Sample post. Replace it in the editor with a real one.
Set the book on a table about an arm's length from a window, with the window to one side. Look at the cover. The edge nearest the glass will be bright and the far edge a little darker, and that gentle fall-off is what makes a flat object look like it has weight.
Beside, not behind
Most first attempts put the window behind the camera, because that is where the light seems strongest. The result is flat: the light lands square on the cover, every texture disappears and the book looks printed onto the table. Turn the table a quarter turn so the window sits at the book's left or right, and the same light starts to describe the cloth, the deckle edge and the dip of the spine.
Light from the side shows texture. Light from the front hides it.
Three things to check before you shoot
- The bright edge of the cover is not burnt out. If it is, step the book back from the glass.
- The shadow side still has detail. If it has gone muddy, stand a white card opposite the window.
- The title reads. Tilt the book a few degrees if the window is reflecting in it.
Once the light is right, everything else on the table becomes a matter of taste rather than rescue.