‘To create food that is good for all people and the environment; encouraging viewers to live consciously and sustainably’. This is the philosophy of Peaceful Cuisine, a widely popular vegan cooking YouTube channel run by Chef Ryoya Takashima. Known for its unique, calming style, viewers keep coming back to the channel due to Ryoya’s professional and artistic way of presenting his recipes. Founded in 2010, Peaceful Cuisine aims to please not only the taste buds but also the eyes of its viewers. 
 

Ryoya was 22 years old when he got his first camera. That was when he started shooting photos and embarked on a journey as a photographer. He would then publish his photos on his blog, where he would also share his own plant-based recipes and other cooking tips he learned from his macrobiotic cooking class. Several years later, he would then get his first video camera, which opened the doors for Peaceful Cuisine. 

“Back then, I felt that there was a lack of high-quality vegan cooking channels on YouTube, so I decided to start it myself. I shifted my content from blog posts and cooking classes to videos because I thought that it was a more efficient avenue to convey my recipes. Also, I had a feeling that video content would be a major thing in the future,” said Ryoya. He was right! Video content is well-received by different kinds of audiences from across the globe, and he is now reaping the benefits of his future-forward, creative thinking. 

A day in the life of content creator Ryoya Takashima 

Ryoya’s recipes are inspired by his travels. Whenever he tries different cuisines from the countries he visits, he recreates them at home and films his original recipes to share with Peaceful Cuisine viewers. Having done cooking vlogs for more than a decade, creating content has now become a part of Ryoya’s lifestyle. A typical shooting day for him starts early in the morning to catch natural light and ensure that he finishes before the sun sets. 

“I usually start preparing from the day before. For example, when creating a cooking video, I’d prepare a recipe the day before and start shooting it in the morning the next day. I like shooting in natural light, so I normally get up a bit earlier than usual and finish shooting before sunset,” the chef-vlogger said.  

Ryoya has always relied on daylight as his lighting equipment. “Shooting in natural light is something that has never changed from the beginning. I don’t use electric lights because I want my footage to look as authentic as possible.” 

Believe it or not, most of his videos, as cinematic as they are, were shot from his home kitchen, using only minimal equipment.

“Something I intended when creating videos would be to make it attractive to most people, regardless of their diet or lifestyle. I hope that will influence those who are not interested in healthy food to be interested and/or try cooking healthy food without even realising that it is vegan.” 

Alpha 7S III helps achieve the cinematic nuance of Peaceful Cuisine videos 

Ryoya has been a long-time Sony user. “Alpha 7 II is my first full-frame camera. Then I bought Alpha 7R II, Alpha 7S II, and Alpha 7 III. There are several reasons why I’m still using Sony cameras. First, it’s very compact. Second, the battery life is excellent, you can even keep recording while charging through USB,” he said. 

Currently, his go-to camera is the Alpha 7S III, which he bought since its original release and has been using it ever since. Among the key reasons behind this is the high sensitivity of the gear that can capture precise intricate details and accurate hues. “You’d be surprised at how clean the footage is from this camera,” said Ryoya. 

He partners this with the  Distagon T* FE 35mm F1.4 ZA (SEL35F14Z) lens, shooting at 4K/24 frames per second with a shutter speed of 1/50 and an aperture of F2.0. The beautiful bokeh of this lens adds just the perfect allure that makes his food even more aesthetically inviting. This exact setting, complemented by the right amount of natural lighting that enters his home, makes his videos cinematic

“Shooting on 24fps is something I really need for my cooking videos. 24fps is basically the same frame rate as used in cinema. It looks like cinema. If you shoot on 30 or 60fps, it will look too smooth and realistic, therefore it's quite hard to get a cinematic feel,” he said. His usual setting is to fix the lens aperture at F2.0~2.8 with shutter speed of 1/50 and an ISO that is usually set to ISO1600 or to as low as possible. Ryoya also establishes that an ND filter is among the essentials to making the footage look more cinematic. The ND filter allows users to have a wider aperture to help capture footage with more bokeh, producing a more artistic output.  

Ryoya uses a monitor to check and ensure the accuracy of exposure, since it’s difficult to adjust it when referring to the camera screen alone. 

He also takes advantage of the S-Log3 setting to find the right balance between highlight and shadow, and to make color grading easier to adjust. “Shooting with Log profile is a must for me. Color grading the Log footage is tricky but it's worth the effort. You will love the color you get from it.” 

“Before, when you can only record on 8bit, colour grading was super difficult. I don't want to do that again. Now, with the Alpha 7S III, it's super easy to colour grade,” he added, elaborating how the Alpha 7S III allows for 10-bit recording, which produces high quality videos when colour grading with S-Log3. 

“Creating videos is like creating art. There is no right or wrong in how you make them. I want people to explore their own style and be creative. While there are a handful of techniques that I do, I don’t believe they are for everyone. Exploration of one’s own style is still important,” said Ryoya. 

“All you have to do is to try your best to express your style through the camera and show your audience how you see your world. I believe Sony is one of the best camera brands for videography—that’s why I have been using Sony for several years now. The most important thing is how you create your videography, and how the camera gear you use can further elevate your skills,” Ryoya reminds budding and aspiring video content creators.