Ingredients? Styling?
May 12, 2021 13:21:21 #
In my commercial food shoots, I often will create backgrounds and foregrounds by using fresh ingredients. A pizzeria chain that I do work for advertises "made with homemade crust fresh ingredients" so that approach works well for their wall murals, menu ads etc. It was done on location in the kitchen- a kind industrial setting so all that fresh food was nicer than the actual surroundings. Shot attached.
This is a method you can use at home unless you are in our (me and my lovely wife's) situation. We are in the typical "empty nest" phase- there are just the two of us most of the time so we don't stock up on too much product or large quantities of anythg unless the gang is coming in for a feast. We like, for example, a nice homemade turkey dinner, once in a while, but if we cook a big bird, we'll be eating the leftovers for a week and the cat does not like "people food"- that's OK because we are not into cat food! Sadly, we have taken to PREFAB frozen turkey loaf and instant boxed and caned trimmings- hardly glamorous or terribly appetizing as props.
So, if photography is in order, we just have to dress things up, hence- the before and after shots and it doesn't taste half bad! If it looks good, it tends to taste better!
I gotta admit that I do lie to "play with my food"- I'm my old age, I may be reverted to my childhood! Weh I was a kid, my mom was not impressed by my lack of table manners. She wor admonish me "Edward (She called me that when she was angry with me- (actually, phonetically, EDWOOD- she spoke Brooklynese)stop playing with your food and eat what's on your plate!!!! Aunt Celia, who was more sympathetic, though I was creative and mechanically inclined and opined that was gonna grow up to be an architect or at least a construction worker- ma be a bricklayer? My Uncle Jack, who was an architect, thought I would make a good architectural scale model-maker in that I was making litte buildings with my carrots and mashed potatoes and using the spinach or broccoli for landscaping! So nowadays, I get to play with all kinds of food and get paid for it! The problem is, in retrospect, unionized tradespersons, architects, and model-makers are highly paid- photographers?- not necessarily so! We gotta work harder!
TIP- my point is before you shoot PLAY a litte- visually pep up salads or slaws with a fork, don't overcook the veggies- steaming brings out the colour and retains the vitamins. Spinach with a very ligt sprinkling of sugar and a short stint in the microwave will make it more appetizing and aesthetically pleasing. And Y'all- watch your white balance- greenish or gray cheese usually doesn't look good! Think of colour psychology- the experts say if you wanna go on a diet to lose weight, paint your dining room BLUE- seems that cold colours suppress the appetite so avoid blue or green mashed potatoes or scrabbled eggs in your shots. Danish blue cheese gets a pass- it is actually kinda blue!
PS- My wife has taken over for my mother. She too doesn't like when I "play with OUR food too much rather than just sitting down and enjoying a relaxing HOT meal. So, for these spontaneous and casual home food shots, it's the Tiffiny style lamp over the table and the cellphone camera and a 3-minute window of opportunity! Regulations are strictly enforced. Violators go to the dog house- cat house?
This is a method you can use at home unless you are in our (me and my lovely wife's) situation. We are in the typical "empty nest" phase- there are just the two of us most of the time so we don't stock up on too much product or large quantities of anythg unless the gang is coming in for a feast. We like, for example, a nice homemade turkey dinner, once in a while, but if we cook a big bird, we'll be eating the leftovers for a week and the cat does not like "people food"- that's OK because we are not into cat food! Sadly, we have taken to PREFAB frozen turkey loaf and instant boxed and caned trimmings- hardly glamorous or terribly appetizing as props.
So, if photography is in order, we just have to dress things up, hence- the before and after shots and it doesn't taste half bad! If it looks good, it tends to taste better!
I gotta admit that I do lie to "play with my food"- I'm my old age, I may be reverted to my childhood! Weh I was a kid, my mom was not impressed by my lack of table manners. She wor admonish me "Edward (She called me that when she was angry with me- (actually, phonetically, EDWOOD- she spoke Brooklynese)stop playing with your food and eat what's on your plate!!!! Aunt Celia, who was more sympathetic, though I was creative and mechanically inclined and opined that was gonna grow up to be an architect or at least a construction worker- ma be a bricklayer? My Uncle Jack, who was an architect, thought I would make a good architectural scale model-maker in that I was making litte buildings with my carrots and mashed potatoes and using the spinach or broccoli for landscaping! So nowadays, I get to play with all kinds of food and get paid for it! The problem is, in retrospect, unionized tradespersons, architects, and model-makers are highly paid- photographers?- not necessarily so! We gotta work harder!
TIP- my point is before you shoot PLAY a litte- visually pep up salads or slaws with a fork, don't overcook the veggies- steaming brings out the colour and retains the vitamins. Spinach with a very ligt sprinkling of sugar and a short stint in the microwave will make it more appetizing and aesthetically pleasing. And Y'all- watch your white balance- greenish or gray cheese usually doesn't look good! Think of colour psychology- the experts say if you wanna go on a diet to lose weight, paint your dining room BLUE- seems that cold colours suppress the appetite so avoid blue or green mashed potatoes or scrabbled eggs in your shots. Danish blue cheese gets a pass- it is actually kinda blue!
PS- My wife has taken over for my mother. She too doesn't like when I "play with OUR food too much rather than just sitting down and enjoying a relaxing HOT meal. So, for these spontaneous and casual home food shots, it's the Tiffiny style lamp over the table and the cellphone camera and a 3-minute window of opportunity! Regulations are strictly enforced. Violators go to the dog house- cat house?
May 12, 2021 13:34:48 #
If you are regular patrons of a store with a butcher shop, they will probably cut one of the small frozen turkeys in half lengthwise with their band saw / meat saw. Freeze one half, thaw and cook the other. Roast Turkey, Sandwiches, Turkey Tetrazzini, Turkey soup and you're all done till next time!
Aug 22, 2021 18:01:00 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
In my commercial food shoots, I often will create ... (show quote)
Amazingly tempting and beautiful ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Aug 22, 2021 23:50:44 #
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