Food Styling for Photographers

CHAPTER FIVE

ing the hero, pour the pasta into a clean large work bowl

and add a few tablespoons of the sauce formula to the

pasta and mix well using your hands to gently toss the

pasta and sauce together. Check the coverage to verify

that it has the appearance you seek for your shot.

Build the pasta into the hero bowl so the entire area of

the bowl is fi lled with pasta. Once the pasta build is

established, you will be ready to add the other ingredi-

ents. When all ingredients are in place, you will then

brush on additional sauce and add concentrated areas of

sauce using a bulb applicator if desired.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE If the ends of long pasta are sticking
out and visible to the camera, the pasta can look messy and the
visual fl ow of the dish is interrupted. This is why the ends of long
types of pasta are normally hidden from the camera. As you build
each unit of twirled pasta into the dish, tuck the ends of the pasta
down into the bowl under the pasta loops or hide them behind other
food elements in the bowl.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE Dealing with any liquid or sauce on

the set is tricky. Mistakes and drips happen. As a time-effi cient and

set-protecting method, use paper towels to help protect all areas that

could be targets for drips and splashes. This is especially true when

you have oily substances near the set. I also keep some paper towels

in my lap or nearby so I can wipe my hands occasionally, making

sure my hands don’t become a dripping offender while I’m working

on set. If drips or small areas of sauce get on the hero plate or bowl,

they can be cleaned with a cotton swab that has been moistened

with Windex glass cleaner. Use each end of the swab for one swipe

at the offending drip or spot. Then throw the swab away. This is a

lesson I learned many years ago. If you try to reuse a cotton swab

for a second swipe, it will likely make a bigger mess.

Work with one bag of pasta at a time as you build the
hero pasta dish. Drain any liquids that have accumulated
in the bag by tipping the bag to one side. If you have
decided to brush the sauce onto the pasta after it’s built,
begin by pouring one bag of pasta into a clean large work
bowl so you can distinguish individual pieces as you build
the hero. Eventually the oil will be absorbed into the
pasta and it will stick together. So if the pasta you are
working with gets sticky, add a little more oil. If you
instead decided to coat the pasta with sauce before build-

For long pastas I use a technique of twirling two or three
lengths of the pasta around two fi ngers to create some
interesting loops. Once the pasta loops are placed in the
hero dish or container, a couple of the individual loops
can be manipulated at slightly diff erent angles or posi-
tions to get a more natural look.