It's 10 am and the sun is shining through my living room window. I took the opportunity to create shadows for instructional purposes. Ever heard of the golden rule in photography, "Though shall not shoot against the sun"?

Natural lighting is the best lighting one can get for good looking food photography. But be careful where you put your food. The sun can cast a harsh, almost too vivid light on food shots, such as my food model- my bowl of cereal with milk.


On the left, is the 2 pm shadow and on the right is the 5 pm shadow. Can you figure out where the sun is shining from the shots above?

Below is the shot with the bowl out of the sunshine giving a softer bright glow which you would commonly see in published food photos. HINT: One thing lacking here is a reflector on the left side.


So can you now guess where the sun is at? Check out the over-the-top photo below. This is a very good eye training exercise.