Shaping Light: Food Photography with Artificial Light

Artificial light doesn't have to feel complicated—or look artificial.

It can be soft and subtle, hard and dramatic, bright and airy, dark and moody. And unlike natural light, it doesn't disappear behind a cloud, move across the room, or call it quits at 4:17 on a winter afternoon.

Shaping Light is a three-day, hands-on food photography workshop for photographers who are new to artificial light—or who've tried it but still don't feel like they really understand what they're doing.

We'll work with three different types of lighting—speedlights, studio strobes, and continuous light—so you can experience each one for yourself and begin to understand what works best for you. All lighting equipment is provided.

I'll demonstrate different lighting setups and, more importantly, break down why they work. We'll look at how the position, size, distance and direction of a light affect your photograph, how different modifiers change the quality of light, and how to troubleshoot when what you're seeing isn't what you intended.

We'll create everything from soft, natural-looking light to harder, more directional light with deep, graphic shadows. 

But this isn't three days of photographing test objects and talking about equipment. We're here to make food photographs, after all.

Alongside lighting, we'll work with composition, color, prop selection and styling, backgrounds, visual balance and storytelling. You'll rotate through different lighting stations, watch demonstrations, experiment with different approaches, and have plenty of time to actually make photographs.

Is This Workshop for You?

This workshop is designed specifically for photographers who:

• Are comfortable using their camera in manual mode or aperture priority but are new to artificial lighting
  
  
• Have experimented with artificial light but still struggle to get consistent results
  
  
• Rely almost entirely on natural light and want the freedom to photograph regardless of the weather, season or time of day
  
  
• Understand artificial lighting in another genre but want to learn how to apply it specifically to food photography
  
  

You don't need to own any lighting equipment or have previous artificial-light experience.

If you're already confidently and successfully using artificial light for food photography, this workshop probably isn't designed for you. But if artificial light still feels mysterious, overly technical or like something you should understand by now but don't quite—come play with us.


NOTES:

• We reserve one scholarship seat in every workshop for a woman who couldn't otherwise afford to attend — because this work should be accessible to everyone who wants it. You can apply HERE.

• Workshop takes place in Clare's photo studio in Brattleboro, Vermont

• Accommodations are not included but there are multiple places to stay in the area and we are happy to make suggestions.

• Workshops are non-refundable.