Have you ever wondered how food photographers get their subjects to look so mouthwatering? I happened to be at the library yesterday and that question was answered.While browsing through a popular kids' magazine with my daughter I came across a few interesting photography tidbits.
Read on for the not so tasty truth!
Have a hankering for a glass of milk? For a just poured look they stir in a bit of DISHSOAP (yes that is right DISHSOAP!) to make bubbles on the drink's surface. YUM!
That lovely browned finish on a chicken or turkey? The bird is partly cooked, stuffed with paper towels, and painted a lovely "just roasted" brown.
Would you like bread with your meal? It is sprayed with a nice coat of auto window defogger for extra streakfree freshness.
ice cream? Psst it is really a mix of powdered sugar and frosting. This is so it won't melt between takes.
Strawberries too pale? A little red lipstick makes them look ripe and juicy in no time!
A hot and steamy baked potato? Watch out for that nuked cotton ball that is placed strategically within the potato to simulate just baked freshness. Dry ice is also used, wetted with water for more steam.
A little background:
I am just starting out in photography. I have only been shooting (with a cheap digi-cam) for a few months. You can see the results under my images. Before this I took regular old pictures. Then I woke up one day and something clicked and the images turned out a tad less crappy than my regular family pics. (I must assure you that up to then I was wretched at taking pics. Horrid. My hands shake too much and I can't hold still enough.) I am attributing this to the fact that flowers (my main subject) don't leap around like people and my two rat terrors (rat terrier dogs) instead of divine intervention. For extra difficulty, my digi-cam movement often leaves streaks and blurs.
So of course I would be curious about different subjects.
In my quest for more info about food photography, I came across a few more ways to get good shots. These are from the internet and are paraphrased.
- cigarette smoke can be blown through a straw behind the food to mimic steam. Smoke pellets are also used but blown upon for "steam" effect.
-propane torches are used for browning or melting
-ice cream can be made with mashed potatoes (again doesn't melt during the shoot time).
- glycerin for a shiny surface
Ok, off to pick up the kids. I hope you enjoyed my mini expose' on the food photography industry!
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