Product and Food Photography: This Is the Way

When it comes to product and food photography, lighting is critical and can make or break the final image. Achieving the perfect lighting can be a complex process, even more so if you are just starting out with this type of photography.  

Learning how light interacts with different surface textures takes a lot of understanding. The different types of light sources and the correct placement of these can significantly impact the final results. Professionals use a range of lighting techniques and tools to create their final images, which takes time and understanding to learn and then put into practice.

New to the market is the Halumin Open Cylindrical modifier, which aims to help speed up the process for both professionals and amateurs alike and help produce high-quality lighting for your product and food photography in a fraction of the time.

Construction and Quality

The Halumin modifier is solidly built, comprising two outer layers of heavy polyester ripstop nylon with an inner of silver to reflect the light and then, of course, a central core of diffusion material. Fully opened, the modifier measures 36" x 36" x 8" and when collapsed down and packed into the bag, 15" x 15" x 8", so it's very portable. The inner staging area for products is 18", so is suitable for a whole host of products.

The first time I set up the modifier took around 4-5 minutes, and this was simply because I was looking at the construction of it and the attachment points. I did watch the videos for attaching the Bowens mounts as I found that a bit fiddly the first time, but once on it, was no problem to replicate. The second time, including attaching the Bowens mounts, was under two minutes.

All of the stitching points are reinforced, so there's no worry about tearing here. Attached along the outer edge of the modifier are several fixing points, which enable the modifier to retain its shape. These are fixed in place via a central Velcro strip and have a rubber seal against the edge to stop any friction and wear over time.

How It Works

The circular modifier supports speed lights, continuous LED lights, and studio strobes and can be used with one or two of each. The light is then circulated around the modifier and emitted from the diffused strip at the inner circumference. This could, in practice, cut down and replace up to four lights for a similar shoot. 

The inner diffusion layer has thick Velcro banding, which can be used to further modify the emitted light by bending this to shape depending on what you are photographing and the effect you are seeking. Two large Velcro flags (image four below) can further be added to modify the light.

The quality of light changes depending on where you place your object relative to the light. You can have soft, hard, or rim lighting and a variety of moods simply by moving your subject within the staging area or tilting the Halumin.

Depending on the kit you purchase or if you want to add flexibility for studio lighting to your modifier, two easily fitted Bowens-type attachments can be used, allowing you to hook up some strobes or constant LED lights.

Again, depending on the kit, you can add legs that attach very easily and can be positioned with ease to allow the Halumin modifier to be positioned in a multitude of ways. The legs themselves are extendable, giving further adaptability, and these can also be removed to allow you to attach the modifier to lighting stands.

The Halumin modifier is collapsable, portable, and stores in a small bag the same way a reflector does. The legs can also be stored in the bag, but I carried the legs and Bowens mounts separately. There are also two pouches for your flash guns on the bag.

Performance

For quickness, I attached two Godox SL50s and set them to equivalent values. Each object was then placed on a makeshift platform to enable the light to wrap around. I then draped a black t-shirt over the platform; this was simply to cut down on edit time. Having decided to see if it could produce the results fast, as advertised, I gathered as many different items as I could and photographed away. Everything placed within the modifier returned great results. All the images in the gallery were photographed in under 10 minutes. And yes, you may say it looks like it, but the article is about the modifier and not the final images. Other colors of backgrounds and gels can be used, but to see how the light performed, I kept the shoots to a black background.

As you can see in the image below, all of the shots for this article were photographed in a small room with the Halumin either fully vertical or with a slight backward angle. The modifier itself can be positioned in a multitude of different ways. However, I opted simply to shoot in this way to see how it worked with the various different objects I placed either within or just to the rear of it. Although I went for a static approach for reviewing the modifier, it can be used in so many ways, for example, flat-lay, handheld, one light, two lights, and gels. The possibilities are vast.

Pros

• Easy to set up
• Easy to use
• Versatile
• Provides great performance
• Small and portable

Cons

• Perhaps the price of the full kit is for some, but if you are a product or food photographer, I think it will very quickly generate return for you.

Conclusion

To be completely honest, from the first image captured using the Halumin modifier, I was genuinely excited to see what else could be photographed using it, as everything about it just made the images pop. No harsh shadows and plenty of details are captured using it. Move the modifier slightly, and the light on the object would react pleasingly.

Taking your time with the shoots, unlike myself, will produce great results, add gels, vary the backgrounds, and be experimental, while all the time, your product remains evenly lit, contains great detail, and pops. The lighting and setup of your products take a while. As you will know, this product vastly reduces this and allows you a lot more time to be creative with your shots. I've really enjoyed using the Halumin for this type of basic shoot, as it's made it so easy and effortless. Now, it's time for me to become more creative with it to see what I can do.

Currently, Halumin is only available for US shipping but will be open to worldwide shipping in the near future. If you would like to know more about the Halumin modifier and how it could increase your productivity, you can find more information here.

Halumin modifier images used by kind permission of Halumin.