Soft Natural Light

The lighting set-up is simple with a large window as the light source. Turn the set-up in such a way that the light falls from the side and slightly from behind on the subject. The light can be further diffused by sticking a sheet op tracing paper on the windowpane.

The light falling on the food and the background will be further controlled with a reflector of sorts (I love using silver cake or cupcake boards – they come in all sizes) and a few pieces of black board as flags (I use cori-board).

If you are framing the picture from a lower angle, concentrate on the adding light by reflecting light to the front (darker side) of the dish. Place the important pieces of food on the side of the set-up that will be getting the most light from the window.

Use the flags to block off light from the background. (remember you want that dark and moody feel)

If you are going overhead make sure all the points of interest are visible from above and is sufficiently lit.