Food Styling for Photographers

GARNISHING BASICS

reached around the vegetable roll, the ends of the tape

will stick together if still dry and will stay together in

the ice water. Plunge the taped roll into an ice water bath

for at least 15 minutes. Th ese taped rolls will last most

of the day until needed on set. You will need to keep ice

present in the bowl. Note that carrots will bleed a little

color into the water if left for over an hour. When you

are ready to place the vegetables on set, carefully remove

the tape and the vegetable roll will unwind slowly. Th ey

don’t last long on set, so have alternate heroes waiting

in the bowl of ice water with tape still in place.

Tame and Revive Strawberry and Tomato Tops

Th is wonderful trick works on strawberry tops and on

tomato tops. Cut a square of paper towel that is just the

right size to cover the green top of the fruit. If the fruit

has a stem, cut a slit from the outside edge of the paper

towel square into the center to make room for the stem

to extend out of the paper towel topper. Wet the paper

towel. Holding the green top of the vegetable down in

place with your fi ngers, lay the wet paper towel over the

green top. It’s sometimes necessary to use a piece of

plastic wrap to wrap around tomatoes to hold the paper

towel and greens in place. Th e plastic wrap also forces the

top to lay fl atter and in a preferred position on tomatoes.

Th e fruit tops will both perk up and hold the shape you

have given them after about 1 hour, so prep them with

this technique early on shoot day. Keep the paper towel

damp and they will hold a few hours while waiting to go

to set. If the fruit is not wrapped with plastic wrap, it will

be necessary to spritz the paper towel regularly with

water to keep it moist until the fruit is needed on set.

Sauce a Plate

Applicator bottles have a variety of uses in food styling.

Th ey are perfect to apply sauces to food on set. Th e tips