Food Styling for Photographers

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD STYLING

you select. Th e boxes that hold a case of individual water

bottles work great. I keep several of those boxes in my

trunk. If you don’t have boxes and the grocer doesn’t have

any that are a good size for your project, ask the checkout

clerk for a couple of large paper bags. Lay the bags fl at in

your shopping cart to create the desired smooth surface.

Tip 3: Be extremely picky when you select grocery items

for photography. You want to purchase only the very

best examples of each item you need as well as dupli-

cates of each item for insurance. Foods to be cut or

cooked will need more than one backup. Additionally,

you may need stand-ins or extras for testing purposes.

Tip 4: Purchase nonperishable items a day or two before

the shoot. If possible, perishable groceries should be

purchased the day of the shoot.

LOOKING FOR A HERO

Th ere is a process stylists go through during the prep

phase of photography that is called the hero process. Th e

hero process is the process of looking through lots of

one kind of item to fi nd the perfect, or hero, examples

of that item for your shot. Th is is a picky, picky process.

It usually involves looking at numerous trays fi lled with

one kind of food. Sometimes it means going to several

markets to fi nd the perfect examples of certain items.

Rule Seven:

Learn to shop like a stylist. The quality of the items you purchase for your

shoot will directly impact the appearance of your fi nal image. Quality and

perfection of each item you purchase are the goals. If you don’t bring

quality items to the studio, you won’t bring quality to the camera.

For a novice, shopping for a photo shoot may sound like

an easy task. You’ve shopped plenty of times, right? Well,

stylists take shopping to the extreme. If you are planning

to attempt your own food styling, you will be wise to

brush up on some stylist’s shopping tips.

SHOP WISELY

Tip 1: Shop at the best groceries available. Some markets

are known for specifi c types of groceries such as

bakery, produce, or meats. Find the absolute best

markets that provide the types of food you need for

your shot and shop at those places. If you are fortunate

to have one overall wonderful grocery market, like I

did for this book, even better, because one-stop shop-

ping will save you lots of time. During photography

production for this book, I shopped at Central Market

in Dallas, Texas, for everything.

Tip 2: Take a few fl at, low-sided boxes to the market to

create a smooth surface that won’t mar the tender items

Looking for a hero: hamburger buns contending for hero status.