Lowel EGO Lights for Food Photography
Thai Beef Salad above taken probably around midnight, on auto settings with my Canon Rebel XT, un-Photoshopped.
Lowel EGO lights for food photography are magical. During late Spring to early Fall months at the Steamy Kitchen household, my photo "studio" was the ratty ottoman and a $3 foam board near a big open window. Ahhhh....I so miss those late sunset evenings where I could still capture wonderful natural lighting even at 7:30pm.
Now in the winter months, by the time the clock rolls around to 5pm, my light is gone (sniff sniff) and I don't like using my flash. For the cookbook, I needed a solution that would provide me light, even when I cook at 10pm after the rugrats go to bed.
So I set out to find an inexpensive, portable solution and came up with the Lowel EGO lights.
They are portable, lightweight, provide a wonderful, soft, even lighting and relatively inexpensive for professional photography lights. Each light is less than $100 - and really, you only need one. The Lowel EGO lights are great for food photography, especially for food bloggers because each light weighs less than 3 lbs, and are small enough to hide in a closet. Each Lowel EGO light comes with (2) full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs which do a fantastic job of mimicking daylight.
For food shots, the one variable that makes the biggest difference in the quality of shots is the lighting. Yes, camera is important, but only secondary to lighting and sharpness. Let's talk about sharpness first - if your food photo is blurry, it ain't gonna look good. Fortunately most point and shoot cameras allow you to select which area you want to focus on. Most of you know how to take pretty sharp photos.
Lighting is the big wild card and can vary from hour to hour, from one side of the room to the other, and the type of light bulbs you use. If you are lucky enough to get good, natural, filtered light (i.e. not directly under the harsh sun but rather through a window, indoors, or even a piece of vellum taped to the window to give a nice diffused glow) then that's your first choice. Your second choice would be to get lights that get as close to the look of natural sunlight as possible - so that the colors in your photo will look as true-to-life as possible. For food, its important. Does gray chicken look appealing to you?
Ok, here are some comparison shots for you--
Plain house lights
No fancy lights, just the cheap-ass Home Depot ceiling fan with 3 lights. The photo is bland, too orange and the flowers are flat. White of the label looks pink.
Now with the lovely built-in flash
Too harsh, the white is blown out, there are unflattering shadows and the reflection is distracting.
Magical EGO lights
And now...drumroll please.....beautiful natural, vibrant colors and textures.
This is the setup: only one EGO light + a plain, white cardboard used to reflect the light.
When I snapped this pic below, I must have moved the light and reflector back. The light should have tilted down and leaned down on the front edge and the reflector was placed closer to the bottle/glass.
Wanna see my point and shoot camera in action?...
Point and Shoot with EGO
Just for comparison, here is my 6 year old point-and-shoot camera whose battery doesn't last for more than 2 minutes (because I dropped it in water 5 years ago). Pretty damn good. It's not about the camera sometimes! If you're on a tight budget, I'd recommend improving your lighting first before investing an expensive digital SLR camera.
btw, point and shoot flash SUCKS
I guess you're all wondering if these Lowel EGO lights are worth the expense:
For the winter months when I don't have good natural lights in the late afternoon, the Lowel EGO was great. I could take photos that looked wonderfully bathed in natural light. Working on the cookbook, it's been indispensible. I would suggest getting 1 light first and trying it out. As I mentioned, $100 for professional lights is pretty darn good. I don't think I'll need them when the days grow longer and I can get back to my lovely ottoman next to the big glass sliding door.
This month, I'll continue my posts on lighting - and show you before and after photos of food.
Where to get these magical lights?...
Where to buy:
One Two EGO lights* + magic light bulbs is $88.90 sold by Adorama via Amazon. I'd recommend buying here, since it's guaranteed by Amazon.com. And you know they'd never piss off a food blogger.
*Another few weeks of playing with the lights and I've found that 2 EGO lights works way better than 1.
You could also get a set of 2 lights + magic light bulbs and the sweep. $219.95 sold by Adorama via Amazon. It comes with the white, plastic sweep (see my photos - I use the sweep for reflecting light) and sheets of very flimsy colored paper to clip onto the sweep so you can have a continuous background. IMHO, it's useless for a food blogger. The paper crinkles and tears easily. Any drops of sauce or oil and it's stained for good. Plus, food looks much better against neutral or natural fabrics, surfaces and papers. I just can't think of too many dishes that would look scrumptious against a school bus yellow piece of construction paper. You could use a piece of $3 foamboard from the office supply store to use as a light reflector.
But wait one stinkin' moment - it's cheaper to buy them all separate. $88.90 per light x 2 plus $23.90 for the sweep/papers = $201.70. WTF???? Ok, buy them separate.
You could just get the magic bulbs by themselves, they are $19.99 each. You could screw them in your own light fixture, but I've found that the bare bulb is too harsh. You could use a shade to cover the bulb, but unless it's pure white and semi-opaque, you're wasting your money on the bulb. Well, if you're McGuyver, I'm sure you could rig up something!
Buy here and I get a teensy weensey commission from my Amazon store - just enough for a double espresso latte!! 
Buy two EGOs and one Sweep:
*Even though the photo for the sweep doesn't show the construction paper, it does come with it according to the description in Amazon. The Lowel EGO lights each come with 2 magical light bulbs.
--
Or....if you want just the light bulb:
***
B&H Photo sells the same set for $229.95 - B&H is a very well-known photography retailer in NY. I actually bought this set from B&H - one of the light bulbs arrived broken and it took 2 weeks for a replacement bulb to arrive. But, that being said, I still buy stuff from B&H - my expectations are just a tad bit lower if I ever run into problems.
***
Here are more food photography posts:
Green Beans with Garam Masala Butter and Toasted Hazelnuts (light setup)
Kona Kampachi on Citrus Soy Soba (see my step by step photo analysis)
Sparkling Ginger Lime & Mint Cooler (see my step by step photo analysis)
Escargot with Garlic Butter and Splash of Cognac (see my step by step photo analysis)
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:49 am
This is a great discovery for a food blogger like myself, especially when I'm located in cold nordic Montreal, where the sun sets at 3:30pm in the winter times. Thanks so much for sharing. And the photo of the Thai salad does look fantastic.
February 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 am
I think my blog simply exist to make all the others look fantastic.
Thanks for the tips. It is something to aim for!
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:03 pm
You are so generous with your knowledge. I am sure this is why great things are happening to you and will continue to happen! Thanks. I am so gonna get those lights
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I think I can make those lights (or something pretty close). Hmm...
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
WOW! Thank you so much for the tips. The photos are amazing. I'm shopping for a new camera...can't wait to get it and play. What great information and beautiful photos!
February 3rd, 2008 at 12:54 pm
I just need to buckle down and get a newer camera and the the gadgets...fortunately I have two great friends that are pro. photogs that can gift me some or their gadgets in the meantime.
Thanks for the suggestive post!
And, please don't try any radish juice!
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I wonder how the lights would work with jewelry? Hmmm!
February 3rd, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I am huge fan of you site!
Mainly for the picture that you post.
plus the recipes are made very easy to understand!
As I live in where you cannot charge your cards international to buy stuffs that you like to buy.
I have to find another way around.
So, I search online for few DIY project.
these two seems to be perfect for people like me, who cannot buy things online!
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html
http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/cheap-homemade-diy-studio-no-lighting-needed
Hope Jaden wont mind, As I am posting these links here.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Dang woman! Is there anything you can't do??? Great photos and tips. Thanks.
February 3rd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
i love those lights! gotta get me some! thanks for sharing!
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Lord...I just take a few pictures of my food with my old camera and hope one turns out decent enough to use on my page. I am lost as far as photography goes, and I doubt I'll ever work at it...Oh well, I'll enjoy great food pics elsewhere
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Yeah, your Negative Calorie Chocolate cake got my vote ... and no, I don't expect to go to Napa with you!
I'm gearing up for a possible video shoot tomorrow, in the teaching kitchen at the Community College. The lights aren't bad ... flourescents with a decent spectrum. The Chef will not wear a ball cap!
February 3rd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
yup, point and shoot flash does suck...sigh. thanks for introducing me to the ego light
will have to figure out if I can get it in japan.
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Ohhh thanks for sharing the light tips. I just spent 250 buying a camera so may be I should wiat for few months before I slap another bill on DH's face ;).
Also, i voted for your entry at the culinate. Looks like we can vote again for you next week ( not just once)
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Thanks for the tips!
I will invest in those lamps really soon. They do an amazing job!
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
You have a loyal bunch of us who read your blog—thanks for sharing your insight & expertise to help others create their own personal accomplishments thru all things related to the love of good food!
February 3rd, 2008 at 6:29 pm
thank you so much for solving my 4pm in Brooklyn problem (where I force my husband to eat dinner at a way too early hour just so I can photograph the food with adequate light!).
I am going to pick up just one of these lights and see how I do. You are a sweetheart for sharing all your secrets, btw.
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:39 pm
I love learning about your behind the scenes stuff. It is so interesting and makes me feel better about my lousy photos- maybeit is the lighting and not me!!
February 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Haha your play-by-play of each type of lighting flaws is something I go through on a nearly daily basis. I have actually called in sick to work just so I could get a photo of some dish in daylight! I am definitely picking up those lights.
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Wow, Jaden- your light tips are great and it just dawned on me that I could use our daylight spectrum "happy lite" (my husband's way of keeping me "Florida" happy in winter-is-such-a-downer Atlanta) when I'm taking my photos. Thanks for the brainstorm! And BTW, Thai Beef Salad is on my menu for this week!
February 3rd, 2008 at 9:49 pm
>>The photo is bland, too orange and the flowers are flat. White of the label looks pink.<<
Probably could have been fixed by adjusting the white balance of the camera, or a little Photoshopping after the fact.
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Thanks for the lighting tips. I am going to have to look into these lights.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Phil - the point was to have a point of reference - used auto settings on each photo. did you even seen the rest of the photos? plus most bloggers don't own Photoshop nor white balance on their point and shoot cameras.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:32 am
I was struggling with the same issue. I work late, so I had to do all my cooking on weekends for day light.. Thanks I just ordered it.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Thanks Jaden for the great tips. Easy for a beginner like me to understand. I have the same problem as jane spice. I have to either cook really quickly in the morning before I go to work so that I have time to take my pictures, or anything fancy and time consuming has to be done on weekends. Else, artificial lighting doesn't do me any good. Btw, do you know of any place that sell these lights which output is 240VAC instead of 120? Thanks.
February 4th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Thanks for the tip on the Lowell Ego Lights. I've been so obsessed with lighting these days, especially reflecting light to fill the shadows. Good lighting and a good tripod will produce great pictures, even with a point-and-shoot.
February 4th, 2008 at 6:54 am
Thanks for sharing your photography tips Jaden. I have enjoyed peeking into your studio!
February 4th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Jaden :
Thanks for the excellent tips!!Salad looks good...
Happy New Year to you and your family.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Wow, lots of wonderful information here! Makes me want to take a photography class. Of course the class could be about photographing food and then after we take pictures we get to eat the food. I'm just saying.
February 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Looks like a nice lighting setup. I enjoy the meta-food-blog posts. Photography was never my thing, but post production work was (photoshop, print, prepress, etc). As much as I enjoy going through and making some quick fixes on my photos, it is always nice to just get it right the first time and save myself the time. For me, taking a better photo has been a long, slow process, and every bit helps. Keep 'em coming!
February 4th, 2008 at 10:32 am
This was very helpful. I've spent a lot of time this winter trying to work with different types of indoor lighting and external flash, without much success. Having a pretty good camera doesn't help much, either. And I'm *always* cooking late at night, so this type of light would be put to good use indeed. Thanks!
February 4th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Thank you so much for this post. I really appreciated the shots showing the different results with ambient, flash and lights.
Your pictures (and your food) inspire me!!
February 4th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Just the post I needed! Thanks for sharing your world. I've been looking into some lighting, and I think this is the direction I'll go in. If I order, I'll order through your site... I'm aware of how this benefits you
THANK YOU!
Lori
http://TheRecipeGirl.blogspot.com
February 4th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Wow! That is amazing! Thank you so much for all this info, I even found a dealer where I can get one of those lights here in Canada! Now all I have to do is save up a bit and I can get one
Your photos are gorgeous, btw!
February 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am
Wow, thanks for the instruction on proper lighting! The detail in your food pics is so awesome that it almost inspires me to whip out my own Rebel XT. But I wonder if I could get the same results with a 50 mm f1.8? On the other hand, the food I cook is not as elegant or mouthwatering as yours.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
those lights are great — what a huge difference! i'm always trying to figure our where my photo budget should go — such a tough call, new lenses v. new lights!
February 4th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
Totally, Jaden. Lights are very important when we are shooting in winter months, even if it IS the Sunshine State!
February 4th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
And...if I'm not mistaken full spectrum lights affect your mood! (In a good way.)
So Jaden, (off topic), I can't eat soy sauce , even gluten-free soy sauce because I'm allergic to corn and they use corn /grain alcohol. Sooo...I was going to try to make a yummy stir fry sauce with some fish sauce, a little Bragg's Liquid Amino and honey and ginger. Any other ideas for me?
February 4th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Great info on the lights! But of course impeccable food styling accounts for a lot too. Beautiful thai beef salad.
February 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.
Thanks for posting the tips. I may in fact buy that set up!
February 4th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Thank you thank you for this post J! I especially liked how you included a comparison with a point and shoot because I was wondering if the lights would be worth it for me.
Now if I can just convince my wife that spending $100+ on a little light is worth it. Maybe I can lie and tell her it's a desk lamp too.
February 4th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Also, do you always use just your auto settings when using the EGO lights? I know you used auto settings to make a point in this post, but do you fudge with your camera's settings at all for your other posts?
February 4th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Looks like a good setup
February 4th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
that salad looks so crisp and fresh jaden! thanks for sharing the tip girl:)
February 4th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I've always been scared by electronic lights and just use whatever's available through my windows. But as you say, during the winter there's just not enough and waking up early to take a photo for my blog before work isn't fun. Thanks for the tips! And it's a shame that B&H has shoddy packaging--you're not the only one I know who has had their box arrive with damaged goods. But it's still an interesting store to shop in--have you ever been?
February 4th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Thanks, Jaden!
February 4th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Thank you so much for those tips and product recommendation! I normally ignore product recommendations but it's very different from a respected source. I love your clear before and after shots too.
Btw, I've tried adjusting white balance AND photoshopping. At least with my camera, I just don't get enough color information in the night-time photos to de-yellow the shot and still have the image look non-grainy or over-saturated.
This definitely seems like the way to go and with the option to get just the bulb, it's a no brainer. You ROCK!
February 5th, 2008 at 12:03 am
I love your blog, so inspiring! I wanted to thank you for this, while I plan other usage for these lights, I do want to thank you introducing them to me!
Keep-up the fab work you do here!
February 5th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Wow! Just....WOW!
I am clicking through to purchase those lamps right now. You know, I have been thinking about and looking for a lighting set up. I was browsing my Calumet mag and they were way out or range for my skill level. I own so much VERY expensive DJ equipment, that if I were to bring MORE lighting equip into the house, well let's just say that the accountant, my wife, may have a small issue with it. But what you have shared here is well within my spending budget. I am off to clicking and thanks again!
February 5th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Great info on those lights, thanks! As soon as it is in my budget, that sounds like the way to go. :0)
February 5th, 2008 at 1:59 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
I have to say millions of thank you in order to express my appreciation of this post,
I learned so much from it, and I love your example photos,
I'm so glad that I found your blog!
February 5th, 2008 at 3:34 am
Oh! thank you WonderWoman for such a gift of advice on photography! I needed them!
February 5th, 2008 at 4:01 am
Wonderful advice on lightings. I always like to see how food bloggers set up their lights and reflector when taking their food shots. Thanks for the generous tips.
February 5th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Many thanks for your generosity of self and spirit.Super duper info.
February 6th, 2008 at 9:15 am
It's very generous of you to share your tips and tricks. I've just bought two lights but they don't have shades and now I realise that they will be too harsh. Oh dear, what a waste of money!
February 6th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Amen sister. I regularly find myself blue in the face attempting to extol the virtues of NOT relying on available light. That maybe good uv balanced lighting and/or off camera flashes can actually WORK. And it warmed my heart to see a tripod there. I can always tell which images of mine were taken with a tripod or not.
My little homespun trick, a handful of years ago, was to paint the inside of my kitchen cabinet doors white. This way I can open up a cabinet door, yank my flash to the right or left and reflect me some flash action. Close the cabinet door and my lighting equipment is all put away.
I'm hungry, what's for breakfast?
Biggles
February 6th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
It's amazing that you can bring your food to me like that. I can practically smell it.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:07 am
while the photography tips are super helpful and amazing. i can't help but wonder if you could put the recipe up for that beef salad that you so tantalizingly photographed. please? =]
February 7th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Damn, thanks for the awesome tutorial! I only have a simple little digi cam but it can get the job done well if there is good light. THis would solve a lot of problems for me!!!
February 7th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Wow - thank you so much for this post. As a new food-blogger I really appreciate you taking the time to help us all understand how you take such drop-dead gorgeous photos. TYVM!!
February 7th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Yeah that is amazing, taken at midnight (besides the fact that you are motivated to garnish like that at midnight...)! What a concept, it looks fantastic
February 9th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
I take the worst food pictures ever! I blamed my point and shoot camera so I bought a DSLR. Photos are still bad. I thought maybe because it's a Sony Alpha 100k and very basic. So, I searched online but most reviews of the cam were good. Thank you for this post. Now I have the "lighting", and the lack of, to blame. I sure am running of things to pass the buck on. Unless you come up with another tip, I just have to face the fact that it is me!
February 12th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
SK, thanks for sharing this - very helpful and yes, I LOVE, thai beef salad.
February 13th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Jaden, you are a darling. I've been looking into lighting for home and had a few items selected. I've heard good stuff about the Lowel EGO. However, it's not available in Germany and Amazon.com won't ship this to Germany. I really wanted to get you that latte! Bummer! I gotta think of another way to get my hands on this!
February 19th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
That is a lot of useful info. Thanks for sharing, Jaden.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing the wonderful tips, comparison photos, etc.! You betcha — I've placed my order! Can't wait to start using the light & sweep.
The beef salad looks gorgeous.
March 7th, 2008 at 10:22 pm
thank you so much for the info. i've used my kit a couple of times--what a relief that i don't have to take all my food photos before i go to work anymore
March 11th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Thanks for the wonderful review! I've been needing something like this for a long time.
Just one question, is there going to be any difference between the Lowel bulbs and standard daytime lights available from home depot?
eg:
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=945574&Ntt=945574&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber
It's a 2-pack Philips Twister Compact Fluorescent Lamp rated at 6500K for $13.
I know that the right equpiment makes all the difference, but I was just wondering if this could be one exception.
I'd expect the 'ego' shades are as important in generating the balanced light as the bulb? Otherwise one would be able to use any run of the mill
table lamp from Ikea.
I'd appreciate your comments. Thanks.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Glasses of water can't stand in for Shirakawago--shake that nigori up.
April 3rd, 2008 at 6:07 am
I've just got into SLR photography, from the Canon G7 earlier... and lights were proving to be a challenge. Thank you!
Sid
April 4th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Hi all,
These lights sound great but I was wondering if using these lights for shooting wine bottles would work okay. I need some nice bottle shots and was thinking these lights might be the perfect match but I'm not sure. Anyone taken bottle shots with using these lights?
April 5th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Chase: this guy has:
http://lightingwithego.blogspot.com/
April 9th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Thanks so much for your tips. I will purchase these lights from your amazon for my blog. I'm very excited!
May 3rd, 2008 at 2:09 am
Wow.It's the answer to all my dreams
And i thought it was gonna be some cute nerdy chick.