Gear
What I shoot food with.
A phone, one light, one mic, and a way to hold the phone. This is the whole kit for Reels at the fish market and for the chefs I work with. Nothing here is aspirational. If I don’t own it, it says so.
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Light
Skip ring lights for food. They put a doughnut of glare on anything glossy and flatten the plate. One soft light off to the side, slightly above, and a white board on the other side.
Neewer NL288 18" bi-color LED panel
I use thisThe light I use for everything indoors. Big, soft, true colour (CRI 97+), warm-to-daylight adjustable, remote in the box, runs on camera batteries so there is no cord across the shop.
Watch for: Battery not included. Buy the NP-F970 below or you will be shooting beside an outlet.
See it on Amazon.caabout $135White foam board, 20 by 30 inches
I use thisHeld opposite the light, it fills the shadow side of the face or the plate. Does most of what a second light does.
Watch for: A dollar store has these for less. Linked here so the list is complete.
See it on Amazon.caabout $10Aputure Amaran 100d
Next on the listThe step up. Bright enough to shoot beside the shop window in daylight, with a softbox in the box. Mains only.
Watch for: Only if the NL288 keeps losing to the window. For Reels at the counter it is more light than you need.
See it on Amazon.caabout $300
Sound
Bad sound loses a viewer before bad picture does. A clip-on wireless mic is the one purchase that makes phone video sound like it was made on purpose. Pick by the phone it plugs into.
Hollyland Lark M2, USB-C version
I use thisTwo tiny clip-on mics and a receiver that plugs into the phone. Thirty hours on a charge, works across a room. What I use.
Watch for: USB-C only: Android phones and iPhone 15 or newer. Record in the phone's own camera app; the Instagram camera sometimes ignores plug-in mics. No earpiece, so record five seconds and play it back before every shoot.
See it on Amazon.caabout $105Saramonic Blink 500 B4, Lightning version
I use thisWhat I used before the Lark, on an older iPhone. Two transmitters, receiver plugs into the Lightning port, Apple-certified. Still works fine.
Watch for: iPhone 14 and older only. Will not work on Android or iPhone 15. Goes in and out of stock on Amazon.ca; if you are about to upgrade your phone, buy the Lark instead.
See it on Amazon.caabout $200
Power
The battery is why the light can go anywhere in the shop. The power bank keeps the phone and the mic alive on a long day.
Neewer NP-F970 battery, 10500mAh, USB-C charging
I use thisRuns the NL288 for hours and charges from any USB-C brick, no separate charger. The first battery dying mid-shoot is the limit you will actually hit, so get two.
Watch for: The exact one I bought is no longer listed; this search shows the current version. Any NP-F970 with USB-C in and 7800mAh or more does the job.
See it on Amazon.caabout $50Power bank, 20000mAh, USB-C
I use thisTops up the phone and the mic case between takes. Mine is a 2020 Aukey that is long gone from Amazon; any 20000mAh bank with USB-C out at 20W or better is the same thing.
See it on Amazon.caabout $40
Holding the phone
Hands free, so you can cook. A light stand and a ten-dollar clamp cover talking to camera. The overhead arm is what turns a kitchen counter into a set.
Phone tripod with an overhead boom arm
Next on the listTop-down shots of the board, the fish, the plate. Stands beside the counter and reaches over it.
See it on Amazon.caabout $60Amazon Basics aluminum light stand, 2.8 to 6.7 feet
I use thisHolds the NL288 at head height, or the phone with the clamp below. Folds into its bag and lives in the car. Two of them if you ever add a second light.
Watch for: It is a light stand, not a tripod: fine for a phone pointed at you or a counter, not for top-down shots. That is what the boom arm above is for.
See it on Amazon.caabout $50Vastar universal phone tripod clamp
I use thisScrews onto any stand or tripod, grips any phone, turns vertical or horizontal. The ten-dollar part that makes the light stand a phone stand.
Watch for: Goes out of stock. If it is unavailable, any clamp with a quarter-inch thread and a 58 to 100mm grip is the same thing; the cold-shoe versions let you park the mic receiver on top.
See it on Amazon.caabout $10
How I set it up for a talking clip
Light at 45 degrees to one side, just above eye line, warmed to about 4500K so it matches the room. Overhead fluorescents off. Foam board on the other side at arm’s length. Mic clipped at the second button, cable tucked. Phone at eye level, horizontal. A window in front of you, never behind.
Private chef trying to get bookings through Instagram? That’s the other thing I do.