Food and drink: Maru Bistro

Maru Bistro is a Japanese restaurant using French techniques located in Leslieville, a neighbourhood in the east end of Toronto. Before I worked with them to create these beautiful photos, I had visited this restaurant multiple times. I enjoy the food, the casual ambiance, and the wonderful staff and I always look forward to coming back.

Ebi trio sliders

Ebi slider

Octopus two ways (crispy and grilled): Octopus, green salad, shiso pesto, miso sauce, spicy mayo

Sunomono salad: glass noodle, tako, black tiger shrimp, surf clam, seaweed, ponzu dressing

Commercial: Mary Macleod's Shortbread

Mary Macleod’s Shortbread is a Toronto-based shortbread company that started as a small bakeshop in 1981. They refreshed their branding and packaging so they needed new marketing assets to for their website and social media.

I built the backdrop and sets for the hero banner images across the website, styled the products, and photographed them according to their brief.

This content, along with past work I created, are now used on their website and social media.

Commercial photography lighting: Saintly Wine

Brand

Saintly Wine, a Canadian brand of wine including a sauvignon blanc, rosé, sparkling white and sparkling rosé.

Project

My role for this project was to create the lighting that puts the spotlight on the product.

Final product

Photographer: Dani Reynolds
Lighting: Janet Kwan

Food and drink: Iced green tea

Artificial lights: Where to start?

First, stop hoping for good light

Creating morning light like this at anytime of the day (or night!) has been a game changer for me. I no longer hope for a bright, sunny day to shoot. I don’t dread the short hours of daylight in the winter anymore.

If you’re a business owner or content creator who struggles with this, I totally get you and encourage you to give artificial lighting a try, specifically constant lights (also called video lights).

The advantage of constant lights is that you’ll see what the photo looks like as you’re setting up the shot and you’ll have a better idea of what the shot will look like before you take it. This is different from using a flash or strobe where you don’t see what the light will look like until you take the photo.

There are different types of constant lights out there at difference price points. Note that there are more out there, but here are a few referral links to help you get started:

1. Ring light

I’ve only used a ring light once or twice so I can’t recommend a specific one. While I need more control for what I do, it’s a good option if you’re just starting out.

Pros:

• Adjustable brightness

• Many ring lights come with a stand and are pretty much ready to use with little setup

• The colour of the light can be adjusted to the warmth/coolness you prefer

• LED so they are more energy efficient and don’t heat up as much as other bulbs

• Portable

Cons:

• Limited in controlling the harshness of shadows

• You may not like or want the reflection of the ring light in their products or on their face

2. LED bulbs

Bright LED bulbs called corn/cob bulbs, named so because the shape is similar to a corn on the cob, are another option.

Pros:

• Bright LED bulbs that you can scale up if you want more light or want to place them in different places

• Easy to start using. Just plug and play

• Provides consistent lighting

• Portable

Cons:

• Depending on the size and brightness of the bulb you choose, some bulbs may require a separate socket. Otherwise, you may be able to attach them to an existing lamp.

• Light bulbs usually aren’t dimmable so the brightness can’t be adjusted

• Can’t adjust warmth/coolness of the light

3. Video lights

Video lights like the Godox SL-60W are a great way to learn and practice using artificial lighting. There are brands and models and even an entry-level one can help you do a lot.

Pros:

• Brightness can be fine-tuned

• More powerful than the other options

• Some models can change colours to any colour you want

Cons:

• A bit more of an investment to start (but the range of price points is wide so you can find one under $200)

• Requires a stand that must be purchased separately

• Large and heavy (not a big issue if you only use it one place)

I hope that helps! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or if you’d like one-on-one coaching on how to get use artificial lights, you can book a session with me.