I would like to create a menuof my chocolates that features a picture of each flavor as well as have pictures ofmy chocolateson the website. How have you photographed your chocolates? Did you do it yourself? Is special lighting needed so they look 3D & shiny? Did you hire a photographer? Do you use a food photographer? Any help or insight would be appreciated.

updated by @jo-ellen-fairbanks: 04/11/15 12:32:17

This photoset in flickr shows the lighting setup and some examples which look quite good. It uses a few flashes (strobes) and an umbrella.

Check this great New York Times blog on food photography for some excellent tips. Not specific tochocolate, but should be helpful regardless. For the shininess you just have to have a super well tempered bar, preferably one that was just tempered within a day.

I shot in just natural light next to a window late in the afternoon when the sun was at a lower angle to get some interesting shadows.

I attempted some myself, and while they looked OK, I'm not a photographer. I had a professional take mine. Even though he wasn't a food photographer, he has been doing it more because he works for the chef I work for.

Here are a few he did for me. He used a light box he had designed. While shine is good, I didn't want too much reflection on them, so his lighting was muted.