Hello Hailey,

A table top light will not mimic natural daylight. If you are on a budget and want to work with a constant light source then try the following. A clip on worklight from home depot for starters. It’s cheap and easy to move around. Second and most important, take a picture frame ( I suggest a fairly large one) and stretch and staple a frosted shower curtain to it and trim the excess. The frame will become your light source. Set it in position out of your image. Move the worklight near (but not so close that it melts the plastic) the frame/curtain. Now you have a soft, directional light to work with. The beauty of this setup is that you can control contrast by moving the light closer and farther from the frame/curtain (diffuser). That’s why I recommend a larger frame. That takes care of your main light. Now use reflectors to put light into the shadows to taste.

This technique is how an awful lot of actual comercial work is done. The lights and modifiers can be more expensive but the results aren’t necessarily better.

I hope that helps.

I don’t shoot food often but I learned this in the 90’s before digital using sheet film and view cameras. The technique remains the same but with immediate feedback.