A Little Gift: My Free Lightroom Preset, Penombra 01
There's a certain mood I keep chasing in my food photography. Warm. Quiet. A little cinematic. The kind of light that makes a slice of chocolate cake feel like it belongs in a painting, not on a plate.
After a lot of trial and error — adjusting, undoing, re-adjusting — I built a Lightroom preset that captures exactly that feeling. I use it on almost every shoot. And today, I'm sharing it with you for free.
It's called Penombra 01.
What Penombra does
Penombra is the Italian word for "half-light" — that beautiful in-between zone where soft brightness fades into deep shadow. That's the look this preset is built around: warm tones, painterly shadows, a bit of moodiness, and just enough richness to make food feel almost edible through the screen.
It works beautifully on chocolate, baked goods, citrus, wine, dark sauces, wooden surfaces, linen, aged paper — basically anything in the warm, earthy palette.
How to use it (the honest version)
Here's something I want to be clear about: a preset is a starting point, never a one-click solution.
Every photo is different. Different light, different camera, different scene. So when you apply Penombra to your own images, expect to fine-tune. The three sliders I recommend touching first, in this order, are:
- Exposure — small adjustments make a big difference
- White Balance — Penombra leans warm, so pull the temperature back if your scene was already cool
- Highlights & Shadows — bring down what's too bright, lift what's too crushed
Think of the preset as the mood, and these three sliders as the way you translate that mood onto your photo. I've written a short PDF guide that walks through all of this — it comes with the download.
Why I'm sharing it for free
Because I remember being at the beginning of my food photography journey and feeling overwhelmed every time I sat in front of Lightroom. I wished someone had handed me a starting point — something that felt close to the work I admired — so I could focus on taste, not technical fiddling.
If Penombra helps even one person fall a little more in love with editing, it has done its job.
Grab it here
You'll get the preset, the quick-start PDF guide, and a place in my world where I share more about light, food, and the little moments behind the lens.
If you make something you love with it, tag me — I would adore seeing your work.
With love, Fedi
