BURGERS, SANDWICHES, AND BEYOND
Th e Hamburger
If you plan to photograph a hamburger or hot dog
without a stylist, you are indeed brave. What might
seem to be an easy project before you begin will surprise
you at how complicated and diffi cult it can become.
If, knowing this, you still plan on forging ahead,
the information in this chapter might save you from
some common pitfalls. My recommendation is that
you read the entire section on buns and burgers and
make sure you have a good understanding of the tech-
niques before you proceed. Th is is all part of being
prepared.A photographer I’ve known for many years recently
shared a story with me about his styling endeavor to
create a hamburger for an editorial piece. Th ere wasn’t a
budget for a stylist and the person in charge of the
editorial article instructed the photographer to go to a
hamburger restaurant, purchase a hamburger, and
shoot it. Fortunately, the photographer knew that sce-
nario was a disaster in the making and called me
for advice. Because he was 2,000 miles away from where
I live, I did my best to talk him through the process.
With my best wishes, and I’m sure his too, the sections
of this chapter on buns and burgers are for the brave
explorers in the world of hamburger styling and
photography.Finding the Perfect Hamburger Bun
Th e most diffi cult aspect of making a burger or hot dog
for photography can be the task of fi nding a hero bun.
Ideally, you should purchase a tray of freshly baked buns
from a local baker. Realize that the baker may need a
few days’ notice to meet the order, so be sure to call
several business days before you actually need the buns.
If you don’t have that option, it is possible to fi nd a
prepackaged hero bun. In fact, the buns used to create
the hero for this chapter were taken from prepackaged
buns.Preferably you should shop for buns early on the day of
photography; if time doesn’t permit that, then shop the
day before you plan to complete photography. Regardless
of when you actually buy the buns, you need to scout out
the best place to shop for buns well before the day of
your shoot.Th e search criteria you must follow in order to be success-
ful fi nding hero buns isn’t tough, but the stares you may
get from fellow shoppers at the market could be embar-
rassing, so wear blinders as you shop. Refer to Rule Seven
in Chapter 1 for additional shopping information.When you handle buns, a light touch is absolutely man-
datory. Even picking up a package of buns can make
dents in the buns and requires a gentle hand. Common