A snoot can give you that extra light kick on your food or dish which is needed to let it shine. You can modify it by using a honeycomb grid to get an even more direct spotlight with hard edges. Or you can use a diffusion gel in front of it to soften the light and to get the falloff softer as well. Of course you can combine both methods if needed.

Getting started with flash food photography doesn’t have to be difficult. For many applications, a setup with one flash is usually sufficient. In addition to a flash, you still need a transmitter and a receiver unit to be able to position the flash independently of the camera position, a camera, a light stand for your flash, a light shaper, and, of course, the food. Everything else can be learned quickly.