Food Styling for Photographers: A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art

272 Pages·2008·19.57 MB·English

by  Linda Bellingham

Food Styling
for Photographers
A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art
LINDA BELLINGHAM
JEAN ANN BYBEE
WITH BRAD G. ROGERS
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON
NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO
SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
Publisher: Marie Hooper Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Acquisitions Editor: Cara Anderson Bellingham, Linda.
Publishing Services Manager: George Morrison Food styling for photographers : a guide to creating your own
Senior Project Manager: Dawnmarie Simpson appetizing art / Linda Bellingham, Jean Ann Bybee.
Associate Acquisitions Editor: Asma Palmerio p. cm.
Assistant Editor: Katy Stencer Includes index.
Marketing Manager: Christine Degon Veroulis ISBN-13: 978-0-240-81006-5 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Interior Design: Joanne Blank 1. Photography of food. 2. Photography—Miscellanea.
Cover Design: Eric DeCicco 3. Food presentation. I. Bybee, Jean Ann. II. Title.
TR656.5.B44 2008
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
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ISBN: 978-0-240-81006-5
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Dedication
To my sons, Scott and Ben, my sources of inspiration
Linda Bellingham
To my wonderful daughter, Audrey
Jean Ann Bybee
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Disclaimer
Th e contents of this book and techniques described herein are intended solely for the purpose of preparing food for
photography and are not intended for nor should they be used as methods of preparing foods for consumption.
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Contents
Disclaimer v
About the Authors xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
Preface xix
Chapter  Introduction to Food Styling 1
A Few Rules for Food Styling: 3
Have a Plan 4
Be Prepared 5
Shop Wisely 6
Looking for a Hero 6
Tools of the Trade: Assembling Your Food Styling Kit 8
Basic Kit Components 8
Equipment Often Used for Food Styling 10
Supplies Often Used in Food Styling 11
Chapter  Sets and Settings 15
Basics to Consider When Planning Food Photography 16
What’s the Point of the Shot? 16
How to Make Food Pop in the Image 18
Tips for Choosing Sets and Surfaces for Food Photography 18
Table Setting Tips 21
Working Fabric on the Set 22
vii
CONTENTS
Chapter  Chilling Facts about Cold Beverages 27
Th e Beverage of Choice 29
Frosted Glass Preparation Techniques 29
Creating Condensation 33
Building Acrylic Cubes in a Glass 36
On Set 38
Adding Liquid to the Hero Glass 39
Making and Placing Bubbles 40
Removing Liquid from a Hero Glass 42
Slushy Drinks: Th e Magic Frozen Margarita 46
Going to Set with the Margaritas 49
Chapter  Making a Salad for the Camera 55
Selection of Salad Ingredients 56
Shopping and Handling Techniques for Produce 56
Tips for Keeping Salad Greens Fresh 58
Salad Support Techniques 60
How to Dress a Salad for Photography 61
Building the Salad and Taking It to Set 62
On Set before Final Photography 63
Fruit Salads 65
Techniques for Fruit Prep 65
Building a Fruit Salad and Taking It to Set 68
Dressing a Fruit Salad 69
viii
CONTENTS
Chapter  Pasta and Sauces 73
Perfect Pasta for the Camera 74
Sauces for Pasta and Vegetable Salads 76
Food Additions to the Pasta 77
Building the Pasta 77
Adding a Spoon or Other Flatware Th at Will Hold Food 80
Potato, Pasta, and Vegetable Salads 82
Chapter  Burgers, Sandwiches, and Beyond 87
Th e Hamburger 88
Finding the Perfect Hamburger Bun 88
Prepping Burger Components 92
Prepping Burger Patties 93
Adding Color to the Burger Patties 95
Building the Hero Burger 95
On Set with the Hero Burger 100
Th e Whole Sandwich 102
Shopping for Sandwich Elements 102
Prepping Sandwich Ingredients 102
Building the Hero Whole Sandwich 105
On Set with a Whole Sandwich 106
Building a Half or Cut Sandwich for Photography 108
Chapter  Meeting Meat Head-On 115
Basic 101 for Photo Meat 116
Griddle Method of Cooking Meat for Photography 117
ix