Food photographers photograph food for magazine spreads, cookbooks, advertisements, and product packaging. His job is to photograph each food in such a way that the image conveys the smells, textures, and flavors of the food. To do so, he must arrange each dish in a visually appealing manner, position his lighting to emphasize the dish features he wants to emphasize, and capture the shot before the food has degraded in any way.
A food photographer must first style a dish before capturing it on film. Arranging the food to be photographed, as well as all background items such as silverware, tablecloths, and glasses, is known as food styling. Clients frequently prefer an artistic shot to a straightforward photograph of a particular dish. As a result, the food photographer is encouraged to be creative with his styling choices, such as substituting a book or a palm frond for a plate. Clients with large budgets may hire a food stylist to handle this aspect of the job, allowing the food photographer to focus on his photography.
Even the most appealing foods can appear unappealing on film due to poor lighting. As a result, establishing proper lighting is an important part of the food photographer’s set-up work. Food is usually lit with soft lights that illuminate the dish without causing glare on the food or the surrounding props. Before placing his lights, the photographer must decide which aspects of the dish he wants to emphasize. A skilled food photographer can set up his lighting so that the bright areas and shadows blend together on film, highlighting appealing features like the curves of a strawberry or the juiciness of a hamburger.
One of the most difficult things for a food photographer to deal with is the speed with which dishes lose their visual appeal. Freshly cut fruit can turn brown in a matter of minutes, heavy sauces can separate, and attractive wisps of steam can vanish. One of the most effective weapons in the photographer’s arsenal in the fight against time is preparation. He frequently sets up his shot with stand-in foods, then waits until the arrangement is perfect before bringing in the real dish, which he can then capture beautifully as soon as it arrives at the table.
The use of various substances to slow the degradation of certain foods and improve their appearance is another common technique. For example, glycerin is frequently sprayed on meats or vegetables to simulate juiciness or dew, and hot, water-soaked cotton balls are sometimes hidden behind foods to simulate steam. In some cases, mock foods are substituted for real foods. This is frequently the case with ice cream, which is imitated with a shortening and powdered sugar mixture that closely resembles the real thing while remaining solid. In the United States, however, it is against the law to use fake or substitute foods in advertising photographs.