iPhone Photography: Capture Delicious Food Photos with Natural Lighting | Rose Nene | Skillshare

Playback Speed


1.0x


  • 0.5x
  • 0.75x
  • 1x (Normal)
  • 1.25x
  • 1.5x
  • 1.75x
  • 2x

iPhone Photography: Capture Delicious Food Photos with Natural Lighting

teacher avatar Rose Nene, Photographer and Videographer

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Class Introduction

      2:06

    • 2.

      Class Project

      2:36

    • 3.

      Food as a Subject

      1:58

    • 4.

      Food Photography Tips and Tricks

      5:38

    • 5.

      iPhone Camera Settings Checklist

      9:44

    • 6.

      Let’s Explore the iPhone Camera App

      6:42

    • 7.

      Embracing Natural Light

      4:03

    • 8.

      Essential Properties of Natural Light

      6:58

    • 9.

      Demo: Indoor Natural Lighting

      7:57

    • 10.

      Demo: Outdoor Natural Lighting

      6:31

    • 11.

      Bonus Demo: Quick Editing in the Photos App

      6:26

    • 12.

      Final Tip

      1:57

  • --
  • Beginner level
  • Intermediate level
  • Advanced level
  • All levels

Community Generated

The level is determined by a majority opinion of students who have reviewed this class. The teacher's recommendation is shown until at least 5 student responses are collected.

269

Students

12

Projects

About This Class

Imagine capturing food photos so delicious, they practically leap off the screen. What if I told you it's not only possible but incredibly simple? With just your iPhone and natural sunlight, you'll discover the secrets to crafting images that tantalize the taste buds and leave viewers craving a bite. In this class, you’ll not only learn iPhone photography but also unlock the magic of natural light and how to capture delicious food photos. :)

Hi, I’m Rose, and I’m food and product photographer :) What began as a simple hobby has grown into something truly special for me. I noticed an opportunity to help small businesses by capturing the essence of their food and products through photography. Through gigs and workshops, I’ve made it my mission to share the beauty of food and product photography.

In this class though, I'm keeping things simple. I'll be leaving all my professional gear at home and heading to my favorite restaurant armed with just my iPhone and the natural light from the sun. This class is all about creating delicious food photos using the simplest and most accessible method. Because let's be honest, while DSLR photos are nice, not everyone has access to them. Plus, they can be a bit conspicuous. With your phone, you can focus on your art without drawing too much attention.

What you'll learn:

  • How to photograph food as a subject.
  • My top three food photography tips and tricks.
  • iPhone camera settings checklist for professional looking food photos.
  • How to make the most of the iPhone built in camera app and features.
  • How to cultivate an eye for natural light.
  • Essential properties of natural light.
  • Step-by-step demonstration of capturing mouth-watering food photos using an iPhone and natural light, both indoors and outdoors.

This class is for everyone, whether you're just starting out or wanting to level up your skills. You don't need any previous experience—just an eagerness to learn, experiment, and discover new techniques. All you'll need is your iPhone and a window to shoot your food. You can even join in from your favorite restaurant for our class project. I hope to see you in class! :)

Meet Your Teacher

Teacher Profile Image

Rose Nene

Photographer and Videographer

Top Teacher

Hi there! I'm Rose, and I'm here to help you level up your photography and videography game. With a background in events, food, and product photography, I've been through it all, including those times I made mistakes and invested in gear and props that ended up collecting dust.

My mission is to share all those valuable lessons with you, so you can avoid the pitfalls and fast-track your skills. Whether you're an aspiring photographer or videographer, my experience can be your guide. In my classes, I offer you all the wisdom I've gathered, guiding you through avoiding common mistakes and mastering essential techniques to enhance your photography and videography skills. :)


Why I teach?

I believe that education makes the w... See full profile

Level: All Levels

Class Ratings

Expectations Met?
    Exceeded!
  • 0%
  • Yes
  • 0%
  • Somewhat
  • 0%
  • Not really
  • 0%

Why Join Skillshare?

Take award-winning Skillshare Original Classes

Each class has short lessons, hands-on projects

Your membership supports Skillshare teachers

Learn From Anywhere

Take classes on the go with the Skillshare app. Stream or download to watch on the plane, the subway, or wherever you learn best.

Transcripts

1. Class Introduction: Imagine capturing food photos so delicious they practically leap off the screen. What if I told you, it's not only possible but incredibly simple. With just your iPhone and natural sunlight, you'll unlock the secrets to crafting images that tantalize the taste buds and leave your viewers craving abide. Hi, I'm Rose, and I'm fortunate to live in one of the most stunning tourist destination in the Philippines. Surrounded by a wide variety of food products and diverse cuisines. It's like a food photographer's paradise. What began as a simple hobby has grown into something truly special for me. I noticed an opportunity to help small businesses by capturing the essence of their food and products through photography. T hugh gigs and workshops, I've made it my mission to share the beauty of food photography. In this class, though, I'm keeping things simple. I'll be leaving all my professional gear at home and heading to my favorite restaurant, armed with just my iPhone and the natural light from the sun. This class is all about creating delicious food photos using the simplest and most accessible method. Because let's be honest. While these LR photos are nice, not everyone has access to them, plus they can be a bit conspicuous. With your iPhone, you can focus on your art without drawing too much attention. Since we're focusing on simplicity, that's how I've designed the class two. We'll cover a few food photography tips and tricks, make sure your iPhone is set up for shooting, and then dive into the magic of natural lighting. I'll take you along as a experiment and capture mouth watering food photos for my class project. This class is perfect for everyone, whether you're just starting out or wanting to level up your skills. You don't need any previous experience, just an eagerness to learn, experiment and discover new techniques. All you'll need is your iPhone and a window to shoot your food. You can even join in from your favorite restaurant for our class project. Speaking of which, I'm super excited to share it with you in the next lesson. So let's jump in and get started. 2. Class Project: So, why am I stepping out of my comfort zone and leaving my beloved mariss camera behind for this class? Well, I realized that not everyone has access to a professional camera gear like I do. Most people are working with just their phones and natural light. And you know what? That's more than enough to create stunning and mouthwatering food photos. I've spent years cultivating my craft with my mirrorless camera and favorite artificial lighting setup, helping small businesses showcase their food products in the best possible light and sharing my expertise through classes here on scale share. But after seeing your feedback and class projects, I knew it was time to do something different. I took inspiration from Lucy Lambrix's class about Peculiar prompts to find your flow as a creative, highly recommended, by the way, and decided to downgrade my tools a bit for the sake of art. And let me tell you it's been eye opening. So for a couple of months now, I've been photographing food and other subjects for personal projects using just my iPhone and natural light. Here are a few photos from this experiment. Now, I want to share this life changing experience with you. My goal in this class is to equip you with the skills to capture beautiful mouthwatering food photos using only your phone and natural light. The key is grasping the basics of food photography and harnessing the beauty of natural light. It's all about embracing simplicity and letting your creativity shine. Now, let's talk about our class project. We'll be photographing our favorite dishes using our iPhones and natural light. It may sound simple, but the real magic happens when you harness the power of your tiny yet mighty camera and the natural light around you. And don't worry. I'll be there every step of the way to share my tips, tricks, and insights into my own creative process. You can also download this class project guide to help get your creative use flowing. There's no right or wrong way to do this. It's all about experimenting, learning and growing as a photographer. Once you've completed your project, feel free to share it in the class project gallery and spread some love and feedback to your fellow classmates. After all, we're all here to support each other and grow together as a creative community. So whether you want to work on your project alongside the lessons or tackle it at your own pace, the choice is yours. I can't wait to see what you create. In the meantime, I'll see you in the next lesson. 3. Food as a Subject: You remember watching a celebrity interview where she mentioned that her pet peeve is taking photos of food. It's funny because I'm the total opposite. I love capturing those delicious moments. If you're here, chances are you do too. But hey, we're all unique individuals, right? Still, have you ever wondered why people enjoy taking photos of food? Well, it's not just about showing off how tasty a meal looks. It's about preserving memories and sharing experiences with others. Whether it's capturing a homemade masterpiece, documenting a special moment or discovering new culinary wonders, food photography is a joyful and creative way to express ourselves. Plus, sharing those mouthwatering photos on social media, lets us connect with fellow food enthusiasts and celebrate the rich diversity of food cultures around the world. That's why I'm so passionate about it. I just love taking photos of food. But here's the thing. My early attempts at food photography weren't exactly Instagram worthy. Let me show you a few cringy examples. Despite my dishes looking appetizing in reality, my photos didn't quite capture that same magic. It turns out there's a real technique to photographing food. It's not as straightforward as taking selfies, though. Those are fun too. So when we are photographing food, our main goal is to make the dish look as tempting and irresistible as possible. So we pay attention to how it's plated, making sure it's arranged in an enticing or inviting manner. We need to use good lighting to bring out the colors and textures and focus on highlighting the key elements of the dish. Getting creative with our compositions, aiming to capture the true essence of the food. Remember, our photo should evoke cravings and inspire others to try out the dish for themselves. Now, let's dive into some practical tips to achieve this in our next lesson. I'll see you there. 4. Food Photography Tips and Tricks: Being a food photographer brings some funny moments, like when my friends and family joke about and following me on social media because my food photos are so tempting. They say they either end up craving the food and breaking their diets or feeling bad for not having it. My response, well, if my photos make them feel that way, then I'm doing my job right. From my not so Instagram worthy shots in the past to the ones that now land me photography gigs. I've learned plenty of tricks to make food mouth watering in photos. Though teaching them all could take hours, which I actually did in my other classes here. In this class, I want to share my top three tips when photographing food. So let's start with tip number one, finding the right lighting. In food photography, our main goal is to make viewers crave the dish just by looking at the photo. Since they can't taste it, we need to tantalize their taste buds through visual cues, particularly by highlighting the textures and delicious details of the food. And that's where lighting and angles come into play. Proper lighting is essential for bringing out the textures and colors of the food. The great news is natural light from the sun works wonders. Let's take this juicy orange as an example. I wanted to showcase its juiciness and texture. I opted for direct afternoon sunlight by capturing the photo at a three quarters angle from the shadows area and shooting directly onto the light. I was able to capture the glow and really emphasize the juiciness of the orange. To show the difference, I also photographed it in the opposite way where I shot it from the front, where the light is coming from. It's a decent looking photo. It's slight and bright. But for me, the one with back lighting has more texture, color and depth, and is more compelling. Don't worry, we will expand this process later in the lighting lessons. Moving on, next step is to focus on composition. Think of arranging your food as an art form. Pay close attention to how everything is placed in the frame. It's not just about tossing things around randomly. Whether it's your ingredients, props, or other elements in the scene, each placement should be intentional and thoughtfully considered. For instance, let's say you're photographing a vibrant salad. Instead of simply dumping the ingredients into the bowl, think about arranging the colorful veggies in an attractive manner. Just like what I did here, cutting the lettuce leaves, carrots, and tomatoes in uniform sizes, and arranging them to create a natural pattern. By giving each ingredient its own space and arranging them thoughtfully, the salad looked inviting and visually striking. You can also incorporate props like table napkins, utensils, saucers, and extra ingredients to add context and texture to your composition. As you work on your class project, ask yourself how you can arrange the food and the scene to make the main dish stand out and evoke a craving in your viewers. Think about color combinations, props as leading lines, and include elements that spark the imagination and draw the viewer's eye to the focal point of the photo. The fun part. You can also use lighting as an additional composition element to your photos. You can use it as a leading line, a frame, or a layer to a texture and interest. Tip number three is all about storytelling through styling. Think about the story you want to tell. Consider incorporating elements or props that deepen the narrative and evoke emotions. You can start by showcasing the freshness, colors and textures of the ingredients, arranging them to emphasize their natural beauty. Then add garnishes, sauces and additional props that elevate the presentation and inject visual intrigue into your composition. You can also show the process of preparing the dish or include props that transport viewers into the heart of the kitchen. You can take inspiration from my pancake photo series where I captured each step of creating chocolate pancakes to narrate the story visually. By investing time on styling and storytelling, you can create food photos that not only look visually stunning, but also resonate with your audience on a deeper level. And here's a bonus tip for selecting props. Choose items that complement the food and enhance your storytelling. Whether it's rustic wooden boards for a cozy vibe or sleek utensils for a modern feel. Each prop should contribute to the overall narrative of your photo. Take this dish, for example. Without any supporting props, it looks a bit lonely, doesn't it? But just a bit of prop styling made a huge difference by adding sauce, dried flowers, a bowl of soup, utensils, and a glass of water, the dish comes to life. Compare the before and after. The styled version looks much more inviting and tells a story of someone about to savor this delicious meal. Whether you're cooking up your favorite dish at home or heading out there, go to restaurant, remember these tips when capturing those mouth watering moments. I've even created an acronym to guide you through the process, LCS, which stands for lighting, composition, and storytelling. So first, focus on finding the best lighting for your shot. Next, arrange your scene in a way that creates a captivating composition, and finally, add those finishing touches to truly bring your food stories to live. To recap, L for lighting, C for composition, and S for story telling. In the next lesson, we'll make sure your iPhone camera is ready for food photography. See you there. 5. iPhone Camera Settings Checklist: Now that you've got a handful of food photography tips and tricks, it's time to make the most of your iPhone camera. But first, let's give credit where it's due and marvel at the incredible technology packed into our iPhones. Did you know that iPhones are equipped with advanced camera systems? They boast high resolution sensors, fancy image processing, and even optical image stabilization. I won't dive into the technical jargon, but basically, these features team up to capture stunningly clear, detailed and colorful images, even in challenging lighting conditions. Pretty cool, right? What's more? Modern iPhone models come with multiple lens options from wide to ultra wide and telephoto lenses. You've got a range of choices to capture food from different angles and distances. This flexibility lets you get creative compositions and showcase the delicious details of your dishes. So rest assured your iPhone is more than capable of creating drool worthy food photos. So How do we make the most of these impressive settings. In this lesson, I'll walk you through a checklist to ensure your iPhone camera is ready for food photography action. While it's not mandatory to follow every step religiously, this checklist provides a handy guide for those who may be unsure about setting up their iPhone camera for optimal results. To give you a little motivation, let me show you a few before and after photos that highlight the difference being mindful of iPhone camera settings and features can make. First up, keep your iPhone camera lens clean. Imagine this. Just wiping my camera lens with a clean soft clot made a difference. The second photo looks clear and sharper showing all the delicious details. Ex is being mindful of the exposure settings. We'll play around with the exposure slider later, but for now, check out these before and after photos. The first one looks dull and flat. While the second one taken with the best exposure settings looks vibrant and lively. Next, simply tapping to focus. It's a simple step that can make or break an image. Just look at the difference it makes in these photos. Finally, experimenting with the iPhone camera lens. Trying out different lenses can give you different results, as you can see in these examples. So what's the point of all this? These before and after photos show white's worth taking the time to understand and be mindful of your iPhone camera settings. Don't worry, I won't get to technical. I'll explain each setting as quickly and simply as possible. So let's dive in. In this lesson, I'll be using my iPhone 15 and cross checking settings on my husband's iPhone 11 P mats. Let's start by going to settings, then camera. We'll skip the video settings and go directly to formats. You might wonder why start with formats. Well, configuring the right formats in your iPhone camera settings is important because it allows you to capture high quality photos while efficiently managing storage space and ensuring compatibility with different devices and platforms. It's a simple but essential step to improve your photography experience on your iPhone. In the format section, you'll come across options for camera capture and photo capture. If you're using older iPhone models, you'll see camera capture settings. Here you can choose between high efficiency or HE IF format and most compatible or the JPEG format. Now, which option should you go for? If you plan to edit your photos later on, it's generally a good idea to select the most compatible format, which is JPEG for iPhones. JPEG files are widely accepted and can be easily opened and edited in various photo editing software such as Light room for mobile. Light room provides extensive editing features for JPEG files, allowing you to adjust exposure, color, contrast, and more without significant loss of quality. Moreover, JP files are smaller in size compared to formats like HEIF making them simpler to handle and share. They also demand less processing power and storage space, which is great when dealing with a lot of photos in your editing application. In photo mode, most iPhones default to 12 mega pixels. When you take a photo in 12 MP mode, the camera grabs images with a resolution of 12 million pixels. This resolution works well for everyday photography and sharing on social media. It strikes a good balance between image quality and file size. If you choose the 24 megapixel option, you're opting for higher resolution. This means the camera captures more details, resulting in larger image files. As a result, you get sharper details, especially when you zoom in. Since each image contains more pixels, the file sales will be bigger. So ensure your device has enough storage space. Additionally, if you plan to print your photos or need high quality images for professional purposes, 24 mega pixels can deliver better results. If you have the pro version of the newer iPhones, you'll have the option for pro raw, which allows you to take raw photos on your iPhone. This is great because it preserves more image data, providing greater flexibility and control in post processing or editing. With higher image quality, better dynamic range, and finer details compared to standard formats like JPEG or HEIF P R enables you to capture the visual appeal of dishes with professional level results. I have a mirror less camera that can shoot raw, which is why I initially chose the iPhone 15. However, I am now considering upgrading to the pro version in my next iPhone upgrade because of this feature. But even if you don't have the iPhone pro models, you can still enable resolution control. Where your main camera can take photos at a whopping four to eight mega pixels. This means incredibly detailed images with more pixels, perfect for situations where you want to capture every new ones. However, it's important to note that higher resolution doesn't always guarantee better photos. Just like what I shared in the previous lesson, factors like lighting, composition, and storytelling play a significant role. But having this massive resolution is super beneficial, especially if you plan to print your food photos. Next, let's head back to camera settings and navigate to preserve settings. Personally, I like to turn on all the options here because it allows me to preserve certain camera settings between different camera sessions. When this feature is enabled, it ensures that specific settings you've chosen remain the same the next time you open the camera app. This is especially important for me, particularly the exposure adjustment setting. If you've manually adjusted the exposure or the brightness level using the exposure slider in the camera app, enabling preserved settings will keep this exposure adjustment for subsequent photos tape. I preserving these settings, you can maintain your preferred camera configurations and shooting modes across different camera sessions. This saves you time and effort from having to readjust them every time you open the camera app. It's a convenient feature for those of us who frequently use specific camera settings or shooting modes and want to ensure consistency in our photography experience on our iPhones. Now, for the final part of this rather lengthy lesson, let's revisit the camera settings once more. This time, navigate to composition. Here, you have the option to turn on the grid, level, mirror, front camera. And view outside the frame. While we won't be using the mirror front camera since we're not taking selfies, it's crucial to have the grid and level turned on. These features can greatly assist you with framing and composition, ensuring that your photos are well balanced and aligned. As for the view outside the frame option, it's a matter of personal preference. Some may find it helpful while others might find it distracting. Ultimately, the decision to enable this feature is up to you and what works best for your photography style. Moving on to the next section under photo capture, we have photography styles. Portraits in photo mode, prioritize faster shooting and lens correction. Personally, I don't use any predefined photography styles because I prefer to manually edit all my photos for a natural yet polished look. So I'll skip this option. I do, however, enable portraits in photo mode. This feature allows you to capture photos with a blurred background and professional looking lighting effects directly from your iPhone camera. It's perfect for achieving delicious results with depth and visual impact. As for the priority of faster shooting, I keep this option off since we'll be photographing food and not fast moving subjects like sports or wildlife. By disabling this option, the camera prioritizes accuracy over speed, resulting in more precise auto focus, exposure calculation, and image processing for each shot. This is particularly beneficial for stillf photography like food photography, where capturing the perfect moment is more important than shooting speed. Finally, I enable lens correction. This feature helps improve the overall appearance of your photos by correcting optical distortions commonly associated with wide angle lenses. If you frequently shoot with wide angle lenses or notice noticeable, distortions in your photos. It's recommended to keep lens correction enabled to ensure your images are as accurate and true to life as possible. Oh, I know that's a lot for a checklist, but don't worry, you only need to set this up once, and then you can just tweak a few settings as you progress in your iPhone food photography journey. But wait, we're not done yet. In the next lesson, we will explore the camera app, see you there. 6. Let’s Explore the iPhone Camera App: Now that we've covered the camera settings checklist, let's dive into the built in camera app on our iPhones. Well, you can use third party camera apps if you prefer for this lesson, we'll focus on getting the most out of the built in camera app. I'll be using my iPhone 15 and also checking settings on my husband's iPhone 11 P max to show you how to make the most of it. When you launch the camera app, here's what you'll see on older models compared to newer ones. Not much has changed. The main difference are the missing cinematic mode for videos, and the JP Max, which is the 48 megapixel resolution on the iPhone 11. When you tap on the tiny arrow pointing down, you'll see a variety of options. The only one missing on my husband's iPhone 11 is the white balance option. The rest looks the same. Let's start exploring. Let's start with the settings and features when you press the down arrow button. First, you have the option to set the flash to auto on or off. Since we are utilizing natural light, we'll leave this off. Next is the live feature where you can capture sharp photos of moving subjects. Since we are taking photos of food, we can just turn this off. Next, you have the option to take photos using standard, rich contrast, vibrant, warm and cool. We also have the option to set the tone and warmth here at the bottom. I personally like to edit my photos manually, so I'm leaving this at standard. Next is the aspect ratio. You have the options 443 square, and 16 by nine. Again, I'm leaving it at standard four by three because it's more balanced for me. Next is the exposure slider. Here you can increase or decrease brightness, depending on how you want your photos to look and depending on the lighting condition. You also have a timer feature here. You can use it for lifestyle photos where you want to include your hands or yourself in your food photos. You can set it to three or 10 seconds. Last icon here is for different filters. So you have original, vivid vivid warm, vivid, cool, dramatic dramatic warm, dramatic cool, silver tone, and war. I'm sure there are moments where you can use and maximize these filters, but since we're photographing food, I will keep things looking natural and stick with the original. And that's it for the settings that you can adjust here on the camera app. On the left hand side, you also have the shortcut for a flash and for adjusting the exposure. Remember the resolution control that we turned on from settings earlier. That's why you can see the JP Max here on the right hand side. If you don't want the maximum 48 megapixel resolution, you can just turn this off. You can also turn the live photo option on or off here. Most of the time I have this off except for when I'm photographing motion like poor shots and sprinkles. Now, let's get ready to really take photos. So let's see the magic that we can do here in the camera app. First, you have the tap to set focus and exposure. This allows for you to manually control exposure levels by tapping on different areas of the frame. To use this feature, simply tap on the screen at the desired focus point. The iPhone will adjust both focus and exposure based on the tapped area. You can tap on the brightest and darkest areas of the scene to balance exposure and ensure proper brightness throughout the image. Apart from tap to set exposure, you also have the exposure compensation feature. To access exposure compensation controls on the iPhone camera app, tap on the screen to set focus, then swipe up or down to adjust exposure manually. When you're happy with your exposure, you can take a photo. You also have the option to lock your focus and exposure by pressing and holding the focus point until the AE AF lock indicator appears. This locks both focus and exposure settings, ensuring that they remain constant, even as you recompose the shot, blocking exposure helps ensure consistent brightness through your photo session, resulting in more uniform and professional looking images. Next, let's talk about the lenses. On most iPhones, you have the options for wide standard and telephoto. The wide lens gives you a super wide view, capturing a lot in one shot. It's great for big scenes, group photos, and when you want to show more in your picture. The exact focal length can vary, but it's usually around 12 to 13 millimeters equivalent if you're used to old school film cameras. The wide lens also has a larger aperture, meaning smaller F number, so it lets in more light, which is awesome for low light situations. When should you use the wide lens? Well, whenever you want to show off, lots of space and context. Next up is the standard lens. This one gives you a view that's close to what your eyes naturally see. It's not too wide or too zoomed in. Just balance. It's usually around 26 to 28 millimeters equivalent, which is kind of like the normal view for photography. The standard lens often has a moderate aperture, so it works well in different lighting situations. This lens will likely be your go to for taking foot portals because it's so versatile. Finally, we have the telephoto lens. This lens gives you a closer look at your subject without having to move physically closer. It has a narrower field, the few compared to the wide and standard lenses. Typically, it's around 52 millimeters equivalent or even longer, depending on your iPhone model. Newer models might offer longer telephoto ranges. The telephoto lens usually has a smaller aperture, meaning higher F number, which means it lets in less light, but still performs well in good lighting. It's great for capturing detailed shots from a distance and for creating that beautiful blurred background effect or what we call bouquet. This lens is my favorite for taking mouthwatering food photos because it lets you focus on the details and texture. Pro iPhone models may also come with extra lenses like ultra wide or macro lenses giving you even more creative options. Each lens type has its unique benefits, depending on what you want to capture and the perspective you want in your food photos. I know it can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but the key here is practice. The more you play around with these buttons and take photos, the better you'll get. Your iPhone photography skills will improve and you'll be capturing delicious food photos in no time. In the next lesson, we'll move on to our next tool natural lighting. See there. 7. Embracing Natural Light: Earlier, I showed you before and after photos highlighting the impact of iPhone camera settings. Now, let's explore the difference good lighting can make. The first photo was taken inside a restaurant at night, using only artificial light and candle light. The second photo was taken outside the same restaurant during breakfast with plenty of natural light. I took it under a big white tent, which acted as a diffuser providing soft natural lighting for my breakfast. The colors are more vibrant and the food looks more appetizing and delicious. As you can see, even sunlight is an excellent light source, and it's the perfect match for our most accessible camera, our iPhones. Even though natural light is free, it doesn't mean that it's not amazing. In fact, it's magical. If you take your time, you'll be amazed at what natural lighting can do. But before we dive into the details of natural light, let's answer a big question. Why is lighting so important in iPhone photography, food photography, and photography in general. And why is sunlight such a great light source? Good lighting ensures that your subject is well lit and clearly visible. Too little light can make images dark and grainy while too much light can wash out details. But it's such as about illuminating our subjects. Lighting sets the mood and atmosphere of a photo. Soft diffused light can create a calm and serene feeling while harsh direct light can evoke drama and intensity. The right lighting can make food look appetizing and appealing by highlighting textures and colors. Since we are using an iPhone, which has smaller sensors compared to a professional camera, wood lighting is crucial to produce clear and sharp images. Proper lighting creates shadows and highlights that add depth and dimension to the subject, making it appear three dimensional rather than flat. This helps in creating a sense of space and realism in the image. Sunlight is a fantastic light source because it creates gentle shadows and highlights adding depth and dimension two food compositions. It brings out the crispness of vegetables, the flakiness of pastries, and the glistening of sauces. Making them look more appealing. With a full spectrum of colors, natural light allows for accurate color reproduction, showcasing food in its most flattering and appetizing form. How do we take advantage of natural light as an accessible but beautiful light source for our food photos? My top tip is to cultivate an eye for natural light. This means really understanding how to observe light itself. Observing light isn't just about seeing it. It's about carefully studying how it behaves and interacts with its surroundings. Observe natural lighting in different times of day. Notice how the morning light looks and how it makes you feel compared to the afternoon light. See how photos differ when the light is direct versus indirect, creating softer shadows. This careful observation is key to mastering light in photography, not just food photography. It's not just about technical skills. It's about using the art of observation to create beautiful visual stories. By understanding how light interacts with your subject and environment, you can elevate your food photography and capture moments that resonate with your viewers, even if you're just using an iPhone. In summary, lighting is not just about showing off details and textures in your food photos. It's also about provoking an emotional response. So keep this in mind when you work on your class project later on. Think beyond technicalities. Consider how you want your viewers to feel and what story you want to tell through your images. By infusing your photography with emotion, you can create images that captivates your viewers. To do this, we need to cultivate an eye for natural light and understand its qualities and potential, and that's exactly what we are going to unpack in the next lesson. See you there. 8. Essential Properties of Natural Light: The key to creating delicious food photos lies in understanding the different qualities of light. When you're taking photos, you have the power to create different moods and tell different stories simply by playing with the lighting. Let me break it down for you by sharing three essential properties of light that you can study and apply in your class project. Let's start with light quality and its impact on food photography, specifically focusing on the distinction between hard and soft light. First, let's quickly define these terms. Hard light refers to direct sunlight hitting your subject. Typically on a sunny day without any obstructions. In contrast, soft lighting occurs when the sunlight is diffused or scattered often by clouds or other objects, resulting in a gentle illumination. Hard light is characterized by its punchy dramatic effect and high contrast. It accentuates textures, creates strong shadows, and adds dimension to your images. Utilizing hard light can infuse your photographs with energy and draw the viewer's attention by introducing unexpected visual elements. For example, I use direct and harsh sunlight to enhance the vibrancy of this sumerging. Matching its lively and vibrant atmosphere. When working with hard light, it's important to leave ample space between your subjects to allow shadows to form naturally. Additionally, consider the angle of the sunlight as lower angle, such as in the afternoon can result in longer shadows. Opposite to hard light is soft light. Soft light offers gentle and soothing illumination, creating a serene atmosphere in your photos. Unlike hard light, soft light produces subtle transitions between highlights and shadows, resulting in a smoother and more even appearance. In food photography, soft light can enhance the appearance of dishes by delicately wrapping around the subject and smoothing out any uneven surfaces. This softening effect adds a flattering and appetizing quality to the image. Like what happened to my breakfast photo earlier, where a white tent acted as a diffuser and created a gentle soft lighting. If you're shooting near a window, you can use a shear curtain or a blanket to act as a diffuser to soften the light coming from outside. If you're shooting outdoors, timing it on an overcast, they can provide naturally soft and diffused light. Or you can shoot under the shade away from direct sunlight. By harnessing the gentle qualities of soft light, you can create photos with a sense of tranquility and elegance, elevating the visual appeal of your dishes. Next to light quality is light direction. Understanding and manipulating light direction allows you to create compelling and dynamic images. What I will be sharing here are just guidelines, though. The key here is to experiment. Subtle adjustments such as changing your position or the angle of the light source can dramatically alter the look and feel of your photos. For example, front lighting illuminates the subject directly from the front, creating evenly lit images with minimal shadows. This approach is ideal for showcasing details and textures without harsh shadows, making it well suited for certain types of food photography. On the other hand, side lighting introduces depth and dimension to your photos by casting shadows across the subject. This technique adds visual interest and can highlight textures and shapes, particularly in subjects with intricate details. Meanwhile, back lighting involves positioning the light source behind your subject, creating a dramatic silhouette effect or adding a halo like glow around the edges. Back lighting can evoke mood and atmosphere, lending a sense of warmth and ambience to your photographs. This is probably my favorite lighting direction because it provides structure to subjects, creating depth and dimmention in the photograph, similar to how scenes are lit and cinema. Plus it guides the viewer's eyes through the intentional placement of brighter areas in the frame. For me, it has more depth and visual appeal. But that's just my personal preference. I might say this too often in this class, but the key here really is to experiment. Move around, change your position, adjust your camera angle, and reposition the foot itself. You can even change the location where you shoot your foot to find the best spot by experimenting with different light directions, front side, and back lighting, you can unlock the full creative potential of food photography and enhance the visual impact of your foot photos. Each lighting direction offers unique strengths and can be tailored to complement different types of food subjects, allowing you to capture captivating photos that resonate with your viewers. Next, let's talk about light color. Yes. Light, even natural light from the sun has different colors. Think about when you walk into a room early in the morning or late in the afternoon on a sny day. Notice how the ambience changes. In the afternoon, sunlight may cast warm golden tones, giving the room a cozy feel. In the morning or on overcast days, the light may appear cooler, resulting in bluish or grayish hues. Understanding the color of light is super important because it influences the mood and atmosphere of the image. Warm light can evoke feelings of coziness and intimacy, ideal for capturing intimate or indoor scenes. On the other hand, cool light can convey a sense of calmness or serenity. Additionally, mastering the interplay of light color can enhance your creative expression. Understanding these variations can help you choose the best time and setting for your food photos, adding another layer of depth and mood to your images. In summary, you can harness the potential of natural light by studying, understanding, and experimenting with its properties, such as light quality, direction and color. Of course, there are more factors that affect how natural light behaves like surfaces, reflectors and light shapers. But what I've shared in this lesson is a great starting point. As you progress, you can experiment with different techniques. Remember, these are just tools at your disposal. You have the power to adjust, manipulate or even disregard them entirely based on your artistic vision. Ultimately, it's your unique perspective, shaped by your experiences and preferences that will shine through in your work. Now, when working on your class project, and as you continue on this journey, think about how you want your viewers to feel and what impression you want to leave them with. After all, photography is not just about capturing light. It's about capturing emotions and stories. Speaking of which in the next video, we will put everything into practice. I'll bring you along with me as I take delicious photos in my favorite restaurant using just my iPhone and natural light. See you there. 9. Demo: Indoor Natural Lighting : Now that we've covered my tough food photography tips, fine tuned our iPhone camera settings, and explore natural lighting. It's time to put theory into practice. Remember the class project guide I shared. In this session, I'll guide you through my step by step process as I tackle my own project. You'll see firsthand how I apply everything we've discussed to capture mouthwatering food photos. To add an extra dash of excitement, at least for me, I'll be heading to one of my favorite restaurants conveniently located just a few steps away from our condo unit. And for today's demo, I have a special guest training me, my Toddler. Don't worry, though, he has been briefed about the shoot and promise to behave. So you might catch glimpses of him popping in and out of the frame, adding a sprinkle of spontaneity or session. I chose this restaurant for my class project, not only because it's a personal favorite, but also because of its abundant natural light. Nearly all the tables inside are positioned beside large windows, creating an ideal setting for food photography. However, I anticipate challenges with artificial lighting, which may introduce mixed lighting, shadows and color cast into my photos. Nevertheless, I'm eager to explore creative solutions. I will also take advantage of their outdoor tables and chairs to get pure natural light and explore a more natural environment. This place holds special dishes close to my heart. To prepare, I scouted their Instagram and consulted with the staff to identify the most photogenic options. Their recommendations include the parmigiano pizza, pasta Ale vgle, and signature tall drinks. Now, let's delve into the step by step process of capturing these images. First step is finding the right spot. Like I mentioned earlier, nearly all the tables inside are positioned beside large windows. I tried to do a few test shots to find the best pot where I will set up my scene and do my class project. Almost all the tables are beside a window with abundant lighting, but I chose this spot because of the beautiful texture and detail of the wall. After finding my spot, I went ahead and placed my order. I also asked the restaurant staff if it's possible to prepare the food and bring it out one at a time. So I have enough time to photograph each dish. After a few minutes, the pizza is ready. So the next step is to set up my shot. So basically, place your dish on the table and consider the background. Make sure it's not too cluttered or distracting. As you can see, there are a lot of things that are already on the table. So I decided to remove most of it. Next step is to consider composition and styling. I tried using some of the items that are already in the table to style my shot like the placemat, table napkin, utensils, and dried flowers. Next step is to frame your shot. Think about how you want to frame your photo. Do you want to include the entire dish or do you want to zoom in on a specific detail? Play around with framing to find what works best for your composition. For me, I tried showing the entire pizza with the props. But I also tried zooming in on the details. These are good images in general, but I want to experiment and take more photos to see which angle will show more delicious details and texture. So let's proceed with step five, adjusting your angle. I tried experimenting with different angles to find the most flattering one for our dish. I tried shooting from above. And at a three quarters angle. I also removed the rest of the props and focused on the pizza. It's nice, but I want to see more texture, so I will try shooting from the shadow area which leads me to step six. Adjust for lighting. Basically, keep an eye on how the natural light is hitting or illuminating your dish. I've been taking photos using the side lighting, so I moved and try taking photos using back lighting. For me, this is the best lighting direction so far. But I'm not so sure about this background. So I will try a different angle and capture the wall in the background. This is my favorite shot so far, and I'm happy with the simple setup, the lighting and the background. Let's move on to the final step. Capture the moment and enjoy the process. Take your time and experiment with different settings on your iPhone. To get the best shot possible. But most importantly, have fun with it and enjoy the process. For me, I tried experimenting with my exposure and different lens options. I also tried removing the placemat to see if using the table as background is better. I also tried to get really close to the subject and show details using the telephoto lens. In the end, I decided to put the placemat back because it actually complemented the pizza and the green window. Next, I followed the same steps with the pasta and the drinks. I experimented with the lighting, props, the angles, and made adjustments. I really love the Italian brick wall as a background, but I noticed that it gives a warm color cast onto the food. Basically, the natural light from outside is bouncing off the wall and giving my subject a warm light instead of neutral. And since we're all about experimenting here, I also tried photographing the pasta on the other table far away from the colorful brick wall. To show you a comparison, here's the photo near and away from the brick wall. It's subtle, but you'll notice that the one photographed far away from the colorful brick wall looks more neutral. I also changed the props to match the b. It's nice, but I can't help but notice the reflection of the artificial lights on the ten seals and the table. Although it's not very prominent, I also notice the effects of mixed lighting. To try and resolve this, I tried moving the subject closer to the natural light source. And here's the result. It's nice, but again, you can still see the reflection of the restaurant's artificial light. My solution is to take extreme close up shots of the pasta. Good thing, we have the telephoto lens to do this. From this demo, we learned a lot about how natural light behaves indoors. The quality and intensity of natural light indoors can vary depending on factors such as window size, distance, room orientation, and surrounding architecture. But we were able to troubleshoot and maximize the available natural light indoors. In case you didn't notice, I always positioned the food near the window so I can optimize the available natural light. I also experimented with different shooting angles and compositions to make sure we bring out the texture and delicious details of the food. Again, here are my favorite photos from this indoor shoot using my iPhone and natural light from the restaurants window. While I'm satisfied with these photos, I'm curious to explore shooting outdoors and harnessing pure natural lighting without any color cast from the restaurants walls and artificial lighting. Let's give it a try and I'll see you in the next demo. 10. Demo: Outdoor Natural Lighting: In this demo, I wanted to experiment with direct sunlight since it's the afternoon and the sun is starting to lower. I also aim to utilize the lush grinary as a natural backdrop. Additionally, I've noticed sunlight filtering through the leaves, offering each hand to add another layer of interest to my images. So again, the first step is to find the perfect spot, grab our food, and head outside. I started with the drinks this time because it's made of fresh fruits and changing its appearance so fast, so I had to hurry. For this shot, I wanted to take advantage of the greenery in the background to add a sense of freshness and complement the drinks. Although the greenery in the background is nice, I noticed that the light being captured in the background is too bright. So I tried experimenting with the portrait mode to add more blur or bouquet in the background. And here's the result. I had a chance to photograph the pizza inside, so I just took a few shots outside to show you a comparison between indoor and outdoor natural lighting later. For the pasta, I started with indirect lighting in the shade at the top view angle showing the entire dish and its surroundings. I tried the same angle, but this time using the telephoto lens. This shot for me is better because it focuses more on the dish, showing more texture and details. I also tried photographing it at a three quarters angle using the same telephoto lens. I love the balance in this photo. You can see the details and texture, but you can also see the surroundings. The three quarter angle also adds that inviting feel to it. Next, I wanted to experiment with direct lighting. I also wanted to try playing with sunlight filtering through tree branches and leaves. I love the dynamic interplay of light and shadows created by the sunlight filtering through tree branches and leaves in this photo. For me, it creates a captivating composition that evokes a sense of mood and atmosphere. The outdoor shoot was really fun, but we got hungry, so we took a break to enjoy these delicious meals. Don't worry, we're not done yet. Around 530 in the afternoon, we went outside again, and I ordered another dish to photograph during the golden hours. The golden hours in photography refer to the period shortly after sunrise, and just before sunset when the light is soft, warm and diffused. I'm sure you've heard that the golden hours produce unique and flattering lighting qualities. The light during these times has a warm golden hue that can enhance skin tones and add a beautiful glow, two landscapes and portraits. But we'll see the effect on food. They recommended this dish because of its colorful ingredients, perfect for food photography. It's a pan grilled chili and sea bass filet with a rich tomato and fresh herbs sauce served with buttery mashed potatoes. Good thing I was full when this dish arrived because it looked so yummy. If I was hungry, I would have rushed through photographing it. I also noticed how fast the golden light was disappearing. So I didn't have much time to style my scene, but that's okay because the dish looked beautiful on its own. I also tried photographing it using the telephoto lens for an extreme close up. And here's the result. The golden light created a sense of warmth and comfort. The warm tones beautifully highlighted the textures of the food. Bringing out the details in a way that made the ingredients feel almost touchable and real. But what I love most about the golden glow is how it can evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminding me of late summer evenings. This light doesn't just enhance the visual appeal of the photos. It adds a heartfelt emotional layer that makes them even more special. After a few shots, the golden light faded. But I kept going making the most of the soft diffused light as it was nearing 6:00 P.M. With more time on my hands, I follow the steps from earlier, finding the right spot, setting up the shot, adjusting the angle, framing the shot, considering composition and styling, adjusting for lighting, and then capturing the moment. Here are the delicious photos I managed to capture. I also tried a poor shot using the iPhones live feature, but the sauce was too thick for it to work well. Even so, I really enjoyed seeing the difference that just 30 minutes of natural light can make. Look at how this dish appears at 5:30 P.M. Compared to 6:00 P.M. Amazing. The quality and color of light can change dramatically based on the time of day. And again, here are my favorite photos from this outdoor soot. Let's compare them with the indoor shots where I used window light mixed with the restaurant's artificial lighting and colored walls. Outdoors, we capture the dish under scattered, but indirect sunlight, avoiding any color casts from walls or artificial light. For me, they're all beautiful in their own light and tell different stories and I really enjoy the process and learn so much about how natural lighting behaves indoors and outdoors. By sharing these examples, I hope you gain an understanding of how natural light interacts in different settings. Indoors, natural light is often limited and influenced by factors like room size, window placement, and obstacles that diffuse or block the light. The quality and intensity of indoor natural light can also vary with the time of day. Room orientation and surrounding architecture, including wall color. Despite challenges, though, we found creative solutions showcasing how troubleshooting skills can elevate your photography, even with just an iPhone and natural light. I hope that was enjoyable and insightful. In the next lesson. I'll share a quick demo on editing the photos from this session. See you there. 11. Bonus Demo: Quick Editing in the Photos App: Photo editing is a crucial step in refining and enhancing your food photos to achieve a polished and professional look. Whether adjusting colors, enhancing contrasts, or fine tuning details, the right editing techniques can transform your photos from dull to delicious. Here's proof. Check out the before and after photo from our earlier demo. Quite a difference, isn't it? Don't worry, you don't need to be super tech savvy to achieve this. I did it with just a few clicks and using the edit button in photos. So yes, you can edit your photos using the built in editing functions in the photos app on your iPhone. You can definitely opt for a third party app like Lightroom for Mobile, SEO, Snap seen dark rum. For this demo though, since we're keeping things simple, I will be maximizing the built in editing functions in the photos app. So let's get started. So I'm currently in the photos app on my iPhone, and here are the photos that I took earlier. So we are going to edit one of these photos so that I can show you that you can improve your photos with just a few clicks and using the built in editing feature on your iPhone. So let me just randomly choose this one. All right. As you can see, it's a decent looking photo, but let's see what happens when we add a bit of editing and polishing to it. So let's just press the edit button. So we have different options here. We will focus on the adjust button at the bottom. You also have filters here, but it's like a preset. Of course, you can experiment with these presets or the filters. But for this demo, let's stick with original and adjust it manually. So let's start with exposure. So I'm happy with the exposure of this image, but we can just add a bit of brightness. So five, so we can still play with the other settings here for the brilliant, so it makes it more vibrant. So let's try to add 15. For the highlights, let's play around and see if adding more or showing more details is better. For me when I remove the highlight, sometimes it reveals more of the details. But if I add highlights, then it brightens up the image, as you can see. So I will choose the details. So I will remove the highlights for the shadows, let's see. I think adding more shadows just a little bit looks better for me because it looks more contrast, speaking of contrast. Let's add 15 for the contrast and for the brightness. A bit. The black point is the blacks in the photo. I want the effect of the black point on the table, so I'm setting it 215. For the saturation, it will saturate the colors, but all of the colors in your photos, a bit. But for the vibrans we can set it to 20 to really boost the colors on this photo. For the warmth, since I think it's still the golden hours when I shot this photo, so we can improve or increase the warmth too match our golden tones in the image. The tint, you can set it to greenish tint or reddish. But I'll just set it to zero because I'm happy with the white balance on this photo and I really want to show warmth instead of the tints. For the sharpness, yes, let's add a bit of sharpness and definition. I just play around with five, ten, 15. So don't go crazy with your sliders because it will look unreal or unnatural. So that's the trick there. Play around with five, ten, 15 and see which one looks better on your photos. Of course, we want noise reduction. Maybe 15. And yes, to vignetting, as you can see white vignette and Blane. I think black vignette fits this photo perfectly. And let's see our before and after. Here's the original and here's the edited one. S. It's more vibrant and it looks more touchable, tangible and real. The colors are more alive. For me, it's a better looking photo. This one, the original one looks a bit flat, even though we used side lighting and it's the golden hour. So this is why applying even just a bit of editing can do wonders to your food photos. Oh, and I almost forgot. You can also crop your photos using the built in editing function. So if you don't like the dried flowers at the back, you can just remove it, and let's focus on the dish. Again, here's are before and after comparison. Let me share more before and after photos from our demo earlier. It's amazing what you can achieve with just an iPhone, isn't it? I hope that this has gotten you excited about the potential of this small yet powerful device. Let it inspire you to capture more food photos that share your experiences and stories. Your iPhone is more than capable of being your camera and tool to kickstart your food photography journey. In the next video, we'll wrap up this class, so I'll see you there. 12. Final Tip: Wow, congratulations on completing this class. I hope my experiences with natural light and iPhone photography have inspired and motivated you to capture delicious photos using your iPhone. Remember, it's not about the gear. It's about who's behind the camera. And that's you. Creative and amazing. So go ahead and dive in. Don't forget I have my class project guide to assist you along the way. Whether your photos are finished or a work in progress, please share them with us. I love to see them, offer feedback, and support your journey. If you have any questions, feel free to use the discussion tab. I'm here to provide clarity and support as you practice and experiment. Whether you're facing challenges or celebrating achievements. I'm here to guide you towards continuous improvement. And as we wrap up, here's a final tip. Once you've found the best lighting setup using your iPhone and natural light, resist the urge to photograph on autopilot with the same setup every time. Embrace experimentation and vary your lighting to achieve different effects. Simple adjustments like changing your position or camera angle can drastically transform your photos. That's it for me. Thank you, sincerely for choosing this class to delve into iPhone, food photography, and natural lighting. Your feedback matters, so please please consider leaving a review to assist other students and shape feature classes. If you're eager to explore more photography, especially iPhone photography, hit that follow button to stay updated on my latest classes and gives. Explore my teacher profile for more in the classes on food photography. And if you're sharing your class project on Instagram, you can tag me at Russell ene and Skillshare. I'm so excited to see your mouth watering creations. See you in my other classes and bye for now.