Food photographer
Yinka Balogun
I’m Yinka. I photograph home cooking and teach the shots one at a time, and I sell light cards, a shot list workbook, presets and two video courses.
Overhead
Straight down on the plate
Branches from Side light for texture · Rejoins at Garnishing with your hands in the frame
The overhead shot, from one chair
Chair + straight down
Building a flat lay from the overhead shot
Overhead + garnish
Side light + overhead
Window light
From one window, soft, side and back
Branches from Building a flat lay from the overhead shot · Rejoins at Warm colour in your edit
Plate + window + white card
Window light + a turned plate
Getting steam into the picture
Window + side + backlight
A soup shot from start to finish
Steam + flat lay + garnish
Styling
Plates, hands and the last garnish
Branches from The overhead shot, from one chair · Rejoins at Building a flat lay from the overhead shot
Plates, cloths and a board to shoot on
Board + cloth + plate
Garnishing with your hands in the frame
Overhead + a hand in the frame
Planning
Deciding the shots before the stove is on
Branches from A soup shot from start to finish
Planning a shoot with a shot list
Dish list + order of cooking
PDF · 28 pages
PDF · 16 cards
Food Photography with Window Light
Course · 10 lessons
Editing
Choosing, cropping and warming a photo
Branches from Window light on a plain table
Pick the sharpest frame
Window light + a warm edit
PDF · 14 pages
Downloads, a course and merch
Shop
Downloads arrive by email. Merch is printed to order and shipped by Printful.
About
Hello, I’m Yinka
I started photographing my mother’s cooking because the food looked so much better than my pictures of it. I learned in a kitchen with one window, one white card and a table, and I still shoot there.
I teach the shots as a chain. The overhead shot and window light come first. Side light, steam and garnish come next, each one built on the ones before. By the end, a picture of a bowl of soup uses all of them.
I sell the cards, workbook and presets I use myself, and two video courses. I do not sell cameras, lights or props, and I do not shoot for hire. I show you how to photograph your own food.