This assignment involved creating an image for Pastry SM, with a strong focus on lighting the scene effectively. Before starting the project, we visited Nadim’s photography studio, where he explained how light behaves in real-world scenarios and what to consider when setting up lighting. One key takeaway was that achieving good lighting doesn’t necessarily require multiple light sources, simplicity can often produce better results.

After the visit, I began exploring ideas for my scene. I searched for inspiration on Pinterest and came across an image that stood out to me. I was particularly drawn to the lighting and the gradient background. My goal became to recreate a similar lighting setup while using comparable objects to build my own interpretation of the scene.

Challenge

The main challenge in this project was understanding where the light in my reference image was coming from. I felt confident identifying the key light, but beyond that, much of the process involved experimentation testing different placements and intensities to replicate the overall look.

While many struggled with using too many light sources, I had the opposite problem. I found it difficult to introduce additional lights without disrupting the balance of the scene. In the end, I used three light sources, although one of them was not directly illuminating the product, but instead contributed subtly to the overall atmosphere.

Solution

Since the focus of the assignment was lighting, we were given a deadline to complete our initial images before receiving feedback from Nadim. After the review, we were expected to refine and improve our work based on his input before the final submission.

The feedback I received was clear and actionable. I was advised to reduce the impact of my key light on the background, as it had become too bright and distracting. I was also encouraged to adjust the contrast and shift the overall color balance toward warmer, red tones to create a more cohesive look. Additionally, I needed to modify the color of my fill plane to a deeper red so that the shadows would blend more naturally into the scene. Finally, I was advised to crop the image vertically to remove unnecessary space and tighten the composition.

Result

After refining my image based on the feedback, I felt that it improved significantly. I also gained a better understanding of lighting and why these adjustments made such a difference in the final result.

There is still a lot for me to learn about lighting, but this project reinforced the importance of experimentation being willing to explore, test different approaches, and not be afraid to try new ideas in order to achieve the desired outcome.