I've been working with light and food. It's amazing how many different ways you can photograph a subject and get a whole different look to the photograph. I first start with an idea in my head of how I want the photograph to look like. I think about the style of photograph. I am in a dark and moody phase right now. That translate to all my food photographs having that style. I then think about the food and the colors in the food. I look around my house for dishes that would compliment but not distract from the food. Typically I like white or off white plates. When I'm at grocery stores, dollar stores, Goodwill, Target or Walmart I look for dishes or something I can use with food. I've been following a couple of food blogs and photographers who are food photographers. I am learning and practicing and loving how they are turning out. Food doesn't move around. I am comfortable around food. I guess I'm not intimidated by it. I think about angles, and position of forks, chopsticks, any thing that I'm using with the food. I have a favorite window in my kitchen and I turn off all the lights to get the shadows and the moodiness. I've purchased a couple of floor boards for the background when I want dark wood. I have a bamboo tray that I use, a painter's drop cloth, a cookie sheet for dark metal. I always wondered what I would take photos of when my kids move out and it's just John and I. He really doesn't like me taking photos of him and you can tell in the pictures just how uncomfortable he is. With food, I cook it during the day and then work while it's hot. Green onions are place on it last so they don't wilt and I use real food.  Professional food photographers have a lot of tricks to make food look better and there are times it's not real. I don't use tweezers to get it just right so maybe that's why I'll never have my food on a carton or an ad which is OK with me. I want my food to make me hungry and maybe other's hungry as well. I want it to real and uncomplicated so that it looks like anyone could make it. I typically take about 50 to 60 shots of the food from different angles and move stuff around. Then when I upload it to my computer I only upload a quarter of them. Next I go through as I process them, deleting the next batch of photos that didn't make it.  Finally I have a few favorites and I look them over thinking about which one will make it into the recipe book and how the recipe book is layout.  At this point and time I am having all my recipe photos horizontal so the vertical ones don't make it into the book.