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Everything I use to shoot the food photos on my blog
15
items The camera, lens, overhead arm and lights I shoot with every week, including the mount adapter nobody tells you that you need and the backdrop I have used in hundreds of photos. I shoot tethered from home in a normal kitchen, so this is a working set...
Sections
6
Camera
Lenses and Adapters
Mounting
Lighting
Backdrop and Surfaces
Desk and Workflow
Camera
This is the body I shoot every recipe on. The screen flips out, which matters more than you think when the camera is pointed straight down and you cannot get your head under it.
Canon EOS R6 Mark II Mirrorless Camera (Body Only)
The dual charger, so I always have one battery going while the other is in the camera. I shoot tethered most days and still manage to drain a battery before lunch.
Canon LC-E17 Charger for LP-E17 Battery EOS
Buy more than you think you need. I keep three and I have still ended a shoot early because all three were flat and the light was going.
Canon Battery Pack LP-E6P
Lenses and Adapters
My workhorse lens for food. It lets me get close enough to show the crumb on a slice of cake without my shadow landing in the shot.
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L is USM Lens
The piece nobody warns you about. The lens above will not mount on this camera without it, so order them together.
Canon Mount Adapter EF-EOS R, Black
Mounting
This is what gets the camera flat over the table for top down shots. Worth every dollar compared to balancing on a chair, which is how I shot for my first two years.
ARKON Overhead Phone Mount - 360° Adjustable
Heavy, ugly, and the only thing I trust to hold a camera over my food. It does not wobble when I bump the table, which a cheap tripod absolutely does.
NEEWER Pro Stainless Steel Heavy Duty C Stand
Lighting
One light does almost all my work. Continuous means I see exactly what I am getting before I press the shutter, which made my photos better faster than any other purchase.
NEEWER CB200C 200W RGBWW COB LED Video Light
Nothing special and that is fine. It holds the light where I put it and folds down small enough to live behind a door.
NEEWER 13ft Heavy Duty Adjustable Light Stand
This is what turns one hard light into something that looks like a window. Skip it and your food will have sharp black shadows.
Neewer 33" White Translucent Reflector Umbrella
Backdrop and Surfaces
I have shot hundreds of photos on this one sheet. It wipes clean when I spill soup on it and it rolls up, which real marble does not.
You've Bagged a FREE Backdrop!
Desk and Workflow
Small thing that saves my back. I cull and tag photos right at the shoot table instead of hunching over the laptop trackpad.
Logitech MX Master 4 Wireless Mouse Pale Gray
Get a long one. Shooting tethered means I see every frame on the big screen as I shoot, and a short cable keeps the laptop somewhere inconvenient.
ANKER USB C to USB C Cable 10FT 100W
I keep two in the bag and format them the morning of a shoot. Cards fail, and they always fail on the day you cooked something that took four hours.
SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SD UHS-I Card
Food photography means standing over steam and hot oil all day. My front element gets hazy constantly and this lives in the drawer next to the camera.
Altura Photo DSLR & Mirrorless Lens Cleaner