever seen. Thank you so much for the step-by-step run-through on everything. Just earned a new sub! Looking forward to checking out your other vids :)
Wow, thank you! Such a wonderful compliment. We had a lot of fun putting this together and looking forward to doing more.
This is fantastic! Thank you! I'd love to see these same lighting techniques but with straight on shots as opposed to flat lay!
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it. Absolutely, there are a lot on my Instagram, but these are the same setup with a different angle.
instagram.com/p/CwAf34apyZW/
instagram.com/p/Cj8LLBepPbC/
Let me know what you think!
I myself am a professional food photographer. But some of the things you taught me I never knew before. Thank you and seeing the clear examples in the clip. It made me very knowledgeable and impressed. Please continue to follow good content like this.
You are so welcome! This makes me so happy to hear as it was so fun to put together. What was the best thing you learned?
Over here and waiting! Excited!😍 [& Thank You :)]
Wonderful video! Shocked it doesn’t have millions of views. Thank you so much!
Wow, thank you!
Great video and thanks for sharing Rachel 😊
Thanks for coming Jill! I am so glad you enjoyed it x
Thank you so much.. found it very useful to have been using same n simple light setup for two different moods of photography.. Experience is such a treasure.. you helped many of us by sharing it 🙏
I am so pleased to hear that! It really has made a difference for me and helps me in client shoots going from light to moody very quickly. Thanks for coming x
So excited for this Rachel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge
I hope you enjoyed it Ines. Sorry if I didn't get to all of your questions x
been looking forward to this! Tks!
I hope you enjoyed t!
Rachel, many thanks for sharing this tutorial! Really useful tips for small spaces!
I am so glad you think so! I think it'll really help in small spaces.
So excited for this!
I hope you enjoyed it! If I didn't get to your question, let me know x
why do i sense im gonna become a board hoarder 😆 This was an awesome video ..thank you very much!!
🤣 🤣 Not a bad thing to collect! I have so many of them, they are so handy.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge Rachel! So excited for this 😀 happy 10 years of Two Loves Studio 🥳
Thanks for coming Tiffany! What did you think? Did you pick up any tips as I know you're new to artificial light :)
I loved it! It’s not as complicated as I thought especially the part about shaping the light. However, there are some concepts that are a bit more difficult for my head to get around. Like for example, “killing ambient light” but I’m glad that you’ve made this a TH-cam video that way I can go back and watch it again!
@@tiffanymauricio4337 it took me the longest time to understand that concept. All you need to know is that we have to change our settings in-camera so that without the use of flash our photo is black. That way we know the light is only coming from the flash. Maybe I will have to do a video on this at some point!
Yes! That would be amazing 😁
Ive never seen a lighting set up like this, MIND BLOWN! Thanks for this amazing tutorial!
Glad you liked it!! It's so easy to setup (especially in small spaces) and the results pack a punch :)
This was wonderful and I can't wait to try this on Monday!
I would be thrilled if you did! I would love to see your results.
Thanks for this so excited. love your simple take
I hope you'll enjoy the training x
I wish I could attend, was really looking forward to this session but had work!
You can watch it later on when you have time! x
Thank you so much for the video and tutorial. Now is time to play and apply those wonderful tips.
Have fun! Let me know how you go :)
So excited!😊👌🏻
Thank you so much. Hope you make more videos. Very clear and helpful.
Thanks for watching Johanna - we definitely intend too. Hope you can enjoy the videos we have on the channel so far :)
I am still in awe... with the precious info you shared with us... it was a truly eye-opener... itching to pic my camera and brush of the dust from my flash light🤩
You are so welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed it! Happy shooting x
Thank you for this great tutorial, I love how you walked us through building up your light and showing the different changes every modificatio of the lught did to the image. Keep up the good work.
This was amazing! I have never thought about shooting towards the diffuser for bounced light like this. I always shoot through it. Off to buy 40 pieces of foam board :)
I am so pleased you liked it Victoria! It's such a great technique. I use it all the time. Both work of course, but for small spaces this can really help. Hahaha, you can never have too many foam boards right!
Great! Thanks so much for the video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you. 😎
Thanks for coming Craig!
Good video. Very clear explain and demonstrate 👍👍👍👍👍
Super glad you enjoyed it!
I think the toughest part for me is to choose which photo is the best 😂😂 a lot of them already looked so perfect and you make them even better by trying different lighting, well done!
So kind of you to say! Thank you so much. I really like them both too.
Im excited about this class!
Thanks for coming Ana, I hope I got to all of your questions. Let me know if I didn't. x
@@Twolovesstudio it was very straight forward and didactic, thank you
Love this, I have a big window and will use that space to try this technique, I usually have umbrellas but like the idea of bouncing it off the diffuser.
Hey Kim! I am so thrilled you'll give it a try. It's great bouncing off windows when we have a small space. You can also try bouncing it off blinds in the windows, that works too. Let me know what you think :)
Great lighting breakdown. I'm looking at helping out a few friends who bake with their websites and Instagram pages. This has given me a better understanding of what I can do with the equipment I already have. Keep em coming!
Awesome, thank you! I am so excited to hear this helped you out! X
Thank you
You're welcome
Your stuff is soo koool 😘
Thanks 😁 So glad you're finding the videos helpful :)
wow! I hope to see more on your channel! this was amazing, grazie from Italy!
thank you!
You're welcome!
I love this lighting setup. Thank you, Rachel, for such a thorough tutorial and behind-the-scenes look at your process. I always learn so much from you.
You are so welcome! I am so pleased you enjoyed it. We loved putting this together and I hope you will try it soon X
An alternative method would be to have the strobe bounce off a white board and then thru the diffuser. Much more of a broad light source. Just Monday I shot a Profoto head into a white foam core in the shape of a "U". Soft to begin with but gets even more diffuse with a scrim.
Thanks for sharing! I always enjoy hearing how others tackle their lighting. I definitely love the idea of wrap via a U shape - or V shape.
Thank you so much for this video, Rachel. This is something I have struggled with for months. I also have a small area to work in - my room is very similar to yours, actually. I feel I can now start to progress after your help 👌 xx
You got this! I am so pumped to hear this! This setup has worked so well for me in small spaces. I think you'll love it and can't wait for you to test it out. Let me know how it goes.
Thanks Rachel, always great to see how you work, you keep inspiring me!
You are so welcome! Thanks for coming Tina. Sending you hugs.
This is beautiful! It would be nice to see a video about photographing with natural light. Hope to see more contents.
Thanks for sharing 💕 What app do you use to connect mobile and c1 in your computer?
I was actually connecting my iPhone to my camera via a wireless trigger. It works like any other trigger except instead of having a remove I can use their app on my phone. I've linked to it in my video caption.
You're so good at teaching and explaining. Hope to see more content here in the future. All the best.
Thank you so much! I am so pleased you enjoyed it.
This is such a great tutorial Rachel! I always love watching your process. Beautiful work!
Thank you so much Gayle! I feel the same about you. One day you'll have me over and we can work on lighting together :)
thanks. Hope you post more videos.
We will!
Amazing tutorial, I love the way you explain how to mold the light in 2 very different styles in a simple, easy to understand way. I am going to try to replicate this setup for myself, so inspiring!
A great video. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fantastic tutorial, thanks for sharing this! And happy anniversary!
Thanks so much! 😊 So glad you liked it.
So exciting. Still looking for your notes on the gear. Where can I find them please? Those settings are GORGEOUS 🌸
Moncia look above in the caption section. I clicked more and it drops down to show all her links to her gear.
Hopefully you found it! As Shelly said, it's in the video caption section above. Right under the video title, there is a 'more' text to click which will show all of the details.
Can't wait to try some of these tips and tricks! Thank you Rachel 🧡
You're so welcome!
Thank you Rachel! This was so interesting and helpful, I will always love the way you teach!
You are so welcome!
What a brilliant work ..you really master the light ..thanks dear for sharing these secrets with us ♥️
My pleasure 😊
That wasn't a simple setup, but thanks so much. I appreciate the video.
Thank you Rachel!
THIS VIDEO IS AMAZING. I never thought to bounce my light off the diffuser, and I don't know why. Mind blown haha Also where do you get your foam boards? I love that it's two sided!
Hey Micole! Ah, thanks for watching. I use this all the time and I absolutely love it. SO glad you do too. We get them from a local photography store in Vancouver. It's very handy to have them double sided and super large.
I could watch you work and shape light all day! Thanks so much for this fly on the wall insight, Rachel, it's so bloody helpful. Side note - I blame you for my bundt pan addiction, which is totally out of control and must be partially hidden from the husband. 😂
I am so glad you enjoyed it!! I love being a fly on the wall too watching other photographers. We learn so much. Thanks for joining me...and re bundt cake pan addiction, I get it. We have to have all the shapes-lol.
@@Twolovesstudio Exactly! hehe
Excellent tutorial, Rachel!
Thanks so much! 😊 Glad you liked it.
Great job Rachel, thanks so much!
You're so welcome! Thanks for joining me Kevin! Always a pleasure to have you.
Ur legit amazing
Thank you for this great class!
Thanks for coming, Patricia! I am thrilled you enjoyed it.
This method of lighting is totally an eye opener for me! instead of facing the window, can we use this same method lighting against a white wall?
Waiting 😍
Great Video, Hope You Do More like this
Thank you! I hope to do more videos in the future. This did take about a month to create from start to finish, but I do hope to be able to share more :)
Interesting technique, thanks for the video.
I am glad you like it!
I really enjoyed seeing your behind the scenes on artificial lighting because I've been shooting with it for the past 3 years and always trying to figure out how to make it look more natural in my tiny space :) Thank you so much for sharing! I have a question though: This diffuser is almost somewhat translucent, right? So if the natural light wasn't already coming from your window making the diffuser brighter (whiter), how would it affect the lighting? Holding it up in front of a white wall could do the same trick?
I am so glad you enjoyed it! That's why we 'kill ambient' light with our settings (which we did at the start of the class with the black screen). So what we are seeing in the photos is solely from the flash. It's good to check this at the start of your session. You can also use a cover on the diffuser but you will get a different look as you might get more reflection. Putting the diffuser against a window or a wall will give the same look if you're killing ambient light with your settings. Does that make sense? i know it took me while to wrap my head around this when I first started.
@@Twolovesstudio ahh yes, I know this and get the premise, but somehow still trying to logically explain to myself why there isn't additional reflection :D thank you for your answer, I really appreciate it! Have a great day!
@@anazelic4964 I know, it does seem weird. I think seeing is believing. So if you do this in a window, with a white cover on the diffuser and against a wall (make sure to kill ambient) then you will see you'll get similar results. Always happy to clarify x
Love your video - can you dive into how you killed the ambient light with the camera settings please? Iso shutter etc
Thank you so much for this video - I found it incredibly helpful and can't wait to try it out!
I just had a question regarding the diffuser you use. As it's slightly transparent I wondered what difference that would make compared to a solid white panel? Because I presume some of the light is going through the diffuser, hitting the window behind and bouncing back through the diffuser? I have a similar size reflector but it's solid white so I guess I just need to try it and see how it looks!
Also, the light I use has an exposed bulb.
So should I use a beauty dish to avoid light spill?
Thanks
Matt
Such a great question Matt! You have such a great mind and it is important to think about these things when it comes to lighting. I have, however, tested this setup with blinds down so there wouldn't be any bounce back and I have gotten the same result. The diffuser also comes with a white cover, and I find I get the same result (this isn't transparent as the other side is black). If you use a different diffuser you might have variations, but they would be slight.
The thing I like about not using a beauty dish, or magnum is that the spill works to create the feeling of window light and helps wrap around the subject. You could use this for moodier shots, but pointing it in the direction in the video I think really helps with this look! Cheers for the questions.
Great video!
By far one of the best and most detailed food photo. tutorials I've seen. I'm surprised to see that you shoot the light INTO the diffuser vs. THROUGH it, which is what I've seen recommended in the past. Question: if I don't have a boom and put my strobe on a regular lightstand, is the vertical shadow of the stand going to be captured in the scene?
Thank you so much for the feedback! You shoot through it for sure. You will just get a different look and I find that in a small space, it takes up a lot of room which some of us don't have in at our in-home studios. So this creates lovely light and doesn't take up a heap of room!
It is something to be aware of correct. Depending on your light placement and the size of the scene, you may not notice it - but be mindful. A boom stand gives a lot more range of motion and it extremely versatile. But I always say, use what you have first and see if you like it :)
@@Twolovesstudio Thank you Rachel! I'm so excited to try this.
this video has been super helpful, may I ask where you get your backgrounds from please?
Hey Lucy! So glad you found it helpful. I link to where I get my backdrops from in this blog post: twolovesstudio.com/blog/best-food-photography-backdrops/ hope it's helpful.
Brilliant work, if these pics were taken at night with no ambient light from window, would the skim have reflected the strobe in a similar way. Would u get a similar result from a rectangular soft box ? .
You would get the same results when shooting at night as my camera settings are killing ambient light (meaning there is no light from the window or room in the photo). You can double check in the part in the video where I turn off the strobe and shoot a black image. You can get a window light look from a soft box, but you'd need a very large one and then you'd need more room between the softbox and the setup. This works really well for size and distance. You can also use a white wall if you'd like! Hope that helps.
@Twolovesstudio thank you , yes I did see u killed light, but was wondering why u set it up by window =so it could have been set up anywhere =I get it Vasili South Africa
Perfect! My idea here is that setting it up in the window works really well for small spaces which a lot of food photographers that work from home face :)
Second question Rachel - i use continuous light and this video is helpful! My shoot space isnt big and havent been able to to fit a giant modifier on my light in the space. However I am next to a big window so it dawned on me that i just need to ditch the modifier box and aim the continuous light towards my giant diffuser propped against the window. Hope this make sense and just wanted confirmation that this is what you are describing?
Yes exactly! The reason I use a window is that it helps me save on space. Pointing the light towards the diffuser in a window also helps save an extra little bit of space. Seems like you've got it in one :)
@@Twolovesstudio thanks for explaining that - I was a bit confused that you had a window already that could be used for good light. So your setup removes the extra space needed for a modifier.
Thank you so much for your videos, they are amazing. I want to sign up for the courses, is that a type of membership where i can pay to get access get of all the contents. I would love to have access of lighting, composition and editing. Also, where can I get these foam boards(black and whie)? Thanks a lot!!!!❤❤❤
Thank you so much for the feedback :) You can get the foam boards (depending on the country you're in) at craft or stationery stores. In North America, you can get them from Amazon or Staples. Currently, I have courses that you purchase and get unlimited access rather than a monthly membership. You can get bundles to all the courses and check them out here: courses.twolovesstudio.com
Will we be able to watch a replay? I had marked my calendar but unfortunately something has come up.
You sure can! x
Hi Rachel, the small room I'm using to shoot artificial light in only has a high window. Could I place the diffuser below the window to get a similar effect? Thank you
You can do that Charlotte, the catch will be that will you need a boom stand over a lighting stand, as lighting stands tend to not go as low as boom stands. Your other option is to put it aginst a wall which will work the same way. Let me know if you have any other follow up questions and thanks for coming x
What app on the phone are you using to fire the shutter? !!! Great tutorial. I watched a couple of times end-to-end.
I am so glad you like it! You'll see a link to the product and its name as 'remote trigger' in the caption. Let me know what you think and if you can't find it.
Such a helpful video. I have been struggling to create natural looking light in my tiny shoot space. What flash/ strobe light would you recommend for someone on a budget. I have been using a Godox TT600 but it has been very tempermrental and eats batteries like crazy. I would like something that's not too big, ideally can be plugged into the mains and has a good bright output. My budget is around £300.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it Elle! Unfortunately I am not very helpful when it comes to recommending gear that isn't Profoto as that's all I've shot with and can't recommend gear I haven't used. What I love about my Profoto B10 is that it's small, has a great modifier and can be plugged into the wall. I'm so sorry I wasn't able to be of more help.
Hello, thank you for this video. It's very explicative and useful for a person who Is approaching artificial light right now, like I am. May I ask what is the tripod you are using in this video? I really like It ☺️ Thanks again for all your incredibile tips!
Hi
I did not understand why you used the lighting this way as you placed the flash in front of the diffuser behind the diffuser .. ??
Thanks
It's just a technique you can use, especially in small spaces. Reflecting light off large surface is just one way to produce soft light. Of course, you can shoot a light through a diffuser to get different results. Give it a try sometime :)
hey Rachel, If you could choose one size of diffuser, would you recommend today a big 120 x 180cm like here, or still a 100 x 150 cm like you recommended last year?
I would recommend the 120 x 180 cm. It's such a perfect size. But the 100 x 150cm is close. If you have that one already, I am all about using gear you have.
@@Twolovesstudio not yet, but they are out of stock. So i was thinking buying the 100 x 150 that is in stock. They do have the 200 x 150, would you recommend that over a 100 x150 or is a bit to big?
Hey, I'm a complete novice so I have very basic knowledge. Why do you have the light faced in the direction of the window instead of toward the food with a diffuser in front it?
It's simply another technique to create soft light that really helps in small spaces. You can get similar results with placing a diffuser in between the food light and the food, but this does require more space and gear. This is a great option for those with small spaces. You can even bounce the light off a white wall for similar results too. Does this help?
Lovely, thank you so much Rachel! I have a question, is it wrong to place the diffuser infront of light and use that as window?
You're so welcome! Thanks for joining me. it's definitely not wrong to do this and sometimes I do. Both will give a different look. This is the look I love the most, so it's what I use. I find it's easier for beginners as you can get softer light and fewer hotspots. But you can absolutely try that too. When ti comes to lighting, there are so many options. In small spaces, this setup really helps.
@@Twolovesstudio Rachel, yesterday and the day before yesterday, I implemented a few things from this lovely class, I finally got 3 bounce boards and oh my gosh! Doing a client jam product shoot more editorial style and I fell in love with how I managed to shape my light! Your advice & tips are amazing! Will be rewatching because 🔥
It got me thinking a lot though, I have recently started doing restaurant photography, and was wondering how do you manipulate this...
1.In an open/balcony/garden restaurant [sooo much light coming in from everywhere]-[sometimes good for those large space scape shots right? :)] ?
2. In darker spaces like the kitchen, etc [with all the ambient lights]?
I'm just starting with artificial lighting, excuse me if my questions may seem obvious or silly.
Apologies if I missed this (or if this is a plain old stupid question), but I am super curious - are you simulating the setup during the daytime (as it looks to me), or is that little light so intense that it looks like daylight in your room but it's dark outside?
Happy to help. We shot this video in the daytime. The lighting *for* the video is a mix of video lighting and daylight from outside BUT the photo only contains the one strobe I am using (as shown in the video). The reason we know that is because we are killing ambient light (which I show on screen at the start of the video). Does that help?
@@Twolovesstudio Thanks! If it were nighttime or even dusk, would that one strobe be sufficient, I'm curious?
Absolutely! This strobe will work and get the same results no matter the time of day or night. That's because the photo is only being lit by the strobe. At min 06:14 you can see that I kill ambient light with my camera settings. So without the strobe the image is completely black. Which shows the photo is only being lit by the strobe. So you could photograph in pitch black and still get the same results. One thing I like about this compact strobes from Profoto is that they are powerful for their size. Hope that helps.
@@Twolovesstudio Wow!! Thank you so much! Final question (I promise) - this strobe is a bit pricy for me - are there decent alternatives, or I should ask what lumens etc do you look for in a good strobe?
How do you place the light for 45 degres scene pls ? thank you
For this setup, I do use it for 45-degree shots. Same setup, just the camera angle is different. Does that help? Think of it like a window, we are recreating window light here so you can shoot any angle.
@@Twolovesstudio OK I understand, thanks for your answer and the quality of your images 👍
@@emelineboileau5702 Great question though! I am sure others will be wondering this too.
Amazing and helpful video. I would like to buy the Profoto 10 strobe, but they no longer make it, can you please recommend the best alternative? Thankyou!
Hey Johanna, you can still get this light, it's just been replaced by the B10X. It's essentially the same light just with a few changes. Either the B10X or B10X Plus would be great options.
@@Twolovesstudio thank you. I love your teaching style. brilliant.
Will you get the same result without the sunlight ?
For example if you do your photoshoot at night.
And whether can you get the same result if you do food videography instead
Yes! As mentioned in the video, my camera settings are *killing ambient light*. Therefore the only light in the photos is coming from the flash. You would get the same results during the day as at night - which is great news.
You would need continuous light for video, but in theory you can use this same setup. Hope that helps.
Maybe someone asked, but itbis abut unclear. Are you shooting light through the diffuser into a window and using the bounce from the window as your light source through the diffuser? Or is that a wall behind the diffuser?
No worries, happy to answer. This technique uses light that is bouncing off a surface. In this case it's the diffuser and likely some of the glass behind it. Bouncing light off a white wall, white curtain or white blind will give you very similar results (which I have tested each version). Using a diffuser helps beginners understand what their natural light is doing / then using artificial to see how the light you are shaping compares. If you need continuous light for video and photo simultaneously, the diffuser in the window is a great option. Hope that helps.
Thanks for a great, well presented tutorial
Thanks Dyalan!
You are fabulous on camera, so lovely to watch - thank you for your generosity. 😁
May I ask what the adapter is that you have to attach your MIOPS to your Overhead Arm? I need to attach my strobe remote trigger to my hotshoe and seeing you use the MIOPS has me sold on getting one! Do you use any of the other MIOPS features? (e.g. sound, etc)
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's a spring clip clamp by Manfrotto 175F that has a cold shoe on it. We bought this years ago so I don't think this exact model is available but they will have a newer version. I got MIOPS because Nikon didn't have a good trigger option for the Z6 when it first came out. I have used it before to clap to take a shot.
@@Twolovesstudio thank you 😃
Thanks so much for this. Super useful 😍 would you be able to use the same set up using a continuous light or this works with flash only?
Theoretically, yes. With continuous as you know you can't kill ambient in the same way so you might have to adjust blinds in you're using it in a window. You can use this against a wall as well if you'd rather. Flash and continuous will always give slightly different looks however.
Thank you so much for posting this video! Very informative. Your lighting is always so gorgeous! What was the red thing you were triggering the shutter with? Is that your phone?
Yes it was! I use a trigger that has an app on my phone to control the camera's shutter. I've linked to it in the video caption.
@@Twolovesstudio Awesome! Thank you!
why you use diffuser , why dont you use solid white reflector ?? is it same or not??
You can absolutely use the solid white case diffusers come with and get very similar results. I've done this setup against a few solids surfaces and had good results. You can use the diffuser for something a little less powerful and it helps if you need to shoot continuous at the same time.