Food Styling for Photographers

MEETING MEAT HEAD-ON

of paper towels to catch the liquid. Th ese liquids could

be hot, so take care not to get them on your skin.

During the baking process the bird’s skin will tighten,

causing the pinfeather bumps to smooth out. Occasion-

ally, some of the bumps don’t disappear. If this happens,

a torch fl ame can be lightly run over the bumpy areas to

encourage them to fl atten. Remove the foil cups covering

the leg bones. Lightly run the torch fl ame over the skin

and bone to dry any remaining moisture and to tighten

any bumps remaining on the skin. If you determine that

this may be the hero bird, place it on the hero plate and

proceed with the coloring techniques. If not, use this bird

as a stand-in.

Making the Bird a Hero

To color the skin of the cooked birds, use the coloring

agents and techniques described earlier in this chapter.

However, use a little less brown gravy coloring for a

lighter golden color. For our roasted hen shot in this

chapter section, I mixed a little preprepared dressing

with the color to give it some extra sheen and to include

some herb fl ecks in the color. Apply the color mixture

to the bird exterior with a basting brush. Take care to

cover all the skin areas exposed to the camera. For visual

interest, apply slightly heavier layers of color to areas

like wings and legs. Paint the leg bones with color also.

After color is applied to the bird, be careful not to touch

the bird’s skin during the garnishing process because a

mark will result. You can also sprinkle the bird with

spices or rub granules for additional visual interest.

With the hero bird on the hero plate, turn the bird to

present the best or predetermined position in relation to

the camera. Remember, you are the camera as you build

the hero garnishes around the bird. Th is is the fun part!

You get to add beautiful food garnishes that you prepped

earlier. Th e garnishes will accent the beautiful bird you’ve