Having a food stylist to work with is a great asset, since they are artists in their own right and very knowledgeable in how to make the food look more appetizing.  They are an integral part to making a photo shoot successful.  The photographer captures the story, the food and prop stylists are the artists who create the story.  It is a team effort.

To find a food stylist in your area, look to various organizations such as the Association of Stylists and Coordinators (www.stylistsasc.com)

Avoid using too many objects that crowd the space.  Try to keep it simple most of the time, simplicity rules; less is more when it comes to food photography.  Determine the key mouthwatering element in your image, and compose your photograph to draw the viewer’s eye to it.

This is an old-fashioned technique of placing the key element smack in the middle of the photograph.  The use of concentric shapes pulls your eye into the middle of the photo.

We read from left to right, our eyes naturally tend to scan pictures in a clockwise fashion and then spiral in to the area that has the whitest and brightest colors at its center.

If you keep the “a” in mind, you will automatically create interesting compositions.  This will help you balance the elements in a photograph, creating a yin-yang effect.  The “a” leads the eye in a clockwise fashion, similar to a spiral, pointing it to the main subject, which is slightly off-center.

You can use flash when you shoot outdoors in sunlight to show some detail in the harsh shadows, its called Flash Fill