Ever wondered where the best lighting to shoot food content is in your home? We asked some of the Jikoni community to show us where they film their food moments!
No feeling is worse than whipping together the best midday snack just to get out your phone and realize your kitchen counter has as much lighting as a cave. Check out the video below to see where some of the #MyJikoni community members shoot their own food content at home, and why you don’t need a studio set up to shoot incredible food pics!
Video Producer, Recipe Developer, and Founder of Jikoni
During the day, Kiano’s best spot to shoot is on her balcony. If she wants to snap a few pics at night, her simple solution is a mini Softbox with a propped up poster board that creates a softened white light for her shot. She also uses a phone clamp attached to her raised counter to shoot hands-free!
Kiano’s top tip: if the surface you want to shoot on is too colorful or textured, you can purchase a single large tile to create a much more neutral surface.
Photo: Instagram @kianomoju
Cooking columnist for the LA Times
Ben’s favorite place to shoot is in his kitchen, because he gets ample natural light through his kitchen window. He also sets up a phone stand right in front of it so he can shoot hands-free while cooking!
Ben’s top tip: if your kitchen counters don’t get much light from the window, stick a large wooden chopping board right in front of your window for that same “in the kitchen” feeling!
Photo: Instagram @benbmims
Video Producer for Buzzfeed's Tasty and About To Eat
Rie uses her dining room table to shoot as it’s the closest table to her window. Whenever she doesn’t need to shoot at the stove, she just shoots her kitchen counter in an overhead angle.
Rie’s top tip: for overhead shots, try lying your phone upside-down just over the edge of a shelf or the inside of a cupboard for a makeshift top-down station!
Photo: Instagram @thedessertsnob
Food Influencer
Much like Ben, Pierce’s shooting spot is right in front of his kitchen window where he can get the most natural light. For overhead shots, Pierce has a tripod with a phone mount attached to it to get the perfect angle every time.
Pierce’s top tip: a roll of duct tape can fit most phones perfectly inside it, so try some duct tape on a few cookbooks for a makeshift phone stand!
Photo: Instagram @pierceabernathy
Food Influencer
Alix’s apartment doesn’t have the best natural light (we know the feeling!), so her solution is to set up a ring light next to her kitchen counter, and right in front of that, her handy phone tripod.
Alix’s top tip: if you struggle with light, always shoot on a light-colored surface to make whatever light you have bounce off it and brighten the shot.
Photo: Instagram @majortraeger
Food Stylist and Host
Megan’s go-to shooting space is in her dining room, as she has windows with blinds that she can open and close to manipulate the light. She also shoots with a square textured surface to diversify the background of her shots!
Megan’s top tip: try using fabrics like bed sheets over your normal shooting surface to nail that “breakfast in bed” vibe every time!
Photo: Instagram @meganhysaw
Want to learn more? Get in touch or follow our socials to see more of our mobile shooting tips series, and be sure to use the hashtag #MyJikoni in all your food pics to join our growing community of home cooks!
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