Food Styling for Photographers

INTRODUCTION TO FOOD STYLING

Rule Eight:

Protect the hero food. Whether the hero items are on a table in the

studio or in the refrigerator, freezer, etc., be sure they are identifi ed

as hero items and not for consumption. Once found, the hero items

must be cared for in ways specifi c to each type of item to maintain

hero quality until photography is completed.

Let’s consider the bun on the hamburger that is featured

in Chapter 6, the burgers and sandwiches chapter. Th e

description of the bun hero process is discussed in that

chapter. More than a dozen packages of hamburger buns

were carefully selected and purchased to fi nd the perfect

bun for this shot. If you have a baker nearby who is willing

to sell a fl at of freshly baked buns, you’re fortunate.

However, even that measure does not guarantee a hero.

Once the buns are in the studio, each bun must be scru-

tinized to see if it is hero quality. Th is process is the same

for almost every food item that goes into photography.

It’s as if the items participate in a beauty pageant to

determine the winner and runner-ups. Th e items that win

are ranked and assigned numbers to indicate their ranking.

Th ey are of high value to you at this point.

Many tears have been shed over hero food that was con-

sumed by studio crew members or clients before the shot

was made. Because the items had not been properly

marked as hero food, the crew was blissfully unaware that

they were eating the star product that a stylist had care-

fully shopped for and selected after looking at hundreds

of examples. We can only hope they appreciated how

perfect the item looked as they ate it!

Rule Nine:

Before you make a fi nal capture or shoot fi lm of your hero, double-

check the set to make certain there are no visible tools, supplies, paper

towels, etc., within the crop of the shot. Yes, I’ve been guilty of this.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE: ASSEMBLING YOUR

FOOD STYLING KIT

Being prepared also means having the tools and sup-

plies available that are needed to style the specifi c foods

you are working with on each project. Just as having the

right tool for the job applies to handymen, it also applies

to food styling. Th e right tools can make short work of

some tasks. And, in the world of food photography, both

time and timing are crucial.

Basic Kit Components

For most food styling projects you will need some specifi c

tools and supplies. You will see many of these tools in the

technical working shots within this book. Th e basic com-

ponents of your styling kit should include the following: