It’s funny how a variety of work within our profession can either keep us enthused, make us feel bored, or in some cases inspire us like crazy. During this shoot for a local bakery/restaurant, I had an almost childlike energy as we were trying to really do this job well but did not have the luxury of time to stretch it out and make big styling changes on each different product. The baker from the restaurant was on set as well as the owner, as well as the world’s best food stylist, food photographer extraordinaire, Joe Glyda.

One of the lessons I have learned and have been teaching for many years is the ease of lighting I use for many different types of tabletop product shots. By simply lowering a medium or large softbox down and low directly over the products AND slightly behind the products, the soft shadows come forward towards the camera. Also, the highlights tend to do a great job on the edges of your subjects and will often be all of the lighting you need.

Of course, there will be times when you want to amplify the set by lighting a background separately from the table surface and the product. But overall, get used to working close with your lights and watch for opportunities to create this kind of work for a variety of subjects.