Quote (Solarves @ 9 Nov 2009 17:04)

With food photography, you typically want to use a different WB. Tungsten tends to be too warm and throws off color and often texture. I suggest that if you do food plates, you put them next to a window and gather daylight. There's really two ways, there is the all shadowless way and the way which puts some depth to it by allowing some shadow to form here and there. I know how to do this two ways. One is use the window light as your key and a white piece of cardboard (reflector) as fill for the other side.

Next is shooting a flash through a softbox and filling from the other side with either another flash or reflector on the opposite side. Sometimes it's called for that you also have a light shooting downward. Really depends on whether or not the shot calls for shadowed or shadowless. I recommend though with shooting 99% of foods that whatever light you use, make sure it is soft.

In terms of composition, most traditional food photography is done with the main course being framed in the fore and maybe to the right of the photo as it tends to follow the rule of thirds. In the background and shooting with SOME bokeh not too much, you would have a side dish, or drink, or the product box. Like if you were shooting a Mac and Cheese you might have the food in the fore and 2-3 boxes in the background on the opposite side of your foreground subject. Maybe you throw in some garnish, or table flowers, or a candle, silverware, whatever but it makes the photo more complete.

And despite everything, your photos have still made me hungry.