CHAPTER EIGHTdescribed below. Th e goal that the photographer and I
wanted to achieve with this shot was to illustrate a study
of textures using one color. With that goal in mind, I
selected vegetables of varying colors in the green family.
Once the vegetables were prepped, I began constructing
the hero plate using the diff erences of texture to make
the vegetables pop and visually separate within the
build. I also wanted the build to create movement to
draw the viewer’s eyes through the image.
Th ere are four basic methods for cooking vegetables for
photography. It might be more accurate, however, to say
that there are four basic methods for making vegetables
appear cooked. In the world of food photography, all is
not as it appears. Have you ever noticed, while preparing
vegetables at home, that when you fi rst plunge green
vegetables into simmering water, the color of the vegeta-
ble changes very quickly to a more vibrant appearance?
As the vegetable continues to cook, it becomes more
water logged or limp and the color isn’t quite as vibrant.
For food photography, we usually want to capture the
vibrant appearance before it goes any further into the
cooking process.
Steaming
One of the methods for prepping vegetables for pho-
tography is steaming. Additional techniques may be
applied to the vegetables after steaming, but steaming
is a very controlled way to begin the cooking process.
A steamer usually involves a large pot or kettle that
holds a couple of inches of boiling water and some type
of steamer insert that fi ts into the pot. Th e steamer
insert is perforated with holes that allow the steam
generated by the boiling water to access the vegetables
sitting on the steamer insert. Th e bottom of the steamer
insert should be above the water surface in the pot at
all times.