Natural light product shoot with an old Canon T5

I went to Legend's on HWY 54 in Owensboro with a single bag last week. In it, I had a single Canon T5, and a 50mm prime lens. I was tasked with taking shots of their 3 new menu items. I secretly love being a photographer for this reason. Working within constraints forces you to problem solve and can oftentimes give you creative ideas you wouldn't have otherwise. The sun provided my backlight and the tungsten overhead lights cast an orange hue over the bar. Which is, admittedly, not ideal; you're supposed to have balanced lights - oops. So I knew the shots would come out a tinge yellow-y. But, it's part of the "natural lighting" experience.

With some help of my friend Lightroom, this photoshoot in Owensboro turned out pretty all right. I was in and out in about 30 mins (plus the time it took to devour the beautiful creations after they were shot). In between food items I had some down time, so I grabbed some bottles from behind the car and shot them, too. I actually ended up sending these to the marketing people at Yellow Banks Distillery, we'll see if they want more.

If you look, there is evidence of the white balance fighting with itself. That's what you get when you mix light temperatures. The shadows and mid-tones still have yellow leftover, but the highlights have tons of blue, which is what happens in this situation. However, for the purpose of these shots (social media) it's more that satisfactory.

The point is, sometimes you don't need big lights and big budgets to get something accomplished. You do need to know your craft well enough to compensate for lack of gear. I think I have a pretty good understanding of product and food photography. If you have the need for some product or food photography in Owensboro, I'd be happy to help! - Other Nick