http://www.google.com/search?source...SPDA:2006-49,SPDA:en&q=how+to+photograph+food
Halfmoon, there's a lot of materials and references available on the net. Take some time ... a lot of time to read through it and I'm sure you will be able to pick up a lot of valuable pointers.
Your 50mm f/1.8 is a good start, and if you learn to use it skillfully, you may find that you may not need anyother lens, at least for now, or unless you want to shoot food commercially.
As for using flash or artificial lights for food photography - it's kinda complicated, and can get very expensive because you need the highest degree of light control - often right down to controlling an exact amount of light, the quality of which and its characteristics down to a 1 or 2 cm space on the dish, and getting that kind of control may call for a huge amount of accessories, especially generic and specialised stands, clamps and light modifyers. Some photographers use as little as 2 or 3 lights, some use as many as 5 or 6 or more. It all depends on the shoot requirements. Shots that require a background restaurant setting also incorporates elements of interior photography whereas a close-up menu shot has more lienient requirements.
Look through some of the links for more opinions on equipment, techniques and styles. Often, one photographer believes that a particular way is the best, and may not be open to any other style or technique. I would always advise beginners to read about as many styles and technques as possible, and try out different ones to see what they feel comfortable with, and what works for them/in a given situation, or for a particular project.
As for the food itself, look carefully at the works of other photgraphers in the links. Again, you will find a fairly wide range of styles and that's simply because different customers in different places have different reauirements, not because one is better than the other, or one is right and the other wrong. In the larger markets like Europe, the US and Aust, there are various schools of thought, all of which produce some of the world's most appealling food photographs, Donlt fall into the self-limiting trap of believing that there is only one way to do it 'right' - be it styling, lighting or shooting techniques. Editorial work - the most creative and free of constraints usually work with very shallow depth of fields, and interesting or unconventional angles and settings to create and convey a lifestyle or mood, whereas catalog or product packaging work often requires that the entire photograph be sharp.
One issue that directly affects the photograph perhaps more than anything else is food styling. It takes a lot of knowledge and patience to get it right. That's why there is a seperate and specialised profession called food styling, but you too can learn a few basics that will make your shots better. Just do some research and remember: there are no short-cuts to hard and smart work in this area because food photography is revealingly cruel of any deficiencies in styling and technique.
Enjoy your journey.
