Plate ISample
North window, late afternoon
The gentlest light in the house: a window out of direct sun, an hour or two before sunset. Soft shadows, true color and a cover you can read. If you learn only one recipe, learn this one.
Light
One window that isn't in direct sun (north-facing is ideal), camera left. Set the table side-on to the glass with the book two to three feet (60 to 90 cm) from the window. Turn off every lamp in the room: warm bulbs mixed with daylight turn the shadows orange.
Bounce or flag
A sheet of white foam board, A3 or larger, standing upright camera right, about a foot (30 cm) from the book. Slide it closer to lift the shadow side of the cover; pull it back for more mood.
Angle
Forty-five degrees, from the front: the lens just above the height of the book's top edge, looking down. On a phone, use the 2x lens if you have one; it keeps the book's corners square.
On the table
Four things, counted
- A cream cable-knit throw, folded in thirds
- A small handful of dried gypsophila
- An enamel or tin mug
- The book
Settings
- On a phone
- 2x lens, HDR on. Tap the title to focus, then drag exposure down a third to half a stop so the whites of the knit keep their texture.
- On a camera
- f/2.8 · 1/125 s · ISO 400. White balance on daylight (5200 to 5600 K), or a custom reading taken off the white card.
Method
- Clear the table and switch off the room lights. Wait until the sun is off the window.
- Lay the throw in a loose diagonal, back left to front right, so the cables run toward the light.
- Set the book on the throw and turn its cover ten to fifteen degrees toward the window. The light should rake across the title, not flatten it.
- Put the mug behind the book on the right, half in shadow. Tuck the gypsophila along the spine on the window side.
- Stand the white card camera right and watch the shadow side of the book lift. Stop while the cover's far edge still reads as an edge.
- Shoot a dozen frames, stepping a little left and right. Keep the one where the cover is brightest and the background falls away.
What we used
- White foam board, A3 or largerLink coming soon
- A small phone tripod with a Bluetooth remoteLink coming soon
- A cream cable-knit throwLink coming soon
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.