Hey so I'm really getting the hang of running this blog- my second one! I have so many ideas I want to share and probably for my own good as well so I can see how I've evolved as a photographer.

Rule 101: Lighting (and by no means you should be following all what I write here because a lot of photographers have their own way of doing things. Just google online and you can see a plethora of information re: food lighting).
1. Don't use flash please! Whether you have a DSLR or a point-and-shoot, grab the nearest jar or glass to balance your camera to prevent bluriness. Those wine glasses work wonders- even with or without wine.  Be resourceful but don't break/spill things while you're at it.
2. Backlight is necessary
3. Natural lighting- love the sunshine! Make it a point to schedule your shoots in the morning/afternoon during a not so gloomy day. Helps you especially if you don't carry fancy lighting equipment.

So if you combing #2 and #3, the most optimal spot to shoot is near a large window with lotsa light (be careful of the sun shining through though unless you would like that kind of effect).

Some boo-boos:
1. Shooting in the kitchen- most likely if you're in the kitchen, you're way too excited to move anywhere out of there especially if you just have a fresh batch of cookies, etc. that just came out straight out of the oven. If you have a well-lighted kitchen, good for you. But if you're like the rest of us, with smaller kitchen that doesn't have big windows, you are better off taking snaps of your goodies in the living room. Much much better, if you go outside your house (e.g. in the garden, terrace) and shoot.
2. The red light district effect- if it is already dark and you are still working hard during the wee hours, get some ample fluorescent lighting. If you're fond of shooting in fancy restos (mostly with low lighting), grab whatever candles you can get or you'll end up with what I call as the 'Red Light District' photo (as shown below- an authentic Italian vongole spaghetti straight from Rome).