Reddit mentions of Food Stylist's Handbook, The

Food photography is all about textures, and for that you need strong light, so this is pretty flat and doesn't entice us with the creaminess of the ice cream, and even the sparkle of the glass can make it more appetizing. Our eyes naturally seek contrast, so giving them what they want in that regard just enhances the overall viewing experience. Also, get closer so we can see every creamy fold and chocolatey sprinkle.

Desserts are tough. Any commercial image you see of ice cream isn't ice cream, it wouldn't last under the lights. Which brings us to styling. It has to look perfect, so no smudges on the rim of the glass, the sprinkles need to be arranged perfectly, and the scoop on top needs to really look heroic.

If you really want to get into food photography I highly recommend assisting. For now, get this book, in which a few of my images are featured :) There's a Kindle edition as well. It will show you a lot of great tips and secrets for making your food shots look irresistible.

Ninja edit to add a note about desserts.

>My photography style tends to gravitate towards photorealism and getting a shot as close to how I saw it live when took the picture. I feel this would be a very good ability to have when taking food photos for pay.

Commercial food photography is aspirational, not realistic. While it may look good on the plate, food is fragile, i.e. difficult to work with, and, under close scrutiny, can be surprisingly unphotogenic without additional preparation.

I recommend the Food Stylist's Handbook to start, and not just because I have a few shots in there.