Food Styling for Photographers

BURGERS, SANDWICHES, AND BEYOND

at a time. A hero slice of deli meat will not have torn

edges, nor holes or discolored areas. Gently fold and

gather the meat with your fi ngers. Th e fold doesn’t have

to be perfect; in fact more interest is created if the edges

are slightly uneven. Pin the bundle in place on the sand-

wich with a toothpick that has been cut in half.

may need to use a folded paper towel, piece of cardboard,

etc., to make the sandwich level. Just make sure the

support is not seen by the camera.

On Set with a Whole Sandwich

Here’s a list of supplies you will need on set: a sampling

of all sandwich components, tweezers, small cutting

board, 3-inch paring knife, small container for water

and oil with artist’s brushes for both, paper towels,

toothpicks and small wire cutters, the hero bread top

still in the protective bag/plate assembly, and a paper

plate holding several dampened paper towels.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE After all sandwich ingredients are

positioned with the exception of the top piece of bread, transport

the sandwich to set. Top the sandwich with a piece of stand-in bread

so you can determine if the sandwich is level. Building a whole

sandwich that is completely level to the camera can be diffi cult. By

using a stand-in bread top until the sandwich is level, you will ensure

that the hero bread is not damaged or exposed to air for too long.

Th e sandwich elements can be very uneven, and adjust-

ments may need to be made to level the sandwich before

you put the hero bread topper in place. If the top element

in the sandwich interior is something that is fl uff y and

nonrigid like lettuce, sprouts, or meat, then your chances

of achieving a level sandwich are better. However, if the

top element is a rigid item such as onion or pepper slices,

you may need to place a support within the sandwich to

make a level surface for the bread topper. A piece of the

same vegetable that is on the top of the sandwich struc-

ture would be my fi rst choice for a support; however, you

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Here are some techniques to help

protect the hero sandwich on set. When the hero bread is placed on

top of the sandwich, a damp paper towel should be placed over it.

Gently lay the towel on the bread, removing it only to adjust fi nal

lighting and to make captures or fi lm exposures. Spritz the paper

towel occasionally to help cool the air around the sandwich. This

helps to keep the components fresher appearing for a longer time.

If the top piece of bread starts to dry, it must be replaced with

another hero slice.

You will need to keep vegetable ingredients looking fresh

until fi nal capture or fi lm is exposed. Black olives will

need a light brushing of vegetable oil. Tomato slice edges,