There is just something boring about a perfect dish that looks completely untouched. I’m more of a fan of messy, authentic looking food shots where there is a crumb of bread on the table, an overturned oyster shell, a messily folded napkin. I start by taking a photo of the food looking perfect and then progressively eat and shoot my way through it. Also, short glasses are your friends! Tall wine glasses will overpower an overhead food shot.

Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, Focal length 45mm, ISO400 f/11 at 1/160th