spring forward
I don't know about you but I am super happy that Spring is finally here in the Northern Hemisphere and we're moving into warmer weather. One of my favourite things to do at the beginning of the season is visit Planted Expo in Toronto. I love discovering new and exciting plant-based products and meeting all the awesome people who created them. So I've used some of my favourite products from the expo as a medium to talk about all things hard light.
Better Moo(d) Oat Milk
hard light
When I first started out in food photography, everything was about soft light – bright and airy diffuse light streaming through an open window and creating delicately soft shadows around the subject. But for the past few years now, hard light has been having its moment. Think about the sun and the hard, dark shadows it casts throughout the day. That's what we mean when we talk about hard light. The harsh shadows created by the subject can be used as a subject in their own right and become part of the composition like in the pattern above.
I'm really good at pouring
bettermoo(d)
To demonstrate shadow being used as a compositional tool I used this delicious oat milk from Bettermoo(d). I met the creator, Nima Bahrami, at Planted Expo in Toronto and had a chance to try his new product. This is not your average oat milk. Formulated with a blend of herbs and flowers, plus a healthy helping of plant fats, Nima has developed a milk that mimics the richness and nutritional composition of cow's milk. And it's of course better for the planet too.
Peppermint Dandelion sparking tea taking a dip
bright and punchy
One of the reasons hard light is so popular is because it gives images a special kind of oomph that makes food and products look amazing. The natural contrast created between the super bright highlights and the deep, dark shadows tends to hold the eye and draw the viewer right into the heart of the image. Hard light practically screams spring and summertime, but paired with cooler tones and deeper shadows, it can convey a moodier wintry vibe too.
Why you would pour one tea onto another I have no idea but it looks pretty cool! And yes I did make a giant mess.
HealTea
When I saw the packaging for this sparkling botanical tea made by Healtea in Quebec, I knew I absolutely had to photograph it. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I got the opportunity to try the product. Made with reverse osmosis water and organic herbs and juices, these sparkling teas are light and refreshing, delightfully bubbly, and oh-so flavourful with just the right amount of sweetness. Francesco and the team at Healtea are aiming to elevate the health drink industry by producing a product that's healthy, natural, free of additives, and better for the environment.
Stush means proper; proper means good.
stush patties
The branding on these STUSH plant-based Jamaican patties is incredible. The font! The colours! The vibrance! And of course the hard light! I am totally a sucker for pretty looking things and was again pleasantly surprised when I actually tried the product. The pastry is excellent and the filling is incredibly flavourful and super spicy, so delicate palates beware. Founder Opal created these patties after her exhaustive search for a filling and nutritious patty came up empty. Packed with fresh, healthy ingredients, I think she definitely hit the mark with these.
Golden chocolate made with cashews and dates
dakama chocolate
I am not a huge chocolate fan (gasp!) but I do love milk chocolate which true chocolate lovers will tell you is not really chocolate at all. I had never tried date-sweetened chocolate before so I was intrigued by the Dakama Chocolate booth at Planted Expo. One bite and I was obsessed. Emily, who is super sweet, by the way, has somehow struck the perfect balance between sweetness and bitterness, acidity and smoothness. It's the first time I've ever had a plant-based chocolate that isn't painfully sweet. Her chocolate is so so good. I bought one of everything. Emily set out on a quest to create the perfect healthy, whole food chocolate bar and she exceeded all expectations.
make your products shine
I of course encountered many more amazing products at Planted Expo, way too many to mention here, but hopefully I will get a break in my schedule so I can photograph some of those too and celebrate their awesomeness. I hope you've learned something about the use of hard light in food and product photography, and discovered some amazing plant-based products too. I think the images in this post demonstrate my ability to bring out the best in products, showing them in their most flattering light. I'd love to help your business by creating some elevated visual assets to make your products shine. Drop me a line and let's discuss!
