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

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FOOD STYLING FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS AND STYLISTS a guide to creating your own appetizing art

Linda Bellinghamâ•… Jean Ann Bybeeâ•… Brad G. Rogers

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Bellingham, Linda.

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creating your own appetizing art / Linda Bellingham, Jean Ann

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Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their

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To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any

More food styling for photographers and stylists : a guide to

Bybee, Brad G. Rogers. p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-240-81713-2

1.╇ Photography of food. 2.╇ Photography—Miscellanea. 3.╇ Food

presentation. I. Bybee, Jean Ann. II. Rogers, Brad G. III. Title. TR656.5 .B4423

778’.96413—dc23



British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

2011018485

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com 11╇ 12╇ 13╇ 14╅ 5╇ 4╇ 3╇ 2╇ 1 Printed in China

Dedication To my granddaughter, Audrey, who keeps me smiling Linda Bellingham To my parents, Venita and Gene Bybee, and my sister, Jan Deaton Jean Ann Bybee To “she is smart, she is kind, she is beautiful too,” Audrey Brad G. Rogers

Disclaimer The contents of this book and techniques described herein are intended solely for the purpose of preparing food for photography and are not intended nor should they be used as methods of preparing foods for consumption.

iv

Contents Disclaimer

About the Authors

Acknowledgments Preface

Chapter 1 Building your Portfolio



Where to Start? My Story Portfolio Basics Building a Basic Portfolio from Scratch Building a Portfolio: A Photographer’s View Building a Portfolio: An Agent’s View Presenting Your Portfolio Planning a Test Shot Our Test Shot: “Living Food”

Chapter 2 Beer and Cocktails



Beer Cocktails Curaço on Ice with a Twist Garnish Layers of Liquor in a Glass Cocktail with Foamy Top Raspberry Daiquiri

iv

ix

xii xv

3

4 4 7 7 8 9 10 15 17 27

28 37 37 43 47 55

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Chapter 3 Styling Packaged Foods



Pizza Pizza Styling: Bake Method Pizza on Set The Pizza Cheese Pull Styling Peas and Other Vegetables for Serving Suggestion Images

Chapter 4 Soups

Chapter 5

87 95

96 98 107

Tacos

115

Prepping Taco Shells Prepping Taco Ingredients

Hot Dogs! And You Thought They Were Easy! Hot Dog Bun Selection Prep Steps for a Hot Dog Image Building a Hot Dog Rig

Chapter 7 What’s for Breakfast?

vi

63 64 71 75

Designing the Set Styling a Clear Soup with Solid Ingredients Styling Blended Opaque Soup

Chapter 6 Hot Dogs



61

Pancakes Choosing Design Elements for the Set Styling Pancakes

116 118

132

132 132 134 136

145

146 146 148

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Pancake Batter Prep Techniques Positioning Fruit in Photo Pancakes Cereal Styling a Bowl of Cereal Breakfast Smoothie

Chapter 8 Styling Montage Shots

149 152 161 161 168 175

General Information about Montage Images Creating Visual Interest in Montage Images by Adding Risers Montages Photographed from a High Angle Steps in Building the Entertaining Montage for Central Market

176

Chapter 9 Styling a First Course for the Camera

191

The Process of Planning an Image Prepping and Styling Ceviche

Chapter 10 Tricks of the Trade

Catching a Pour or Splash in Action: Where to Begin? Styling for a Splash Protecting the Set during Pour Attempts Establish Communication Protocol Liquid Pour Caught in Action: Landing on Ice and Other Objects Prepping for the Pour Other Types of Pours

177 178 181 192 195

207

208 209 210 211 215 216 219 vii

C ont e nts



Drips Styling a Drip on a Spoon Drips Falling from Food Steam and Smoke A Steaming Cup of Hot Chocolate Building a Rig for the Smoke Source Building a Smoking Fake Fire Preparing the Fake Fire

Chapter 11 Shooting Food on Location

Appendix Index

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Planning for a Location Photo Shoot Involving Food Some General Information about Location Photography Location Shoot 1 Organizing Food for Transport to Location Setting Up a Location Kitchen Location Shoot 2

221 221 225 229 229 233 237 237 243

246 247 249 250 253 265 274 285

About the Authors Linda Bellingham

Ever since I was young, I have been interested in the production of good-tasting and eye-tantalizing food. A number of instructors in both high school and college encouraged me to be creative artistically and to continue down the food path. I graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in home economics and education and then taught high school home economics for two years until the first of my two sons was born. While spending a few years at home with my young children, I started a gourmet dinner club with friends. I just couldn’t ignore the call to be creative with food. Later, I accepted a job at a trendy catering business that also housed and supported a branch of the Institute of Culinary Arts, where entry-level people were being trained to work in commercial kitchens. My job was instructor at the institute, chef for the catering business, and general kitchen support. I also began making desserts at home to sell to local restaurants. One restaurant owner who purchased my desserts hired me to work as a chef in his upscale restaurants. During the two years I was there, I started

my own catering business. The catering business was a big success. But a couple years later when the local oil business took a nosedive, so did the number of clients for catered events. I decided to relocate to an area that was more economically diverse. After a move to Dallas, Texas, I had the good fortune to meet a freelance food stylist who offered to be my food styling mentor in exchange for assisting her when she worked. She guaranteed I would be introduced to photographers and art directors who might have food styling work for me. She encouraged me to build a portfolio. The combination of being an artsy girl and having a solid background in food, including food chemistry, nutrition, and food presentation, made me a natural in the world of food styling. My career quickly progressed from assistant, to stylist, to lead stylist in the Dallas market. I was a freelance food styling in the Dallas commercial market for over 20 years. When it comes to food styling, I have done it all, for both film and still ix

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photography. My client list includes many national and international food accounts. Jean Ann Bybee

As a child, I played with my father’s Polaroid camera that he used for work, but I did not get my first real camera until I was in college. Although I thought of pursuing photography as a career, I was told it’s “a man’s job.” At that time there were very few female photographers in Dallas, Texas. Bowing to my parent’s wishes for me to be in the medical field, I got as close to photography as I could and ended up taking X-rays. I went back to college at night to learn commercial photography. The instructors were prominent commercial photographers in Dallas. All of our classes were at their studios and we got to see them light and shoot. It was amazing. I assisted many wonderful male photographers and had to prove every day that I could do what the guys did. So from the inside out I became a photographer. Eventually, I received a job offer to be a shooter at a large catalog photo studio. I loved fashion and product and shot for Neiman Marcus and many important clients for nine years in both Dallas and New York. I have owned my own business for more than 15 years and shoot fashion, food, people, jewelry, and product, but food and jewelry are favorites as my career evolves. x

I have a wonderful family I love; my husband Brad works with me and takes care of managing the computer and the business while I take pictures. Our lovely daughter Audrey lives and works in Washington, DC. I feel so lucky to have made a very successful career of something I love. I have been able to travel all over the world shooting pictures. I published my first book, Food Styling for Photographers, in 2008. What a life! Some of my clients include Smithsonian Institute, American Heart Association, Miller Lite, Victoria’s Secret, Anheuser-Busch, American Express, Dominos Pizza, Sara Lee, Dr. Pepper, Mary Kay, American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie and Fitch, 7-Up, Neiman Marcus, International Wine Accessories, Calidad Foods, Whataburger, Fuddruckers, Collin Street Bakery, and Harry and David. Brad G. Rogers

It seems that growing up a little shy has served me well throughout my various careers. This reserve as a child, student, and professional has allowed me to observe, absorb, and then learn so many different skills from very diverse and talented people. I have used the learned skills taken from one career and applied them

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to other seemingly dissimilar careers—careers that you might not think would have many common skill-sets to succeed, but do. From diverse careers as women’s shoe salesman, small animal veterinarian, corporate director of sales and marketing, producer, art director, stylist (fashion, prop, and jewelry) to digital technician, I have used similar skills. Now what does a veterinarian have in common with a jewelry stylist? Both work with subjects that can’t talk. Both require observing closely to assess what is needed, knowing how things fit together and in what order, and developing an eye for detail. Plus, both require a good set of instruments. In my case, although I do not perform surgery any longer, I still use many of these same instruments in placing and manipulating the jewelry on set. In all my careers I have been fortunate enough to work with professionals who have been so generous in letting me watch how they do their “thing.” Working in

t he

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the photography industry I have watched many professionals on the set and learned from each of them. I have gained invaluable skills, so that in situations when their physical presence is not available, I know that I can do the job and meet the goal. I have confidence that I can complete the task to my client’s satisfaction as well as my own, just maybe not as quickly or smoothly as the true professional could. So far my career path has been very interesting and has gone in unexpected directions. My training has ranged from intensive studies at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University, an MBA degree from Southern Methodist University, to informal learnby-watching-when-you-can techniques gained from all the photography professionals with whom I have worked. Even though my career paths have confused most people, it makes perfect sense to me and I would not change much even if I could. I am still observing and I am still learning.

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Acknowledgments Jean Ann, Brad, and I want to express our gratitude to the numerous contributors who provided products and services for us during the photography production of this book. Thank you to the following corporations and individuals for contributing so generously to this project: ACH Food Companies, Inc., www.karosyrup.com The Anchor Hocking Company, www.anchorhocking.com Anolon, www.anolon.com Artisanal Beverage Company, LLC, www.artisanalbeverage.com

CHIMERA, www.chimeralighting.com Collin Street Bakery of Corsicana, Texas, makers of world-famous cheesecakes and fruit cakes, www.collin streetbakery.com The Coleman Company, Inc., www.coleman.com Competitive Cameras Ltd., www.competitivecameras .com

bambu, LLC, www.bambuhome.com

Cuisinart, 1 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902, used with permission, www.cuisinart.com

Bamsart.com, textile art, www.bamsart.com

Gitzo, www.gitzo.com

BernzOmatic Inc., www.bernzOmatic.com Bonjour by Meyer, www.bonjourproducts.com

Hamilton Beach Brands, Inc., www.hamiltonbeach .com

Cardinal International, www.cardinalglass.com

Hearthmark LLC, d/b/a Jarden Home Brands, a Jarden Corporation company (NYSE:JAH), www .freshpreserving.com

Case Envy by Lost Luggage, www.case-envy.com

Inhabit Inc., www.inhabitliving.com

Cabela’s Inc., www.cabelas.com

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Central Market® owned and operated by H. E. Butts Grocery Company, www.centralmarket.com and www.hebgrocery.com

Ac k no w l e dg m e nts

Jiffy Steamer Company, LLC, www.jiffysteamer.com John Boos & Co., www.johnboos.com JRM Chemical, Inc. of Cleveland, OH, www.soilmoist .com Le Creuset of America, www.lecreuset.com Lenovo, www.lenovo.com Lino Manfrotto  € Co., Spa, www.manfrotto.com LPA Design, Inc./PocketWizard, www.pocketwizard .com Luxor Furniture, www.luxorfurn.com Marky’s Caviar, www.markys.com Messermeister, Inc., www.messermeister.com Microplane USA, www.microplane.com Nik Software, Inc., www.niksoftware.com Oliso Smart Iron, www.oliso.com Oneida, Ltd., www.oneida.com OXO Good Grips, www.oxo.com Pacific Dry Goods, www.pacificdrygoods.com Pigeon Toe Ceramics, www.pigeontoeceramics.com

Polyvinyl Films®, makers of Stretch-Tite® Plastic Food Wrap, www.pvfilms.com The Proctor & Gamble Company, www.pg.com and www.quickerpickerupper.com Red River Paper, Inc., www.redriverpaper.com S. C. Johnson, A Family Company, www.scjohnson.com Sekonic Corporation USA, www.sekonic.com Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., www.stanleytools.com Studiopatro, www.studiopatro.com Totally Bamboo, Inc., www.totallybamboo.com Trengove Studios, Inc., www.trengovestudios.com Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate, and Soapstone Company, www.TemperatureWare.com WASARA, courtesy of Branch, www.branchhome.com Weber-Stephen Products Co., www.weber.com Wilton Industries, Inc., www.wilton.com X-Rite, Inc., www.xrite.com Zak Designs, Inc., www.zak.com Zyliss, a registered trademark of DKB Household Switzerland AG, www.zyliss.com

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Ac k no w l e dg m e nts

Linda Bellingham wishes to thank the following individuals: Claire Wilson for many hours of volunteer food styling assistance; Trish Dahl for her encouragement all those years ago; Aki Shiratori for hair and makeup consultations; and to my family, Ben, Scott, Angie, and Audrey for their love and support. Jean Ann Bybee wishes to thank the following individuals: Audrey Rogers, my wonderful daughter, for her love and support; Cynthia Hall for her support and help in this project; Aki Shiratori for hair and makeup for my portrait; and Eric Clement, Kathy Miller, and Daniel Ward for being great photo assistants.

xiv

Brad Rogers wishes to thank Eric, Kathy, and Daniel, whose help was invaluable on location day; Janie, Steve, and Max Montague for opening their home to us, plus Bandit, their dog, for keeping us on our toes by stealing cheese throughout our day on location; Mark and Paula Renfrow for coming to the rescue; Beverly and Brian for their pool; and to all the photographers, food stylists, prop stylists, art directors, and designers who have let me look over their shoulders—you have taught me so much.

Preface To be successful in today’s market, photographers and stylists must come to realize the importance of adaptability and flexibility to satisfy their clients’ photography needs and to keep income flowing. Any time cutbacks occur in corporate advertising budgets, those cutbacks are usually passed along to the photographer and call for creative structuring of photo shoots. Because of budget cuts, more photographers are being asked to photograph “simple” food items without using a food stylist. I have witnessed clients telling photographers their product was easy to photograph and style, and then refusing to provide funds for a food stylist. Those food products have included hamburgers, hot dogs, canned vegetables, and such. As an experienced food stylist, I will guarantee that unless you know what you are doing, “simple” food styling projects can easily become nightmares. Often photographers will attempt food styling themselves or ask assistants or prop stylists to style food. This is a good news–bad news scenario. Good news because the person who steps in to style the food, if successful, will be able to expand her repertoire,

perhaps creating opportunities to work more often when simple food styling is needed. Bad news because styling food can be disastrous and very frustrating if you don’t have some idea what you’re doing. There has been an ever-increasing absence of art directors at photo shoots. Consequently, the responsibility of art direction has been delegated to the photographer, stylist, and client. An even more alarming trend is the client often isn’t present at the photo shoot. When the client cannot be present in the studio, images are usually sent via email from the studio to the client in his office. When food is involved in a photo shoot, the client must respond quickly after viewing the image to let the photographer know if the image is acceptable or if changes need to be made. Even when a food stylist is present on the set, this long-distance relationship with the client is extremely frustrating. If responses from the client are delayed for any reason (meetings or other phone calls), the food on the set is not waiting patiently. The person styling the food must know how to keep it photo worthy or have another hero ready to place on the set. If the photographer is doing the xv

Prefa ce

food styling, she must deal with changes prescribed by the client before making another capture. Thus, the responsibility for a majority of the art direction and communication with the client has been passed to the photographer. This results in higher stress levels for the photographer. This is a huge change from just a few years ago when preproduction meetings were held to discuss layout sketches that were submitted by a designer or art director to get everyone on the same page about the project, and when art directors and clients were present in the studio during the entire photo shoot. With corporate representatives on the set, there was more likelihood of achieving the client’s photographic goals. And overall, this scenario held much less stress for the photographer and the stylist. So the question is, without a client or art director at a photo shoot, how do we go about lowering the stress for the photographer and the person styling food on food shoots? The answer is twofold. First, arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Prior to shootday, gather information and tear sheets showing the food you’ll be styling. Then, practice before the day of the shoot. This exercise will not only give you firsthand experience with the food, but will also give you the opportunity to gather the tools, equipment, and xvi

supplies necessary for achieving the desired results. Taking these steps will help you gain confidence. Confidence is the very best ingredient to take to the set! It is my hope that this book will be a tool to help move you toward a successful food styling experience. The information in these chapters will help you gain knowledge of techniques as well as offer suggestions for equipment and supplies best suited for the job of food styling. You may discover variations for techniques that work better for you than techniques presented in this book. If so, make notations in the margins of this book for future reference, or you might find it helpful to start a food styling journal. Our first book, Food Styling for Photographers, was a great success! We want to express our thanks to readers who took the time to contact us with requests for new topics. We aim to please and have incorporated as many of these suggestions as possible in this book. Here, I will treat each styling undertaking as a project and will guide you, the reader, through each project with techniques presented in images as well as in text. Readers have asked that we include more information in the “Photographer’s Comments” sections in each chapter. Not only have we responded to this, but in

Prefa c e

several of the projects in this book we have also provided full-page images showing “pull-backs” of the set with more detailed information from the photographer. These pull-back images show lighting setup, including the relationship of windows to the set when applicable, as well as position of the camera tethered with the computer. When combined with the expanded “Photographer’s Comments” the pull-back images of the set will relay much more photographic information to the reader. For some of our projects we have included more information about designing the set. Chapter 2, “Sets and Settings,” in Food Styling for Photographers, goes into detail explaining the theories and reasoning behind many choices in set design. Many projects in this book will specifically address the creative process of set design where a specific food will be photographed. The set is very important because it will transport the viewers in the direction you want to take them when viewing an image. In other words, the set determines the mood of the shot. All elements selected for the set in the process of set design must work together to achieve the goals for the image. Also, we have expanded the appendix to include more technical information regarding working digital food

shots on the computer featuring specific software programs designed for photographers. I want to encourage readers to communicate suggestions and comments about topics for future food styling projects. Your suggestions are important and are critical in the selection of projects for upcoming food styling books. I have received emails with food styling questions either about projects presented in the first book or about specific food styling issues. It is a pleasure for me to answer your questions because I want you to have successful food styling adventures. I can be contacted at [email protected]. In this book, readers will occasionally come across references to techniques covered in the first book. When referencing techniques that were dealt with in detail in Food Styling for Photographers, if possible, I provided a quick recap of the technique to outline the procedure so that new readers will get the gist of the information. For readers who have a copy of Food Styling for Photographers, I included chapter and section references to make more in-depth information about the specific technique readily available.

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C h a pt e r O n e

Building Your Portfolio

B u ilding

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Where to Start?

Whether you are starting at the very beginning of building your portfolio or beefing up your existing portfolio, you need to know that this is a process that will continue as long as you are food styling or photographing food. As your talents grow and as you work with different types of shots, you will both eliminate and add images to your portfolio to give it a fresh look. After a few years of showing your portfolio you may feel it is starting to look tired, and if you are thinking that, the people you show it to are probably thinking the same thing! That’s when you need to freshen it up, and perhaps you will want to consider all new images the next time you show your portfolio.

My Story I want to share with you how I got started as a food stylist. From talking with other food stylists, I’ve learned that my introduction to food styling was fairly typical in some ways. My story will include how I built my portfolio many years ago. If you are just beginning to build your own career and portfolio, I believe it is important to share this with you to give you an idea of the process involved. Having a degree in home economics definitely gave me a head start in understanding food chemistry and food handling. After a few years of teaching home economics in high school, catering, and working in restaurants, 4

I was ready to look for a new direction in my career. On a whim I applied for a food stylist position in a commercial photography business in Dallas, Texas. At that time I did not have a portfolio to show, not one image. But I knew I would be making food for the camera and that sounded like fun. Because of my strong background in food, I felt confident about being successful. In other words, I had no idea what I was getting into! There were 10 full-time staff photographers working in the studio where I applied. Each photographer basically created images that were on an assignment list handed to them when they arrived at work in the mornings. Generally, they worked on outline shots.

NOTEâ•… An outline shot is an image of a product that is usually captured on a white or light gray background. When clients use the image, they remove or cut out (using specialized computer software) the product image from the background and drop it into their ad. They can use the image for numerous applications and the shot is usable as long as the product design or packaging does not change. (For an example of an outline shot, refer to the full page image of a hot dog at the beginning of Chapter 6.)

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Working for a studio that manages multiple photographers is a tough assignment for a food stylist, but I had no idea that was the case. My guess is that my enthusiasm coupled with the fact that I had experience with food got me hired for the job. It was a place to start and, ultimately, it served me well. In that studio, whenever a photographer was assigned a shot that involved food, I would prepare foods that would present well with the client’s product. I would look at the product (e.g., pots, skillets, dishes, etc.) and then consider foods that would look good displayed with the product. Sounds easy, right? Well, don’t forget there were 10 photographers. And this particular studio seemed to attract clients who had foodrelated products. Needless to say, I was working in a 10-ring circus and definitely earned my wages. However, I did not do any work that I considered worthy of a portfolio. After working at this studio for three months, a new account came into the fold. A large, upscale grocery chain approached the studio to produce images for their annual Thanksgiving brochure. The client was bringing in a local top-gun food stylist and I was to be her assistant on the job. The shot list (listing of all images to be completed for the project) was fairly lengthy and the shots were divided between two of the in-house photographers. The job was estimated to take at least one week to complete. I was in heaven that week working with a seasoned, professional food stylist. I learned so much from her.

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On the last day of the shoot, she said to me, “Linda, you’re too good to be styling in a studio like this. Would you like to assist me for awhile? You’ll earn an assistant’s wage, which isn’t much, but you’ll meet a lot of people who will be able to help you get started as a freelance food stylist in this market. You need to build a portfolio. The photographers you meet may be willing to help you with this. If you’re as good as I believe you are, you’ll be able to go out on your own as a freelance food stylist fairly quickly.” I was flattered, shocked, and very scared to hear these words from her. But I knew this was the right thing for me to do.

Attitudes and Abilities That I Learned as an Assistant While on the subject of how I got started, I am going to briefly stray from the subject of building a portfolio, because I want to mention some important things I learned in my first year of food styling. As an assistant I learned a lot of styling skills but I learned other skills as well. Most important, I learned how crucial organization and planning are to achieving a successful shoot. If you arrive at the studio missing even one element that is necessary to pull the hero image together, you may be making another trip to the store. This slows down the entire day for everyone on the shoot, could definitely drive up costs for your client, and does not instill confidence in you as a stylist. Another skill I learned as an assistant was how to view the set through the camera and to take that information and improve what the camera was 5

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viewing. Because the camera sees things differently than our eyes, the stylist has to know how to enhance the depth of what the camera sees. The more time I spent styling on the set, the easier it was for me to see what was needed to make the hero food and sometimes the arrangement of elements on the set look better to the camera. I also learned how very important it is to follow direction. When suggestions for changes in the hero food on the set are offered by the photographer, art director, or client, you should not take their comments personally, but rather make every effort to learn from them. This is something I learned very quickly as an assistant by observing the lead stylist. I believe it serves a stylist well to achieve an attitude of being a food technician as well as a food artist. Having this attitude can help build a level of trust as a food stylist within the commercial photography community.

So, I worked as an assistant. I met lots of photographers, assistants, clients, and art directors. After a few months of assisting, I worked up my nerve to ask one of the photographers if he would be interested in doing a test shot with me.

NOTEâ•… Test shot is an industry term for working on a shot without a client. When a photographer and a stylist work together on a test shot, they volunteer their time and purchase necessary items to complete the shot. Both have the option to use the image in their portfolios.

6

When a stylist is just starting to build a portfolio as I was, the photographer usually drives the direction of the shot. In other words, the photographer will suggest a general food, theme, or type of shot he needs for his portfolio. For my purpose, I just wanted good shots to start building my portfolio (also called book), so I was enthusiastic to work on any kind of shot. When a stylist and photographer work on a test shot together there is a negotiation necessary to divide the expenses. It has been my experience that most photographers rely on the food stylist to provide the food and other supplies necessary to produce a test shot. The photographer takes care of his studio overhead and is responsible for making a copy(s) of the shot for the stylist’s portfolio. Today, most copies of still images are digital and are saved on CDs and video images are saved on DVDs. Back when I started food styling, all still shots were on sheets of film called transparencies. A transparency is a piece of film (4 €5, 8€€10, etc.) that is placed on a lightbox to view. Video images for commercials and such were saved on DVR reels. And that’s how it all started. I was assisting as a food stylist and even working with some different lead food stylists. Soon I was asking almost every photographer I worked with to do a test shot with me. The big day for me was when a photographer called to ask if I wanted to work on a paying job with him! To him it was a simple job, but to me it was a huge deal!

C h a pt e r

Portfolio Basics If you are just starting out as a food stylist, you will need a portfolio to show photographers and clients when you approach them for work. Generally, a food stylist presents her portfolio to photographers, whereas the photographer will present his portfolio to clients. When the photographer lands a job that involves food styling, he will start calling stylists on his list to see who is available on the day(s) the shoot is scheduled. It is not uncommon for a photographer to place two or more food stylists “on hold” for the shoot date(s). The client may request to see a food stylist’s portfolio, especially if they are not familiar with the stylist’s work. The client and photographer will then decide which stylist will be retained to do the job.

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show off all your food styling skills. Remember your portfolio is your calling card, and it is the way you will present yourself to photographers and clients. You want them to see that you know what you are doing. Image suggestions for starting a portfolio: 1. Have at least one beverage shot. Make sure you have a frosted glass in at least one image, just to show that you know how to do it. 2. Have a breakfast shot with either a cup of coffee or glass of juice. Choose breakfast items that will demonstrate specific styling techniques: fried or scrambled eggs, pancakes, cereal, and so on. 3. Ethnic foods, like Mexican or Asian, will show your versatility. 4. Have at least one protein dish. Select a beautiful fish fillet or a steak and complete the plate styling with accompanying

NOTEâ•… Photographers and stylists need to have a wide variety of shots in their entire portfolio. Having a large number of images in your portfolio gives you options in selecting a specific grouping of images to show a client. But as a rule, you should not show more than 8 or 10 images to a client unless asked to show more.

Building a Basic Portfolio from Scratch If you have no idea where to start and need a few suggestions for images in your portfolio, start with foods that you feel comfortable styling. Select a subject matter that will

vegetables and other appropriate foods.

The key for building a good basic portfolio is to have a variety of foods in your images. Eventually, as jobs come to you, you will have many images included in your portfolio. As you start picking up work, ask the client if you can have a copy of the hero shot(s) you styled to add to your portfolio. This is a very common request and I’ve never been turned down when asking for images or film for my portfolio. As you read through the projects in this book more suggestions for portfolio images will be mentioned. 7

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Some food stylists have reputations for being best at certain kinds of styling. For instance, a stylist may be fabulous at styling ice cream. Word about the stylist’s skills will spread through the advertising grapevine and that particular stylist will be hired for ice cream shots over other stylists. If you feel your skills are stronger in one or two areas, focus your test shots in that direction. Hopefully, as you gain experience styling other foods, you will be able to incorporate images in your portfolio that show off your new skills. I’ve got to make a confession. When I first started out as a food styling assistant, I met a lot of people in the food industry. Yes, I built my portfolio but I didn’t show it many times. Honestly, word of mouth in the industry grapevine was the absolute best means of advertising myself to get jobs. You could spend thousands of dollars on an agent, or gimmicks to sell yourself, but if you are good at food styling, the photographers and clients you work with will spread the word. Regardless, a portfolio is a necessary tool for both photographers and food stylists. While writing on this subject I asked my coauthors, Jean Ann Bybee, who has been a commercial photographer for many years, and Brad G. Rogers, who works in the industry as Jean Ann’s agent, art director, and set/prop stylist, to give their perspectives on building 8

a portfolio. I was curious to see the differences in their views. And, they had some valuable information to add to the subject.

Building a Portfolio: A Photographer’s View Jean Ann’s first comment was that even Richard Avedon, a famous American photographer, constantly worked on his book (portfolio). She feels that you have to “stay current with new lighting and trends in the market.” This view is one that we share. If you want to be taken seriously in the business of food styling and photography, you need to stay current with trends in the food industry. Your portfolio should reflect your knowledge of what’s happening in the marketplace. When working on her portfolio, Jean Ann likes to build a series of shots that complement each other in lighting, background, and style. Her sources for inspiration when searching for ideas for new food images are “cookbooks, food magazines, catalogs, the Internet, and restaurant menus.” My sources are the same, but when I have time, I watch food television, attend chef presentations, and eat at trendy restaurants. On numerous occasions, I have been impressed with food combinations, food preparation trends, and plate/food presentation. These impressions went through my creative process and wound up either on my dining table or on film for my portfolio.

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If you already have shots in your portfolio, critique them and determine what you don’t have. Once you have identified a new or different kind of shot you want to add to your book, Jean Ann’s advice is to “look at resources until you find a good example of the specific look or style you want to achieve.” Then start planning your shot, or series of shots, by first considering the style and lighting. Keep the example or tear sheet (pages torn from a magazine or marked in a cookbook) near you when you plan and work on your shot. The tear sheets will be a visual reference to help you achieve the style of shot you’re after. Don’t copy someone else’s ideas completely. Your portfolio is unique and shows what you can do that no one else has done before.

Building a Portfolio: An Agent’s View As an agent representing a photographer to a client, Brad has a different perspective on portfolios. Since he has experience showing portfolios and winning clients, his views are definitely worth considering. Brad looks at the entire portfolio, which could contain hundreds of shots, and then pulls specific images together that most closely represent what the potential client needs for the project. Brad offers, “Today, there are numerous ways to show one’s work—web sites, pdf presentations, web galleries, and of course the printed portfolio.” When you show your book to a client, which you have customized for that specific client, you might choose pdf presentations or printed pieces so the client won’t be overwhelmed. If the client wants to see more images, he can refer to your web site or web gallery, if you have one.

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NOTEâ•… Once you are established as a food stylist or food photographer, you will most likely choose to build a web site, or have one built. The web site with a photo gallery is fast becoming a standard tool in self-promotion.

Brad’s motto is, “present quality not quantity” to the client. He feels that showing 10 or fewer shots is ideal. If you have 5 great shots to show and add numerous mediocre shots to the mix, the good shots will not be memorable. When you present your portfolio, “start with your best image and end with your best.” The first shot needs to grab the client’s interest and make them want to see more. When they come to the last shot, it is the one they will remember you by. He advises that you put your portfolio together the way you think it works best and then show it to someone whose sense of style you respect and ask for a critical evaluation. “This person is not Mom,” because she will like everything you do. Brad suggests that you visit other photographers’ web sites for ideas when searching for new shots to work on for your portfolio. Take notes of what you like and don’t like about the images. He suggests this activity could help you crystallize a beginning vision for your portfolio shots. Take the bits and pieces that you like, spin them with your personal creativity, and turn them into your own vision and style. 9

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Brad’s advice is, “When you work on shots to build your portfolio, if you are fortunate enough to have talented people around you, never miss an opportunity to collaborate.” Brainstorming as a team between photographer and stylist (and creative friends) will get ideas flowing. If you have a clear vision of what the shot should be, go ahead, style it your way and shoot it. Get that shot! But let your collaborator do it her way also. Brad offers, “Often the best shot has a little bit of you and a little bit of your collaborator in it.”

Presenting Your Portfolio I realize this sounds a little old-school, but when you approach a client, be well groomed, neat, and have your act together. Clients will not want to invest in someone who is sloppy or not punctual. Remember that the food stylist is only one piece of the puzzle during production of an image. The client pays for the photographer, products for the photo shoot, props for the set, and other necessities. In other words, a photo shoot is an expensive undertaking. A flaky food stylist could cost the client a lot of money. Because most photography today is digital, most stylists use computer files, CDs, or DVDs to show their portfolio. If a stylist or photographer is showing a portfolio in person, she may opt to bring her own laptop to use for the showing. Before visiting the client, images are selected for the showing, placed in a file created specifically for that client, and then shown to the client during the appointment. Up to this point, you have put a lot of effort and some of your personal funds into your portfolio. Be proud of your work! Don’t be afraid of big-name photographers or clients. Even they have small projects that would be perfect for a fledgling food stylist. You’ve got to start somewhere!

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Some portfolio showings are achieved through the mail. The stylist or photographer will send a cover letter, a flash drive or CD/DVD, and other promotional materials to a perspective client. If a photographer or stylist shows her work via mail, e-mail, or by posting images on the Internet, it might be smart to apply watermarks on the images. A watermark is a

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computer-generated, semitransparent mark (with your copyright information) that is applied to an image as a layer using specialized computer software. The watermark bears the name of the owner of the image, and although the client can easily view your portfolio image, the watermark prevents unauthorized use of the image.

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The presentation of your portfolio is important. Not only do you need to look professional but your portfolio needs to look professionally put together. There are portfolio products in the marketplace that are specifically designed for mailing as well as for in-person presentations. There are a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs for portfolios.

If you are uncomfortable with the printing process or if you don’t have a good color printer, go to a professional printer to have your portfolio images printed. Choose a high-quality paper to print your images. My personal preference is a heavy paper with matte finish. I feel the matte finish adds a quality of depth to the print that makes your image resemble a work of art rather than a photograph. 12

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a short-but-sweet note. If a client really likes the shot, she may tack it up in her office … lucky you! Afterward, if you work on a new test shot, print new portfolio cards and send them to clients you have visited in the past as a gentle reminder of your presence in the food styling and photography community. NOTEâ•… For photographers sending portfolios or leave-behinds to prospective clients, it is important to include information about the services your studio can offer. For instance, let clients know if you do both digital stills and videos, provide digital retouching, have a kitchen, and have ample storage space for clients with large inventory, and so on. If you have a large inventory of props in your studio, make sure the client is aware these props are available to them.

A few days after a client sees your portfolio, it’s a good idea to follow up with a “leave-behind” mailer. Print out one or two of your images on postcard-sized heavy paper. (If there were specific images the client liked, use those!) It’s less expensive to send these as postcards, but you may want to send a few cards grouped together in an envelope. On the back side of the cards with your images, print your contact information, your logo if you have one, and add a short note. “Hope we can work together soon!” or something similar makes

Providing this kind of information can bring jobs and new clients into your studio.

Supplies used to complete shots in this chapter: l

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ThinkPad W701ds provided by Lenovo Portfolio cases; Jet Pack and O2 Bag provided by Case Envy

Hand-painted tablecloth by BAM at www.bamsart.com

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Red River Paper, premium photographic inkjet papers

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Planning a Test Shot Here’s your chance to get those creative juices flowing! For illustration, I am using an example of photographer and stylist working together because that’s how this test shot was achieved. You may be filling the roles of both photographer and stylist. Regardless, the creative process is the same. When photographer and stylist get together to plan a test shot, the tear sheets come out, notepads are open, and brains are in gear. It’s hard not to get invested in this process. As mentioned earlier, this is a collaborative process and both photographer and stylist can walk away with a new shot for their portfolios or even their own versions of the same shot. Tear sheets (also called “go-bys”) are invaluable tools since both people, because of their chosen careers, are most likely visual thinkers. By using tear sheets, both people can identify elements in other shots that they want to incorporate within the test shot. These elements can include specific lighting techniques, set styling, food styling, and garnishing, or they can be more generic. Once the food elements, the set design, and perhaps the mood and lighting of the shot are identified, a date

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will be set to complete the test shot. At this time both the photographer and stylist can begin their journey to make the image happen. Knowing the food elements in a shot gives the stylist information to create a shopping list. To build a shopping list, you will need to take into consideration food for stand-in as well as hero food contenders. Plan on purchasing a minimum of three or four of every food item on your list to assure getting the shot completed in case there are any problems. Check the studio kitchen for equipment and for other supplies that might be needed to complete the shot. Ask if you need to purchase items like paper towels, plastic wrap, cotton swabs, and such. (Refer to Chapter 4 of Food Styling for Photographers for shopping and handling techniques for produce.) Before the day of the shoot, the stylist needs to run through the order that food items will be prepped. Prep is planned according to how perishable each item is; least perishable is first on the schedule and most perishable last, perhaps even on set on the shoot day. Arrive at the studio at the appointed time. Unpack and properly store all items. Then begin the prep process.

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Our Test Shot: “Living Food”

I’ve been going to chef ’s demonstrations and have recently dined in a few “living food” restaurants. The preparation techniques are unique for this new and very popular healthy style of eating. I’ve been amazed by the creativity used in plate building and presentation. I managed to talk Jean Ann into doing a test shot with me that shows a single-serving presentation of living food. I’ve done lots of research on this topic, because I want to give an educated representation of living food so as not to offend anyone who follows the guidelines of this type of diet. No foods are heated over 105°F—ever. This is a vegetarian diet mainly composed of nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits. Let me share that everything I’ve eaten has been really good!

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colors as I named the elements in each layer. Basically, it is a tower of different foods prepared using the techniques of living food. It looks similar to a tall serving of layered lasagna except the layers of this living food dish will have a lot of texture due to the food items and prep techniques. For me, it’s an opportunity to expand my knowledge and styling techniques; for Jean Ann, it’s an opportunity to have a fresh, trendy image in her portfolio. She seemed to like the idea, so here are the styling steps we took to achieve our test shot.

NOTEâ•… If you style an ethnic food or represent a type of diet or trend that has specific preparation guidelines, you need to research the topic before you go to the studio. Make certain that you are presenting the food to the camera in a way that demonstrates you know what you are doing!

I showed some go-bys to Jean Ann but I couldn’t find anything close enough to my vision. I finally drew a schematic of the layered dish I wanted to prepare, including 17

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Because the prep process of living foods involved techniques that were fairly new to me, and because the guidelines of food prep in this trend use a dehydrator rather than conventional cooking techniques, my prep started two days prior to shoot day. The first thing I did was to dehydrate some of the ingredients for the shot. Since I was a novice with the dehydration process, I also wanted to experiment with dehydrating fruits and other foods. I filled the dehydrator with pineapple, Roma tomatoes (to make “sun-dried” tomatoes), kale (to be used as a garnish on our dish), red bell pepper slices, and apples. The results were a hit in the studio. A few layers in the dish will consist of foods that have been blended together and then dehydrated for a period of time to reach the right consistency. This was true for the wafer-type bread that I wanted to use to contain or frame the tower of food. I chose a specific bread recipe for its color and texture. The bread is made mostly of cashews, grated carrots, ground flax, and golden raisins. Making bread or crackers for living food requires that the mixture be spread thinly on a flexible food-safe sheet specially made for dehydrators. The food dehydrates for a few hours and is then flipped over onto regular dehydrator trays to finish the dehydration process.

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That same day I also made veggie patties by blending nuts, celery, carrots, onion, and fresh herbs. The bread and patties dehydrated together as the Roma tomatoes finished their time in the dehydrator. The tomatoes were allowed to become fairly dry; however, some foods do not stay in the dehydrator long enough to become dry, rather only some of the natural moisture in the food is removed during the process to reach a good consistency. Living food advocates also use the dehydrator to bring the foods to 105°F serving temperature.

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The following day, shoot day, I continued to prep items that would be used fresh rather than dehydrated. When building any kind of food tower or construction that requires food to be stacked (sandwiches, pancakes, etc.), it is often necessary to insert skewers through the food to hold the stack in place. Sometimes when building a tower of food with layers of different consistencies, the weight of the food can press down upon any softer layers below, causing a smashed appearance. That would not be a good image. 19

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As I planned for shoot day, I decided to try a new method of spacing the foods within the tower to avoid any compacting or smashing. In the past, I might have chosen to use a product called foam core, which is 1⁄2 of foam similar to Styrofoam sandwiched between two layers of heavy paper. The foam core would need a hole cut out of the middle in case I might want to insert skewers, and would resemble a doughnut slice with square sides. While thinking about this, bagels popped into my mind. So I decided to slice day-old bagels into thin slices and use them instead of foam core. The bagel technique worked so well that I will use it again in the future. Cutting foam core is tedious and time consuming, especially where cutting a hole out of the center for skewers to pass through is required; bagels, however, are easy to cut, readily available, and are soft enough to run skewers through them if necessary. For this shot I wanted to have some sauces available on set in case we needed to garnish the plate or the food. The decision to use any of the sauces would be made after a capture was made of the hero living food without sauce, and any subsequent captures with sauce would be considered as an “alt” or alternative for the hero image. After all captures were made, we would have the option to use one or all of the images.

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NOTEâ•… It’s advisable to have a selection of garnishes, including sauces when appropriate, available on set when doing a test shot or any image featuring a serving presentation.

I made four different colors of sauces: red made with pureed red bell peppers, orange made with pureed orange bell peppers, yellow made with pureed yellow bell peppers, and green made with pureed cilantro. We tested the sauce colors on plates we were considering for the hero image. We quickly agreed on the plate color. A block covered with tape was used on the plate to represent the tower of food. (If you read Food Styling for Photographers, you will remember that I often prefer to use rough stand-ins.) As far as using one of the sauces, the hero living food tower was so colorful and interesting that we didn’t use any sauce. But I was ready with choices if we needed them. I finished the prep process by working on the most perishable ingredients. The thinly sliced zucchini was achieved by cutting the zucchini lengthwise using a slicer with an adjustable blade. I set the width of the cut to be about 1/8. With all the food elements around me on the work surface, I began to construct the hero plate.

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The bagel slices worked very well. I used them between the nutty cheese layers and the pesto layer. I trimmed the bagel pieces so they were a little smaller than the circumference of the tower and placed them back far enough from the front of the tower construction so there was just enough room to add the food ingredient in front of the bagel slice. The food ingredient hid the bagel completely, keeping it out of the camera’s view. This technique helped me to maintain an upright and elevated look rather than a compressed presentation. The weight of food items to be added above the bagel spacers would rest on the firm bagels instead of on the softer elements like pesto, making it squish and compress. In fact, this technique added so much stability to the structure that I did not have to skewer the stack. I did use a few cut pieces of toothpicks to hold the zucchini and dried tomatoes in place though. The last item to be prepped was pesto. I waited to make the pesto until it was time to build the pesto layer in the hero on set. I wanted it to be very fresh with visual texture and moistness in the mixture. By using a food processor and bursting the power, I could watch the progress of the processor as it worked on the basil, garlic, Fruit Fresh, and nuts. I added enough olive oil to keep the mixture workable and moist. The pesto was placed in front of a bagel spacer. 21

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Supplies used to complete the test shot image of living food: l

Cabela’s dehydrator, fruit roll sheets, and dehydrator netting

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Messermeister elité Meridian Knives

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Cuisinart Elite Collection 12-cup food processor

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Hamilton Beach Commercial Summit Auto-Blend blender and Carve ‘n Serve electric knife

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Microplane grater and grater attachment

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bambu small cork cutting board

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Totally Bamboo Big Kahuna cutting board

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Zak Designs Playa serve bowl

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Inhabit Chrysalis wall flat

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Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Snap 7500 dispenser and Stretch-Tite plastic wrap OXO Good Grips angled measuring cup Anchor Hocking 10-piece mixing and True Seal bowls, and triple-pour measuring cup Eco bamboo towels; compostable, reusable towels made of renewable materials Wilton silicone spatula, 9 angled spatula, 12 angled spatula, and applicator bottles Architec colander, gripper cutting boards, gripper smart mat, and kitchen clip Bounty paper towels Toothpicks, tweezers, cutters, scissors, artist brushes for water and oil, nuts, seeds, raisins, veggies, herbs and spices, day-old bagels, and syringes

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Photographer’s Comments—Living Food Test Shot

a shiny dark surface that will give me great reflections behind the

It’s really a lot of fun and also hard work to do a test shot for your

food.

portfolio. When you are the client it’s almost more difficult to get the perfect image. You are responsible for the creative feel of your shot. Working closely with a stylist or producing the food yourself, it’s a shot for your portfolio and the image will be what you will show clients as an example of your work.

We have many props and tried them all until we found the right ones. The Inhabit wall panel and the white vase are perfect for the feel of the shot and both are set a few feet behind the food and are not directly lit by the window light or strobe.

My portfolio is constantly changing and yours should too. You have

My Canon 5D with a TSE 90â•›mm lens is set securely on a Gitzo

to stay current with lighting trends, styling ideas for backgrounds

Basalt tripod. I am at a low angle shooting directly into the face of

and props, and of course the latest in food presentation. I am

the food. The window light is direct and pretty strong to camera left.

always looking at other photographers’ work and studying how they

I have positioned a small Chimera lightbox low and to the right of

use their lighting to solve problems and create beautiful images.

the camera to light the face of our food. I do not need a fill card

Magazines and cookbooks are a wonderful resource. I also look at

because the lightbox at the camera lights the shadows. We wanted

lots of web sites of other food photographers.

light to come through the piece of kale sitting on top and the natural

To stay current we have chosen a shot of “living” food. It’s a vertical shot with lots of layers and textures. We wanted a modern set and a natural, fresh feel to the overall shot. I have decided to use a mix of natural light and strobe. We built our set next to a southwest-facing window in my studio and it’s

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light does just that. I have positioned a white card inside the window to limit the amount of direct sunlight on the food while letting the natural light spill behind it. My camera is set at ISO 200 and a shutter speed of 1/60 at f8 and a PocketWizard miniTT1 syncs my strobe pack to my camera.

a sunny day. We are using a wooden tabletop as our surface. It’s

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Beer and Cocktails

Beer

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Beer

Styling and photographing beer is a very specialized field and some shooters go to great lengths to get the perfect image for their client or portfolio. Special rigging like bottomless mugs or mugs rigged with drain tubes, and specialized pouring methods and equipment, including tubes and funnels, make it all work. It’s interesting because if you get two photographers who shoot beer involved in a conversation about their methods, you would find few similarities. Most stylists and photographers who shoot beer on a regular basis have developed their own rigs and techniques. When on a food styling assignment a few years ago, I walked into a studio that I hadn’t been to before. The studio area was large and one section of the studio space was devoted to a set specifically designated for photographing beer. The photo assistant suggested that I might want to keep my distance from the set and not question the photographer about his secrets for getting the perfect beer image. I have to admit, I was curious. Due to advancements in computers and digital photography, it is commonplace today when shooting beer to “layer” images by using specialized computer software programs. Here’s how the process works: The photographer will make one shot for the base of the glass, one shot for the glass, a shot for the beer with 28

perfect bubble action, one shot for the perfect foamy head, and perhaps another shot for the background and surface. All the images are combined to produce one hero image. You get the idea. When shooting beer this way, the set and camera are never moved; the focus setting on the camera may or may not change, and the shot is worked on a computer. Each shot the photographer has taken is a layer capturing one perfect element. The nonperfect elements in each shot are eliminated via computer technology and then all layers capturing the perfect elements are put together in the computer, making a whole and complete image. Needless to say, this is a tedious and time-consuming method. But the results can be fabulous. We wanted to show that beer can indeed be photographed with one exposure rather than layering numerous images, but it isn’t easy for the photographer or the stylist. We are proud to say that all images of beer in this chapter were achieved with one capture. The pub scene shown at the beginning of this chapter was a challenge to pull off since there are three glasses of beer. Keeping a head on one beer long enough to capture an image is not too difficult, but to style three glasses of beer was almost comical. If you had filmed us in action, the film would look like it was playing in high speed.

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Tricks of the Tradeâ•… If you are shooting an image of beer for your portfolio, here’s what I suggest: Have several hero glasses prepped. The glasses can be used without applying anything to the outside or you can treat the outside of the glasses to achieve the appearance of frost and/or condensation. (Refer to the section “Creating Condensation” in Chapter 3 of Food Styling for Photographers.)

Before you go to set, practice doing pours in nonhero glasses using room-temperature beer. Roomtemperature beer is preferred for photography because it seems to work best when pouring for carbonation and foamy head formation. As the beer is poured into a glass it will foam immediately. For photographic beer, you will need to keep in mind that you may have to pour the beer in increments to achieve the appropriate beer/head ratio. Between incremental pours you can stir the beer gently to reduce the foam so the next layer of beer can be added to the glass without creating a massive foamy top. When the glass is one-half to two-thirds full, you can start making pours to get a perfect head of foam. Once you have the feel for the amount of beer needed to achieve the beer/foam ratio and to make the height of foam head you desire in your image, and when you have reached a comfort level with the pouring techniques, then you are ready to go to set with a hero glass. 29

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While on set you will want to keep a styling tray handy with plenty of absorbent towels, extra hero glasses, and additional beer. When you get the perfect pour and foamy head, shoot fast. The perfect foamy head is unlikely to last more than 10 seconds. Sometimes the perfect foamy head will overflow slightly, but it may still be a beautiful image. Basically, when the look is gone, you will need to start with another hero glass and repeat the process. However, there are a few tricks you can use to lengthen the life of a glass of beer for photography. When you are doing practice pours in nonhero glasses, try some of these tricks to determine which works best for you and the particular kind of beer you are shooting. Beer shooting requires trial and error, and lots of patience. Working with a client’s specific beer may be more challenging than you think. It is a good idea to have lots of tricks up your sleeve and hours of pretesting under your belt!

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Tricks of the Trade 1. If you pour a glass of beer and don’t get good results with foamy head formation, you can pour the beer into a pitcher, replace the used glass with a clean hero glass, and reuse the beer. The second and third pours of reused beer will produce less foam. If you fill the glass halfway with the reused beer, you can open a fresh beer to top off the glass and replenish carbonation to produce a foamy head. If this method works for the particular beer you are using, you can save money since you won’t have to purchase quite so much beer. 2. When the foamy head subsides, the addition of salt will reactivate carbonation, which forms a new foamy head on the beer. Give it a try while you are practicing to get a comfort level with this technique. Start by adding 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 teaspoon of salt to the beer; then add more if necessary. It’s my experience that the foamy head formation made with the addition of salt may have a different appearance than the original foamy head. The addition of salt can produce smaller more condensed bubbles and the foamy head has a slight sheen. You will have to test this technique with the specific beer you are using to determine how it reacts with the addition of salt.

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Beers: Old Rasputin, Maudite, and Red Seal Ale distributed by Artisanal Beverage Company and donated to us by Central Market Classic Pilsner, Arcoroc Linz Pilsner, plain 16-ounce Pilsner, and 20-ounce Pub Pilsner glasses, provided by Cardinal International

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Boos Block cutting board

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Zak Designs meeme tray

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Bounty paper towels

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Wilton 9 angled spatula

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Anchor Hocking salt cellar

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Wasara Kaku small plate

biodegradable

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Salt, beer snacks, glass pitcher

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Photographer’s Comments—The Pub Set

To do this, place a stand-in glass on a piece of clean white paper

There is nothing like a nice cold beer … right? Should be easy …

and draw the outline of the glass. Cut the paper smaller than the

right? Just pour it and shoot … right? There is nothing easy about

actual glass outline, keeping the piece of paper longer than the

a beer shot. One of the first portfolio shots I ever did when I was in

glass for now.

school was a beer shot and I found out pretty fast how difficult it is.

Everything you use to secure the paper to the glass will show

You will need a lot of warm beer and clean-up materials and that’s

through the glass. I use clear double-sided tape. I carefully place the

just the beginning.

paper on the surface behind the bottom of the glass and prop it up

We wanted a cozy pub setting for this shot because the focus is on the beer. We also wanted to show three types of beer. Each beer has its own set of problems to deal with to make it beautiful. All three are different in color and carbonation and we used three different shaped glasses. What were we thinking?

with a straw, a wooden skewer, or piece of wire. The farther the card is tilted away from the glass the more light will be reflected into the glass. After you have determined where the head of the beer will be, cut the paper to that height. It’s very important to perfectly position the paper behind the glass so that no paper shows beyond the sides. I decided to use two different colors of paper for the different

To get the lighting just right I used my Chimera Pancake lightbox

beers, because the beer color was different and it is important to

directly overhead. This created a directional feeling to the light and

have the beers not look all the same.

gave me beautiful highlights on the sides of the glasses. We placed the glasses on a dark wood surface and used a dark red background to complete the pub look.

My Canon 5D was secured on my Gitzo tripod and I used a 90â•›mm T-SE lens with no tilts or shifts. I shot slightly overhead and into the glasses. If your angle is too low you will miss the top of the head

The glasses are clear, so everything is reflected in them and

on the beer. My aperture was f13, my shutter speed was 1/125, and

through them. To prevent the beer from looking dark or all the

my ISO was at 100. My strobes were set for rapid fire because you

same color, I placed cards behind the glasses to reflect light back

have only a few seconds to capture the perfect head of beer before

into the beer.

it starts to fade.

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Cocktails

Within this section on cocktails, you will find several projects featuring different types of cocktails requiring specific styling techniques. If you are building or adding to your portfolio, I hope this chapter section will encourage you to consider a cocktail project.

Curaço on Ice with a Twist Garnish While doing research for this chapter, we ran across a bartender’s guide book that had pictures illustrating the recipes. We scanned through the book looking for ideas. There were some unusual colored drinks pictured and Jean Ann kept trying to talk me into doing a blue drink. I always said no thanks. But she persisted, and in the end I caved in. Now I’m happy that she kept after me to style this shot. I love it!

Tricks of the Tradeâ•… This is a good example of one person having a vision when the other person doesn’t. We had this same experience in reverse when we started talking about our living food

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First we chose a glass that would not be the usual shape for serving this type of drink. We wanted our image to have a lot of punch … no pun intended. The second element that we wanted was a long dangling garnish that would complement the color of the drink. The surface and props of brushed stainless steel were specifically chosen to make the blue color of the drink and bright yellow lemon garnish really pop from the image. (Refer to the section “How to Make Food Pop in the Image” in Chapter 2 of Food Styling for Photographers for a more detailed explanation.) When all the elements of the shot were selected, I began prepping hero glasses. Dulling spray was used as a base coat. A mixture of clear Karo syrup and water was put into a spritz bottle and a light film was sprayed on the exterior of the glass to form tiny droplets simulating condensation. (Refer to the section “Frosted Glass Preparation Techniques” in Chapter 3 of Food Styling for Photographers for detailed information of this technique.)

test shot in Chapter 1. There is a good lesson here: When the person you are collaborating with on a test shot has a strong vision for an image, keep an open mind and go along with her instincts. In both cases for us, we were thrilled with the results.

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We wanted the final image to have numerous pieces of ice breaking through the surface of the liquid within the glass. This technique adds visual interest to the surface of the drink rather than having a flat liquid surface. After liquid was added to the glass on set, I used skewers to gently move individual acrylic pieces to achieve a good visual presentation.

Noteâ•… When filling glasses on set, I almost always use a funnel to avoid splashing. Liquid is poured until the level is slightly below the desired fill line. At this point, I like to recheck the ice build in case any additional acrylic pieces are needed, since adding more ice will raise the level of the liquid. If the liquid were already at hero level, it would be necessary to remove

We used quality acrylic ice shards and a few acrylic cubes in the glass. The first layer of acrylic ice consisted of a combination of shards and cubes. I chose to use a few cubes because they gave the ice build some stability. This first layer was placed in the glass by hand, but as the ice build got higher, I used wood skewers or chopsticks to place and maneuver individual acrylic pieces.

some of the liquid from the glass to add more ice. For several reasons, it’s easier not to do that. Additional Noteâ•… I placed a small triangle of black tape on the base of the glass to mark camera front. If the glass is accidentally moved before final capture is achieved, the glass can be more easily repositioned by using the tape as a guide. The tape will be removed shortly before final capture takes place.

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two skewers together tightly at both ends. Avoid placing tape directly on the zest. Repeat this process for all zest strips so you will have choices when selecting the hero. The two-skewer system prevents the zest from uncurling. Submerge the ends of the skewers holding the zest into ice water.

Making zest for a bar drink is not tough if you have the right tools. Using a sharp bar zester is important to get smooth edges on zest. I like to drop the zest into cold water as soon as it is cut. The water prevents discoloration and oxidation of the zest edges. The following technique will result in zest with a curl: Make enough zest strips to give you a selection to choose from. Wrap one zest strip tightly around a thick wood skewer or round chopstick. Lay a second skewer alongside the one holding the zest and tape the 40

When I worked on set with the zest for this shot, I could not get it to balance on the edge of the glass. I’ve done this before, but this time, for some unexplained reason, it wouldn’t cooperate. Neither super glue nor hot glue would stick to the zest because of the water content in the zest. Dried lemon zest would not have the fresh appearance that we wanted for this shot so it was not an option. The key to getting through a situation like this when nothing works is to take a deep breath and open your mind to suggestions. I grabbed a can of pressurized air used to clean computers, turned it upside down, and sprayed the coolant contents onto one of the lemon zests. It froze quickly. Then I took a sharp pair of scissors and cut a nick about ½ from one end in the underside of the lemon zest so it would bend. This bend allowed me to position the zest inside the glass so it wouldn’t fall. Phew … it worked! And, of course, it hung there until I removed it after the shoot was over about 20 minutes later. As the zest thawed it relaxed a little and the curl elongated, but it was still photo worthy.

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Supplies used to create the Curaço image: l

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Curaço, provided by Artisanal Beverage Company Cardinal Industries Arcoroc Cabernet 10-ounce glass

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Trengove ice shards and cubes

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Bounty paper towels

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Karo clear syrup

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Anchor Hocking True Seal set

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Messermeister bar zester

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Architec Gripper bar board

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OXO Good Grips steel barware collection

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Wood skewers, black paper tape, glass cleaner, dulling spray, spritz bottle, lemons, and funnel

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Layers of Liquor in a Glass Layering liquor in a glass has wonderful visual appeal. Bartenders layer drinks and make quite of show of it for customers sitting at the bar. For their purposes, pouring liquor slowly across the back of a spoon accomplishes layers. Their work is admired by customers, but not scrutinized by a camera. To achieve this image, actual liquor was used.

Noteâ•… When presenting a layered drink to the camera, the layers must be crisply defined. To achieve this, you will need to pour all liquor layers with the hero glass(es) in place on the set since even carefully moving the glass will result in slight mixing of the layers, demolishing the crisp demarcation between colors. Noteâ•… When designing a set with glasses containing colored liquors in layers it may be necessary to use

We wanted this image to have visual impact and chose to build a line-up of glasses filled with the same liquors and layers. The first step in achieving this presentation is to line the glasses to the camera. Since spacing the glasses evenly is critical for the visual effect we desired, we used a ruler to measure equal distance between all the glasses as well as to maintain a straight line.

stand-in glasses with actual layers of liquor in them to determine the distance between glasses that will work best from the view of the camera. Once the correct line-up is achieved, the hero glasses can be placed on set in the predetermined positions and pouring the liquor layers can begin. Make sure to protect the set surface with toweling since alcohol may damage the shooting surface. 43

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Since the hero glasses were quite narrow, I decided to use a large syringe to transfer the liquor into each glass. The volume of each layer was determined during the stand-in phase on set while positioning the glasses. Adding the first layer in the glasses required patience but no special techniques. However, each additional layer added to the glasses required a steady hand and a different technique. I slowly dispensed additional layers of liquor from a syringe held in one hand onto a 9” angled spatula turned upside down held in my other hand. This was a slow process, and because of the narrow glasses, required steady hands! It also helps to be ambidextrous!

Supplies used to create the layered liquor image: l

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Noteâ•… Several years ago I challenged myself to learn to eat with my left hand. Being right-handed naturally

Pagés liqueurs

made this a good challenge for me. I practiced at

Eco towels (washable, reusable towels made of renewable materials)

months of practice I decided to eat left-handed in

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Anchor Hocking 8-ounce triple pour measuring cups

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Wilton 9 angled spatula

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Bounty paper towels

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Background painting by Lee Fritts

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Syringes, shot glasses, T-square

dinner every night when I was at home. After several a restaurant. Now, it’s second nature to me and is actually my preferred way to eat. Besides being a very foodie thing to do (European diners eat with fork in left hand and knife in right), this challenge has helped my abilities of working with both hands simultaneously when on set.

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Cocktail with Foamy Top Research on cocktails led me to realize that some cocktails have a dense foamy top. Since the foamy top was a new and different challenge for me to style, I wanted to include an image of such a drink. Jean Ann wanted to do a lavender-colored cocktail. We decided on a foamy top, the color of the cocktail, and I also wanted to do a garnish for this drink—we were on our way. Collaboration is a beautiful thing!

in our image was selected to make the delicately colored cocktail pop in the surroundings. A background or props with heavily saturated colors would not work for this image. If you work on a similar shot, first determine the color of your cocktail. Then select a setting and background that will not detract from the beauty of the cocktail. The viewer’s eye should go to the styled product in the image.

This could be a great project to consider if you want to add a cocktail image to your portfolio because it demonstrates knowledge of garnishing as well as cocktail building. It is a fairly uncomplicated image to create, if you know the proper techniques. And, as you read about the process of styling this cocktail, you will notice the supplies needed for the drink itself are easily obtained and will work for a low-budget project.

Making Sugared Flowers for Garnish I wanted to make an interesting garnish for this cocktail. Sugaring edible flowers is a garnish trick that is fun and fairly easy. Almost any flower can be sugared, as can leaves, berries, and fruit. The sugared elements can be used on desserts or for centerpieces as well as beverages.

As for any image, it’s important to consider the setting. Notice how the setting and background in our image does not detract from the cocktail. Everything

Here are the steps. First, separate the egg white from one egg and place it in a small bowl. Whisk 2 teaspoons of water into the egg white until well combined, but not frothy.

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Hold a flower with tweezers in one hand. Using a small artist brush in the other hand, apply a thin coat of the egg white mixture to both sides of the flower. Immediately hold the egg white–coated flower over an empty bowl and gently sprinkle extra-fine granulated sugar over both sides of the flower. Place the flower on a clean, dry surface (a paper plate works well for this task) to dry overnight. Place the plate holding the sugared flowers in a kitchen cabinet overnight, not the refrigerator. The flower must be evenly coated with the sugar for a good result. Practice on a few nonhero flowers until you have a good sense of this technique. I used Wilton Meringue Powder to achieve a dense froth for the top of this drink but egg whites can also be used. A small kitchen whisk can be used for this task but a battery-powered frothing tool makes this job easy! When the mixture reaches a dense frothy stage, it can be transferred to a large syringe and set aside while you mix the liquor part of the drink.

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Since a lavender color was the goal for this cocktail, I used blue liquor and added enough red liquor to produce purple. The color was so intense that it did not permit light to show through the glass and the color of the mixture was dark. We wanted our hero cocktail to be a slightly opaque pale lavender color. To lighten the color, I could have added vodka or any clear liquor. But remember this cocktail is for the camera and not for consumption! I set the dark mixture aside and started with a glass of water. By adding a little of the dark purple liquor to the water, I was able to achieve a lavender color. But when I took the drink to set, it was not as interesting as I wanted. It looked exactly like what it was, colored water. So, back in the kitchen I started experimenting with additives that would make the drink more visually interesting. By adding a little gelatin powder, I was able to get a frosty, slightly opaque appearance in the lavender mixture. Gelatin powder is a good thing to have in your styling gear since it is useful for many applications.

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With the syringe loaded with frothy egg whites and the hero glass positioned on set, I carefully topped the cocktail with foam. A few larger bubbles appeared within the foam in view of the camera. They did not look good. By inserting a wooden skewer into the egg white foam and gently nudging the bubbles, I was able to move them away from the edge of the glass and out of view of the camera. A narrow pipette could also be used to remove the large bubbles. The next step was to top the drink with one of the sugared flowers.

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Supplies used to create the lavender cocktail image: l

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Wasara Kaku medium round plate, biodegradable and compostable bambu small cork bowl and cork cutting boards Anchor Hocking prep bowls and True Seal bowl, and Stolze 6-ounce Glencairn glass OXO Good Grips steel jigger and easy-read measuring cup

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Wilton meringue powder

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Bon Jour rechargeable Primo Latte Frother

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Soil Moist medium beads (used for surface under the glass) Tweezers, artist brush, various flowers, egg, superfine sugar, syringe

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Photographer’s Comments—The Lavender Cocktail Set

background element in the shot. Use natural reflections or create

Shooting a glass on glass can make a beautiful image and it can

some of your own by taping different shapes of paper to the

also create some problems. You will have reflections to deal with

window above your shot to reflect into your glass surface below.

and must make sure everything is as clean as possible. As you work on the set and your stylist works on the drink, it is inevitable that dust will collect on your glass background, so be aware and remember to clean the surface before you shoot the final image. I use canned air and a nonstatic brush. Doing this will save you time in photoshop.

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I have placed a strobe head with a grid spot below the glass surface to light the area directly underneath and around the glass. My Chimera lantern placed above and slightly in front of the glass gives me round reflections on the glass that look natural. I shoot with a Canon 5D with 90â•›mm lens using a tilt-shift and my settings are shutter speed 1/15 at f8 with an ISO of 100. I use a Pocket Wizard attached to my camera hot

I am using a mix of natural light and strobe. The back light coming

shoe to sync my camera to my strobes. My camera is secured on a Gitzo

from the window is gently lighting the liquid in the cocktail

Basalt tripod at a low angle to the cocktail glass. It is important that

glass and the reflections of tree branches creates an interesting

your camera is leveled.

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Raspberry Daiquiri Using muddled fruit or herbs in cocktail mixtures requires slightly different techniques than other cocktails when styling for the camera. Muddled contents of drinks are usually heavy and will sink to the bottom of the drink within a short time. And since it often takes several minutes to finalize lighting, make other adjustments to the set, and perhaps garnish the cocktail, special techniques are necessary for the drink prep to prevent the solid contents from sinking to the bottom of the glass. For an image to show sediment in the bottom of a glass is not usually a desirable look. The goal is to have the muddled contents suspended within the drink. The basic color of this cocktail was achieved using a pink sports drink. The color was adjusted to be less intense by adding water. Since this cocktail is for the camera, no alcohol was used. Enough powdered gelatin was added to the liquid to provide the proper density to suspend the muddled fruit. There are added benefits to using powdered gelatin for this purpose. The gelatin gives a slightly opaque quality to the liquid that makes the viewer believe it appears chilled. Two benefits from one additive! The amount of gelatin added to the liquid maintained a loose consistency that resulted in a realistic appearance on the top of the beverage. 55

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Set Design Process for the Raspberry Daiquiri Image As always, getting to the final hero image is a process. There are lessons within the images here that illustrate the color choices we made that would ultimately result in a punchy final image. I want to walk you through the decisions that had to be made for this shot. We knew we wanted a raspberry pink drink. The color of the basic liquid had to be tested on camera. The liquid needed to be light enough to show the mulled raspberries and at the same time have enough color interest to make the cocktails interesting. While testing drink colors, we also played around with different

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surfaces. As always, the goal was to make the food pop and to achieve visual impact. Here is a case of an intensely colored cocktail that made pale backgrounds look anemic. And instead of focusing on the cocktail, the viewer’s eye tends to notice the background. We dug through bins of napkins, fabric, and table coverings looking for the perfect fabric to complement our image. Our goal was to find a background surface that would enhance the appearance of the cocktails. All the surfaces looked pale and puny to us until we came upon a printed napkin that picked up the intense color of the raspberry drink.

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When the stand-in cocktails were on set with the printed napkin we selected, they still didn’t have the pop we wanted. We decided to embellish the appearance of the drinks and make them more visibly interesting. So before the hero glasses went to set, I added a pink sugared rim to each glass. (Refer to the section “Slushy Drinks: The Magic Frozen Margarita” in Chapter 3 of Food Styling for Photographers, for detailed information for this technique.) The technique is the same for salt or sugar. The basic technique uses egg white to coat the glass rim and then the rim is dipped into either salt or sugar. In addition to the sugar rim on each glass, to create even more visual interest we chose to add a raspberry impaled on a glass swizzle stick to perch atop each glass. With the addition of

Noteâ•… If you attempt this type of beverage, you will need to closely monitor the amount of gelatin to avoid a mounded appearance on the top of the liquid when added to the hero glass on set.

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the raspberry garnish, the color dynamics in our fabric choice make the image come alive on the page. Supplies used to create the raspberry daiquiri image: l

Wilton small whisk

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OXO easy-read measuring cup, steel muddler

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Anchor Hocking prep bowl

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Oneida small cutting board

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Powdered gelatin, pink sport drink, raspberries, hero glass and stand-in glass, colored sugar, glass swizzle sticks, egg, and paper plates

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C h a pt e r T h r e e

Styling Packaged Foods

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The next time you visit a grocery store, pay attention to food packaging. Notice how almost every item has at least one photographic image printed on the label. Images are used on all types of packaging: plastic bags, cans, boxes, bottles, and paper containers. The high volume of photography on food packaging creates work opportunities for food stylists and photographers. During my career I have styled many images for packaging. If you don’t have this type of image in your portfolio, you might want to consider adding at least one. When a client whose product is packaged foods hires a photographer and stylist to work on images, the client usually has specific uses in mind for the images. Images of this type are called serving suggestions. However, the images may be used for a wide variety of purposes: advertising in print, packaging, promotional venues (for instance, on the side of a delivery truck), and so on. The client may have consulted with an art director for guidance about how best to display the item, or not. Regardless of an art director’s involvement in the design process, the food stylist needs to advise the client as to the best presentation for their product. Most often this communication is a show-and-tell process for the stylist, using fairly detailed stand-ins to illustrate, since not all clients are visual thinkers. Advice 62

from a food stylist is sometimes taken, and sometimes not; but this is part of the stylist’s job—to offer expertise to the process. The client’s final decision is the stylist’s guideline. If a client or art director is not present on the set, the food stylist and photographer must codirect the shot. And, if you are acting as the photographer and food stylist, you get to do everything! When the client’s product is less than photo quality—and 99.9 percent of the time it will be—as a food stylist you will be responsible for taking the product, the sow’s ear so to speak, and transforming it to a hero, the silk purse. Depending on the product, this task can sometimes be pretty tricky and complex. Certainly, use the product off-the-shelf, as it comes to the consumer, for a stand-in. But to transform the product to hero quality for the camera, you have to be extremely selective as you style. If the product is a composite of several food elements, for instance like pizza, you have to break down the product into the separate elements, and then reassemble the product using the same type of ingredients that have gone through the hero process. We are using two very different items for projects to illustrate serving suggestions—pizza and peas. If you imagined a difficulty scale of 1 to 10 for styling challenges, pizza would be a 10 and peas would be a 1.

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Several vegetable serving suggestion images could be styled and completed in one day’s time, but styling a hero pizza for photography will probably take most of one day.

Noteâ•… Truth in advertising laws governs what can’t be done in representing foods via photography. Some ingredients must be carefully monitored and weighed. If you are styling food for packaging, be sure you are aware of current laws governing food advertising. Many people falsely believe that food for advertising photography isn’t real. But laws have been passed to protect the consumer. The food being advertised in images is real. For instance, if ice cream is the featured product in an image and the client is selling the ice cream to the public, then the stylist must use real ice cream. However, if the client is selling chocolate sauce to the public, the stylist can use fake ice cream to display the chocolate sauce. But the sauce is real.

Pizza

There are two basic types of pizza shots: whole or sliced (or a combination of both) and a pizza cheese pull shot. Styling any kind of pizza can be challenging. Food stylists who work on pizza shots regularly have developed their own techniques. But basically there are

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two schools of thought or approaches to styling pizza. So while on the subject of pizza, I will complete two projects using a different styling approach for each one. You can decide for yourself which approach to take if you choose to style pizza. First, I will take a client’s packaged frozen pizza and style it for a packaging-type image. The image at the beginning of this chapter is our hero. In this image the pizza is surrounded by vegetable components. The client has options for cropping the image to suit their needs and may or may not use the entire image for packaging. The styling approach for this project will be to partially bake the pizza in an oven, illustrating techniques for the bake method. The next project, a pizza cheese pull, will demonstrate another styling approach—the steam method. Either styling approach can be used for any pizza image. And to a certain extent the two approaches share some commonalities. If you are the stylist, you can use one method or a combination of the two. Practice the techniques on nonhero pizzas to gain confidence and experience with both methods. Then you can decide which approach you prefer and develop your own techniques. Be sure to keep notes about the process so you will be able to refer to them the next time you style pizza. 63

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Pizza Styling: Bake Method The Central Market frozen pizzas are beautiful and delicious, but as they come from the package they are not hero quality for photography. This statement is virtually true for most packaged foods. When a client asks for images to be used on packaging, they need and expect to have beautifully styled shots that entice the consumer to buy. The image should display an accurate representation of the product with appropriate ingredients. If the client requires a serving suggestion image, other food items can be added to their product for garnish or as an accompaniment.

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Let's get started styling this pizza for a whole pizza image! The first thing I do, working with the partially frozen pizza, is to start removing the components from the top of the pizza. I use an off set tapered spatula to loosen each item. As the components are removed, they are placed with other like ingredients in separate bowls. This method allows the stylist to weigh each ingredient separately.

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Noteâ•… Weighing each ingredient supplies the stylist with important information to accurately and legally represent the product in photography. Some ingredients are impossible to weigh; for instance, sauce on a pizza. If the client has not provided detailed ingredient information, the stylist must use common

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sense with nonweighable items and refer to the client’s actual product for guidelines. Additional Noteâ•… Remember to weigh each bowl empty beforehand and subtract the weight of the bowl from the ingredient/bowl weight. Keep a list of components and their weights for reference when you build the hero.

Some pizza ingredients are unique and cannot be purchased individually. For instance, pepperoni on many pizzas is a unique diameter and may not be duplicated by anything found at the market. When this is the case, while looking at all the pizzas during the hero crust selection process, I carefully remove those components that could not be duplicated at the store. After that item is removed from one pizza and weighed, I will look through all the pizzas I have at the studio to find like components, then select hero contenders to achieve the predetermined weight or count. Pepperoni can be gently washed if necessary and placed between paper towels to dry until needed during hero construction.

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Some pizza ingredients may be added during manufacture by count and weight. Take note as you look at the original pizzas and quickly count components like pepperoni and other larger items. If the counts are consistent, make notes about that also and build the hero accordingly.

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It’s the stylist’s task to transform new components for the pizza using the removed components as a visual guide for prep. In the case of this particular pizza, the red onions had a grilled appearance. Each onion slice removed from the original pizza had at least one edge that was browned. To achieve this appearance for the new hero components, I sliced red onions to mimic the size and shape of the originals, and then lightly torched them to achieve a brown edge. The brown edges are important since they will add visual interest to the finished hero. Other vegetable ingredients for the pizza are assembled and each element is prepped according to the original components’ shapes and sizes. For instance, I purchased canned baby artichokes because they were basically the same size as the artichokes on the pizza and because they resembled the color of the artichokes on the pizza. Since they came from the can, the individual artichokes were too big. Using a sharp knife I sliced them to the appropriate size. Likewise, fresh tomato pieces were cut to the appropriate size. As part

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of the prep process I made pesto, drained capers, and selected a tomato sauce to use when building the hero. I purchased five of the same type pizza for this image so that I would have options when selecting a hero crust. All the pizzas were removed from the packaging while still frozen and a number one choice and number two choice were selected for the crust alone. During this process no other elements are considered unless, as previously explained, there are specific elements that cannot be duplicated. The hero crust must be round, have even thickness, and must be unmarred by other ingredients or poor handling during manufacture and shipping. Once the hero is selected I carefully scrape the existing sauce away from the edge. I normally use a tapered spatula for this task. While working with the crust I can determine if there are any blemishes that might need treatment. Small bubbles or burned areas can often be carefully picked off with tweezers or “sanded” with an emery board. Likewise, any wayward cheese pieces can often be removed with tweezers while the pizza is semifrozen.

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Before assembly of the hero pizza begins, the set needs to be finalized and ready for capture since the hero pizza will not wait patiently for very long after it goes to set. Once the crust is cleaned up, a new application of sauce can be added. This process begins with actually painting sauce around the edge at the sauce line. I prefer to use sauce that has been drained slightly to avoid

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any color bleeding into the edge of the hero crust. To drain the sauce, place a few paper towels on a plate and then pour about a half cup of the sauce on the towels and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Scrape the sauce off the paper towels using a spoon or spatula. Once sauce has been applied to the entire edge with a paint brush, more sauce can be added to fill in the center of the pizza, but use the sauce sparingly because 69

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only enough is needed to create a red surface. Either drained or undrained sauce can be used for this task if the pizza is to be shown whole. With all the prepped ingredients on your work surface surrounding the hero crust, assembly of the hero pizza can begin. The object is to create visual interest while keeping the build believable. Overlap some component pieces to achieve a little elevation. Be sure to position each piece to avoid tangencies from the camera angle and to distribute each component evenly throughout the space. Pay attention to component colors placing each piece so that it will visually separate from other components. I usually add cheese at the very end of this process and will quite often add more cheese on set. Any cheese added on set will need to be melted using a steamer.

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If the design elements in a set do not permit using a steamer, the pizza can be steamed off set and then positioned in the predetermined spot on set. However, you will need to move quickly since the cheese on the pizza will cool in a short time, and cool cheese looks old and tired to the camera! A word about cheese for pizza styling: I normally grate a small amount of cheese onto several paper plates. I remove any strangely shaped cheese pieces from each plate and place the plates in the freezer. The plates cannot be stacked because the cheese will compact and stick together. When working on set I pull one plate of cheese out of the freezer as needed. Cheese is easier to style while frozen. If the plate of cheese defrosts and more cheese is needed, grab another plate of cheese from the freezer.

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tricks of the tradeâ•… Another method, and one that I prefer, is to bake the empty, nonstyled pizza crust to achieve the desired brown edge. The interior components are then added to complete the styling process. The styled pizza is then steamed to melt the cheese. If you use this method, all individual components must be prepped to have the appearance of being cooked, and you will need to consider adding pizza zits. Refer to the section on pizza cheese pull for this technique.

As stated earlier, every stylist develops his own preferences for pizza styling. This pizza was styled by baking it long enough to brown the crust. Most of the cheese was melted at this point. Some stylists prefer to partially bake the pizza and then use a heat gun designed to strip wallpaper (as depicted in the above image) to complete browning the crust. As you experiment with pizza styling techniques, you might try partially baking the hero pizza and then finish browning the crust edge with a heat gun to determine if you are comfortable with that method. The bake method results in a very realistic presentation of pizza.

Pizza on Set When the hero pizza is placed on the set, be sure to have a styling tray with extra hero components, styling tools that might be needed on set, and paper towels. If additional cheese is added to the pizza on set, it must then be melted. The tool of choice for melting cheese is a steamer. The steamer should be placed near the set, filled with water, and preheated, ready for immediate use. Not only does the steam melt cheese, but it does dual duty by keeping the pizza ingredients moist. However, if you use a steamer, take care not to oversaturate the pizza surface with water. And if there are vegetable components on the set near the pizza, you may need to either protect them from the steam with a piece of cardboard between them and the steam flow, or direct the steam so it does not hit fragile components that might melt or wilt.

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Photographer’s Comments—The Pizza Set

The lightbox has curtains that can be lowered or raised to direct

Whether you are working on your portfolio or a client hires you to

your light where you want it. I have placed the light over the pizza

shoot their existing product, very few prepared foods are “camera

and a little bit forward on the set. The back and side curtains are

ready.” We have chosen to shoot a frozen pizza. We will turn it into

down to block light from spilling onto the back and sides of the

a beautiful food shot and present the pizza in a different way than

set. The front panels are also down to direct the light over the

already shown on the packaging.

food. If you don’t have a pancake this lighting can be achieved by

We built the set using old weathered-wood fencing Brad found behind our studio for a rustic look and feel. We also decided the lighting should be dark and rich. Lighting a set “dark” can be difficult when you are shooting fresh food. You don’t want the

placing flags or black cards to block the overhead light and keep your light focused on the food. The lighting creates soft reflections and shadows on the food and props, bringing out the texture on a relatively flat object.

product to look dark or underlit, so you have to direct your light to a

I hold a small silver card to reflect light onto the front of the crust

specific area and block the light from the surrounding area.

and to light the brass on the mug. My camera is set at ISO 100 with

The easiest way to create this look is to place your lighting

a shutter speed of 125 at f13.

overhead. I use a Chimera Pancake lightbox to achieve this look.

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The Pizza Cheese Pull The name for this type of shot is fairly descriptive. A slice of pizza is caught in the action of being removed from the whole pizza. Since the viewer’s eye tells them the pizza is hot, it seems natural that the melted cheese stretches and pulls as the slice is removed. Advertisers love this type of image because it often makes the viewer hungry for pizza! The cheese pull is perhaps one of the hardest food styling jobs a stylist will do. However, that being said, if you practice to gain confidence using techniques for this styling task, you can be successful. The tricky thing about cheese pulls is that you get only one or two image opportunities per pull. So for the stylist, the key to being successful is to be very patient and prepared to recreate the pull action as many times as it takes to get a hero image.

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The styling differences between constructing a whole pizza and a pizza cheese pull begins with removing a slice from the hero pizza. To determine the size of the slice and the relation of the slice to the camera, begin with a stand-in on set. Remove a slice from the standin pizza and place the slice on a pizza or pie server. Attach the server to a photographic knuckle and position the slice at the approximate place where you envision the hero cheese pull will occur. Noteâ•… This

position

will

definitely

be

an

approximation since cheese pulls develop as the slice is moved away from the pizza on set. The formation of the cheese changes dramatically as the piece is pulled away from the pizza. The photographer will be snapping images while the pull takes place so obviously someone other than the photographer will need to be handling the pull task.

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hero slice. After the size of the piece is finalized, the next thing to do is to select the hero pizza crust. The crust is selected with the same guideline as mentioned in the previous section on whole pizza. Remove the ingredients from the interior of the hero pizza. Use the stand-in slice as a guide for size and cut a slice from the hero pizza crust. To cut through the crust edge, I use a serrated bread knife or electric knife with a serrated edge since serrated edges will cut cleanly without smashing the crust.

Noteâ•… If the entire pizza will be in the shot, you might want to measure the diameter of the crust and position the tip of the hero slice near the middle of the pizza.

During the stand-in process, determine the size of the slice to be involved in the pizza cheese pull. If the size of the desired hero slice is visually different than the stand-in, it would be wise to recreate the stand-in with another piece more closely resembling the size of the

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The action of removing a slice from the pizza will literally pull the cheese. The force required to make the cheese pull may be strong enough to cause the pizza to slide or move on the set surface. There are tricks to prevent the pizza from moving during the cheese pull.

Noteâ•… As you design the set for a pizza cheese pull image, you may want to consider using wood or another surface that will accept some punishment, because the best way to prevent the pizza from moving is to attach it to the surface with screws.

After sauce has been applied to the hero pizza with the slice removed, three or four screws can be placed in strategic locations within the pizza. The screws need to be positioned around the opening of the slice to prevent the edges from rising up during the pull. The

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screws will be hidden by the pizza components. As you can see in the previous image, we used black washers to prevent the crust from tearing. Isn’t it convenient that the black washers look like black olive slices! However, as mentioned, they will be hidden during the build.

Pizza Styling: Steam Method I used my preferred method of pizza styling when styling this pull shot. The empty crust was baked to achieve a golden brown and then other food ingredients were added to the interior of the pizza. The pizza will not be baked again during the prep process, therefore, several food components had to be prepped accordingly. I used a torch to brown bell peppers and onions. One of the ingredients of this pizza was spinach. I could have wilted the spinach during prep, but since the pizza would be steamed on set to melt the cheese, I chose to build with fresh baby spinach leaves since the steam would cause them to wilt; however, the spinach can be wilted before placing it on the hero pizza.

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Pizza Cheese Zits When a pizza is styled using the steam method, one of the prep tasks is to make “cheese zits,” the brown spots that happen naturally to cheese when a pizza bakes in the oven. The zits are placed on the hero pizza during the process of melting the cheese with a steamer. The zits will blend into the melted cheese when steam is applied briefly. Actually, cheese zits are appropriate to use when styling any baked dish that is topped with cheese. 79

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To make cheese zits: Grate mozzarella cheese (or any cheese appropriate for the food you are styling) onto a sheet of foil. The foil can be placed on a cookie sheet and heated in the oven, but my preferred method is to place the foil on a heat-proof surface and to use a heat gun to melt and brown the cheese. This method gives me a good view of the process so I can control the amount of browning. Immediately after browning the cheese and while it is still warm, use tweezers to gently lift small areas of the browned cheese (the cheese zits) off the foil. Set the cheese zits on a plate for use on set. The slice of pizza for the pull is styled separately from the pizza. Placement of food components on the slice is important. The styling of the slice must resemble styling for the main pizza. However, there are some things the stylist must take into consideration. Any food element placed close to the edges of the slice may move during the pull. I will often secure food near the edge of the slice by using short pieces of toothpicks or short pins to keep them in position.

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position. After all the pizza components are styled and in the correct position as viewed from the camera, cheese can be added to the main pizza body and to the interior of the slice. Again, use cheese that has been grated and frozen. Be sure to reserve some longer, straight pieces to use when building cheese for the pull.

When the main pizza is styled and the slice (usually styled in the styling area) has everything in position except the cheese, it’s time for the slice to go to set. Capture an image of the food on set to determine if any changes need to take place. If any food elements are in need of more browning, a small handheld torch is a handy tool for this task. The hero pizza slice is positioned on the pizza or pie server, which is now resting on the set surface in

Use a steamer to melt the cheese. At this point determine if more cheese is required. When cheese melts it will appear to diminish in volume. If more cheese is added, steam it lightly. When the amount of cheese is finalized, choose locations for cheese zits and place them accordingly. Be sure to add some to the interior of the slice as well. Applying steam briefly will blend the zits into the melted cheese. Now it is time to build the cheese specifically for the cheese pull. Notice in the image here how straight pieces of cheese are placed across the cut between the main pizza and the slice. The cheese pieces are spaced in small groupings with some areas remaining empty, without cheese. This is a technique you will need to practice with stand-in pizzas before you go to set.

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The action is about to begin! The photographer must be completely ready and the person working the cheese pull needs to take a deep breath. I’ve heard one stylist say to start the pulling action as you exhale. I tried it and it seems to work! The action to achieve the pull is up a little and then away from the pizza. During the pull, action can be stopped for a second or two so the photographer can assess the pull, and then the action begins again. In the image shown here, the action of the pull was halted and then continued to achieve our hero (the image at the beginning of this section). 82

The beauty of the pull is gone when the cheese looks too stringy or when the distance between the main pizza and the slice is too great for the composition of the hero image. When this happens, it’s time to rebuild the pull. The old cheese used for the pull can be cut away from the edge of the slice and main pizza body with sharp scissors or pulled away with tweezers. Reposition the slice on the server, add more cheese to create the next pull attempt, steam the pizza to refresh the appearance, and then steam the pull cheese to melt it completely. And you’re off for another pull action. The pull can be recreated as long as the pizza and pizza slice remain hero quality.

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If a food stylist is working with a client on a pizza cheese pull image, the client usually has predetermined a specific look for the pull. Many things can influence this decision, for example the brand imaging for the pizza may require a specific appearance of the pizza and the cheese pull. Cropping choices for the final image may also be a factor to the amount of distance between the pizza and the slice being lifted. These issues are only two of many that may have to be considered and communicated to the photographer and stylist before the shoot begins. Working on a test shot with a pizza cheese pull is a different matter. You will need to determine the most advantageous distance for the pull. Notice the distance between the pizza and slice in the two images presented here. Which do you prefer? These images are also cropped differently; a narrow rectangle versus a square. Which crop would best suit your needs? Answering these questions will help you be successful achieving the shot you want. The best way to start finding the magic spot between pizza/slice is to take a lot of captures during a practice pull. Regardless of the beauty of the cheese pull in these captures, you can place your crop on each image you’ve captured and determine the approximate distance between pizza and slice you want to achieve for your pull image.

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Photographer’s Comments—The Pizza Cheese Pull Set

to block the light behind the pizza. I have positioned my Chimera

Pizza pulls can be one of the most challenging food styling and

Lantern near the camera at the front of the set to light the piece of

photography setups. Linda has mentioned all the steps that we go

pizza and the cheese. The pizza has lots of texture and color so you

through to get to the “perfect pull.” When you set up the shot you

want to be careful not to overlight the set.

have to know exactly where the pizza will be and where the cut will

Once everything is ready to go you don’t have many chances to get

be. The camera and lighting have to be in place long before the pull

the perfect pull.

begins. Once everything is in place you don’t want to move anything except the piece of pizza for the pull.

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I focus on the piece as Linda pulls it away before the cheese is on. Then the camera never changes and never moves. My Canon is

The camera is set at a slightly low angle so you can see the cheese

secured on my Gitzo tripod and the settings are ISO 100, f16 at 125.

on the side of the piece, but not so low that you miss the top of

You need a fast enough shutter speed so there is no movement or

the pizza. We have chosen a weathered-wood background that will

blur. The pizza slice needs to look crisp and fresh. Everything will need

not distract from the food. The lighting is direct and overhead using

to be freshened after each shot, so we try to capture a few images as

my Chimera Pancake with all the curtains down. We wanted a dark

the piece is pulled away from the whole pizza. It’s a long and tedious

dramatic feeling at the back of the set, so I used a flag or cutter

food shot but everyone needs the perfect pull shot in their portfolio.

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Supplies used for building the whole pizza and pizza cheese pull images: l

Pizza and all groceries, from Central Market

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Zyliss gourmet shears

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John Boos walnut chopping block

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Totally Bamboo cutting board and the Big Kahuna

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Messermeister elité Meridian knives

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Architec preps bowl, gripper bar board

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Cuisinart Chef ’s Classic nonstick 14" pizza pan

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Eco towels—washable, reusable towels made of renewable materials

Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate, and Soapstone Company soapstone pizza stone with brass handles and soapstone coffee mug with brass handles

Anchor Hocking 10-piece mixing bowls

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Microplane four-sided box grater

Wilton 9" tapered spatula

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Jiffy floor model steamer

OXO Good Grips food scale

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Bounty paper towels

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Bernsomatic TS3000 Fat Boy torch and micro torch kit

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Cheeses, veggies, herbs, tweezers, fisherman’s scissors, stone surface for torching, artist brushes, spoon, heat gun, foil, foam plates, ruler, prop server, drill, drywall screws, and bonded sealing washers

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Styling Peas and other Vegetables for Serving Suggestion Images

Serving suggestion images can be used for numerous advertising purposes. The image opening this section features serving suggestions of vegetables shown in handcrafted serving bowls. This type of image could be used by the pottery artist to sell her wares. However, this same image could be cropped differently (as we will illustrate later) and meet the labeling needs of a manufacturer of canned or frozen vegetables. A note about set design and food selection: In the hero image showing three bowls, we wanted to enhance the color of each bowl’s interior. You will notice that each bowl has the same exterior but the interior bowl colors are all different. Sweet potatoes were selected to bring out the gray in the largest bowl. And our hero peas were placed in the bowl with the gold interior. The natural burlap surface and muslin napkin were chosen to bring out the natural beauty of the handcrafted bowls’ exteriors. The project for this section is to take frozen peas and create a serving suggestion image that could be used

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for packaging purposes. The techniques for working with most canned and frozen vegetables are very similar. If you want to style for a serving suggestion image, you could use the techniques outlined next to prep corn, green beans, or almost any vegetable product of your choice. I will recommend that you start with a frozen vegetable if this is your first attempt of a serving suggestion. Once you feel you have mastered the techniques, you can move on to canned products. Because of the differences in processing between canned versus frozen vegetables, frozen vegetables generally offer more intense color. Vegetables that are to be frozen are usually blanched (cooked in water or steam) for a very short time and then flash frozen, whereas vegetables to be canned undergo a longer cooking time during the canning process. The longer cooking time for canned vegetables leaches some color from the vegetables and will also result in more tender products, making them more fragile for styling.

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And while on the subject of styling vegetables, I want to mention that the sweet potatoes for this image were prepped first since they were the least perishable vegetable on our set. The sweet potatoes were baked, peeled, and then placed into a food processor briefly to mash. I used the pulse button on the processor so I could watch the mixture closely as it blended. I wanted to maintain some small chunks in the mixture for visual interest.

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While in the frozen state, vegetables are fairly durable. We had fun producing the previous image of falling peas to prove it! This image is also a good example to point out that “pour shots” do not always have to involve liquid. But please note that once frozen vegetables are thawed, they are not so durable and will need to be handled with care. When styling thawed or partially thawed vegetables, I don’t normally use tweezers on them since tweezers may leave marks or may mash the vegetables. Instead, I use my fingers, an artist’s palate knife, or an off-set tapered spatula to maneuver the vegetables during styling. To begin styling a vegetable that has been frozen, I usually start by placing the vegetable in a colander. The colander with vegetables is then placed for less than a minute into a large bowl or sink filled with cool tap

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water. The task is to remove the frost from the vegetables but not thaw them completely. Keeping the vegetables semifrozen makes the individual food pieces easier to handle. It also allows the stylist to see any visible flaws so those pieces can be removed. Tweezers can be used to remove any nonhero vegetables.

tricks of the tradeâ•… The two larger bowls in our hero shot were built with false bottoms. By placing either mashed potatoes or an inverted glass bowl in the bottom of the hero serving bowl, the area to be styled is greatly reduced. This technique helps reduce the amount of weight compression that will naturally happen during the building process. In effect, the false bottom will assist in extending the photo life of the hero vegetables.

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This image is a different crop of the three-bowl vegetable image at the beginning of this section. This tighter crop of the bowl of peas is typical of a serving suggestion image found on food packaging in the market. The peas were garnished with green scallion slices and slivered almonds before final capture. Supplies used for the vegetable serving suggestion images:

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l

Architec colander Eco Sponge—washable, reusable sponge made of renewable materials

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Cuisinart elite collection food processor

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Messermeister Meredian elité 6" knife

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PidgeonToe handcrafted nesting bowls

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Bounty paper towels

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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bambu cork bowl and cutting board

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Zak Design meeme tray

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Anchor Hocking storage bowl

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Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Snap 7500 dispenser and plastic wrap Wilton 9" tapered angled spatula Peas, sweet potatoes, green onions, almond slices, spritz bottle, tweezers, and spoon

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Soups

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Soups present unique styling challenges for many reasons. Although there are basically two categories of soups—clear and opaque—either type of soup can contain a large variety of ingredients. Soups also range from very thin—almost watery—to very thick. Some soups are full of ingredients that are visible to the camera and viewer, some have no solid ingredients, and some are blended so thoroughly that the ingredients aren’t apparent. For the photographer, liquids, regardless of their density, can be difficult to photograph. It is the stylist’s job to create visual interest in the surface of the soup, which also makes the photographer’s job easier. Stylists are usually masters in achieving some interest or movement in the surface of a liquid regardless of its density. You may find a few techniques in the following styling projects that will help you style a soup for photography. Two entirely different soup projects have been selected for this chapter to demonstrate styling techniques. One soup is thick and blended. The other is a broth-type soup with lots of ingredients. Each of these projects was selected so that if you choose, you could create them without great expense or sophisticated equipment.

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our shot was a casual, slightly rustic country feel. We chose bright but earthy colors to pull this shot together. Selecting the color of the pot and earthy surface first helped me select some of the food elements in the soup. One of the food stylist’s tasks is to keep in mind the mood and colors in the set while selecting food for the project. This soup will have a lot of visual interest. Ingredients include Asian rice noodles and other easily obtained ingredients. For a stylist, rice noodles are good to work with for several reasons. This type of noodle requires only two or three minutes’ cooking time to bring them to a workable state. By workable I mean they will curve naturally without breaking. If you follow the cooking and handling methods presented in this project for rice noodles, the noodles will maintain shape and not fall apart even if your shot takes all day to come together. Remember the saying, “What comes first, the horse or the cart?” The process of set design is a perfect illustration of this saying. If you are working for a client or styling a test shot of a particular food, the food drives choices for the set elements, which are selected to compliment the food. However, this process can work in reverse if you want to create a specific mood for a test shot. For instance, if your portfolio

Designing the Set

lacks a high key, bright image and you want to work on that type

The first task at hand for our project, since we had already decided on a specific food for the image, was to choose prop elements for the set. The direction we wanted for

of shot, you might decide on the set elements first. Your next step would be to identify a food that would fit in that type of setting. The elements in the set will then dictate color and texture of the food.

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Styling a Clear Soup with Solid Ingredients

This project is a broth-based soup with lots of visible ingredients. We wanted to represent an Asian noodle soup and chose to style it in a serving pot. Our project started with designing the set. Once you have cooked the noodles to a state where they are pliable, drain them immediately. Run cool water over them to halt the cooking process. They need to be cool to the touch. The noodles are ready for styling. However, if you have other prep tasks to complete at this time

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transfer the drained noodles to a large work bowl or place them in a zip-top bag. Add about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and gently mix the oil into the noodles using your fingers. If you haven’t overcooked the noodles, this type of noodle is pretty indestructible. However, you still want to take care not to break them, since longer noodles are easier to style and are more attractive for photographic purposes. For our project a layer of noodles will be used as structure in the pot to support other ingredients. This base layer is added before any liquid is added to the pot. Reserve long hero noodles to place on the top surface of the soup after liquid is added to the hero container.

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Now the fun begins! The interior of the pot we selected for this shot was almost the same color as chicken broth straight from the box. I decided to add color to the chicken broth so it would visually separate from the pot. To achieve a darker appearance in the chicken broth I mixed a little beef gravy coloring into the broth before adding it to the hero pot.

NOTEâ•… From a stylist’s perspective, as a general rule it’s easier to start with a lighter color and make it darker if necessary. This rule is fairly consistent throughout styling. For soups, I normally purchase chicken stock along with gravy coloring in case I need a darker color.

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Basically, the fewer noodle ends visible to the camera, the better. The addition of broth will create depth in the soup. Any holes or empty areas in the noodle arrangement will be noticeable and will guide you to areas in the soup surface where you may want to place more noodles or other ingredients. A capture of the build at this point will help identify those areas. (Refer to Chapter 5 in Food Styling for Photographers for more details about styling noodles.) When shopping for this project, I searched for appropriate and colorful items. I found some deli mushrooms with bits of red peppers cooked into them. Since only a small amount of this element was needed, the cost was minimal. Flat-leaf parsley, green onions or chives, seasonings, and chili oil were all that was needed to complete this soup.

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TIPâ•… I often cut a flat side on either paper or foam plates for use on set. These plates will hold prepped hero foods for styling. The flat side of the plates not only allows me to position them closer to the hero container, but also helps to prevent spills on the set. Also note that cutting two sides of the plates will make it easier to position multiple plates on the set or on a side table holding tools and hero foods. Space is at a premium around a photography set. Anything a stylist can do to minimize the styling area is appreciated by the photographer and can actually make the act of styling on set much easier and more convenient.

Parsley and the small shoots from green onions were snipped with scissors to add some green interest to the surface of the soup. These elements were placed with tweezers.

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I used a mix of black and toasted sesame seeds, some chili paste, crushed red pepper flakes, and chili oil to visually season this soup. The seeds, chili paste, and red pepper flakes were placed using a 9" tapered spatula. To achieve styling of these elements I balanced a small amount of one element on the end of the spatula. With a tweezers or another spatula in my other hand, I could nudge a little of the seasoning element in the exact position for color and texture interest. Chili oil was added with a pipette. Some oil was positioned around the edges of the pot for a realistic appearance and other droplets were added to the surface of the broth and on noodles. Notice there is a lot of visual interest in this soup, and ingredients break the surface of the liquid, providing an element of movement to carry the viewer’s eyes through the soup.

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NOTEâ•… Using a noodle base like this one gives you

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Zyliss kitchen and herb scissors

almost endless opportunities to change the direction

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Wilton 9" tapered spatulas

of flavors in your soup. By using different seasonings

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and ingredients in combination with the noodles, the entire mood of the finished styled product can change.

Architec colander

set design will drive the mood of the shot. So if you

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Bamboo 11" curvy servers

plan a soup image similar to this one, your selection

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of set props and soup ingredients will give you a completely different and unique look.

Supplies used to create the pot of soup shot: l

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Anchor Hocking 10-piece mixing bowls and Beer Wagon pitcher

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Likewise, your choices of container for the soup and

Le Creuset round casserole, apron, and stock pot Anolon Ultra Clad stock pot Zak Designs meeme trays and tongs, Colorways mini bowls, and Playa serve bowl

Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Snap 7500 dispenser and plastic wrap

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Jiffy Steamer floor model J-2000

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Flip Tea Towel by Studio Patró

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Bounty paper towels

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F our

Chicken broth, Asian noodles, deli mushrooms, seasonings, chili oil, parsley, green onions, gravy coloring, and tweezers

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Photographer’s Comments—Pot Of Soup Image

camera I use a Gitzo Studex tripod and a cable release on my

Simple styling. Simple props. Simple lighting.

camera.

If you have a window you have a shot. I used a Canon TSE 90

My window is only 33" wide, so you don’t need much light to get

mm lens on my Canon 5D set at a shutter speed of 1/6 and an

this shot. The soft directional light gives you beautiful texture in the

aperture of 5.6 to capture the natural light coming through my

noodles and on the layers of vegetables we placed on the surface

south-facing window. I wanted a soft light to cover the set. We

of the soup. If you have a sunny day with direct sunlight coming

shot this in the afternoon and there were no direct shadows, so

through your window you can place scrim paper or use a thin white

the lighting was perfect for this warm, rich shot. In the prep shots

curtain panel over the window to soften the light.

we wanted motion with the broth pouring into the bowl. A longer exposure time captures and blurs a little. You must tightly secure your camera on a sturdy tripod when you have a longer exposure. When using a longer shutter speed to prevent movement of my

I did not use a fill card because I wanted to have soft dark shadows that give you more texture in the food. No strobe. No fill. No problem.

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Styling Blended Opaque Soup

We wanted some drama for this project. During the process of planning this shot, the set elements were selected first. The unusually shaped bowls and highly textured wall panels create a “white on white” set with plenty of texture and shape. When I saw the set elements Jean Ann and Brad wanted to use, I suggested borscht as the food because the color would be dramatic and would pop in the set. If you aren’t familiar with this soup, it is a blended beet soup that has an unusual and intense color. For food styling purposes, beets are blended with yogurt and liquids to achieve the desired thickness and color.

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When making borscht, I start by cooking fresh beets because I find the color of fresh beets is a richer red than canned beets. To begin the styling process I cut the stems away from the fresh beets leaving about 3 of stem still attached to each beet. Leaving this amount of stem and the root on the beet will help prevent color leaching from the vegetables as they cook and cool in water afterward, preserving the rich color of the beet interior. The beets can be either steamed or simmered for approximately 30 minutes. Drain the beets and submerge in cool water until they are cool enough to handle.

NOTEâ•… If you tackle this project, you will need to take extra precautions to avoid splashes and to protect the shooting surface. Beets and beet juice will stain almost everything they touch. I wear latex or plastic gloves when handling beets to avoid having pink fingers for a few days!

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Wear gloves when peeling beets with this technique! Remove a thin slice from the stem end of the beet to cut away the stems. Then cut a thin slice from the root end of the beet to remove the root. Grasp the beet between both hands. Using your thumbs, gently push the skin away from the flesh of the beet. Repeat this process to remove the outer skin for all the beets you’ve cooked. 108

Cut each beet into ½˝ thick slices. Cut each slice into cubes. The scraps and pieces with rounded edges will be used to make the actual soup, while the cubes will be used for texture and surface interest in the visual presentation.

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Fill each hero bowl in your shot with mashed potatoes to a level about a ½0 lower than the predetermined final level of the hero soup. The mashed potatoes act as a false bottom in the bowl as well as a foundation to place the beet cubes. Mash the potatoes flat by using an angled spatula. The mashed potato layer must be level since only a small amount of soup will reside on top of it. Position the cubes randomly in the potato layer.

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TIPâ•… I learn something new every time I work on a shot. My lesson here was this: Even though this soup was rather thick, the mashed potatoes absorbed some of the liquid from the soup. Before the final capture I had to add more soup to the bowls. The thing I learned was to place a layer of Stretch-Tite plastic wrap over the mashed potatoes before adding beet cubes and soup. Be sure to cut the edges of the plastic wrap to conform to the shape of the bowl. I have tested this technique and it works beautifully!

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Remember the scraps of beets saved during the prep of beet cubes? Now it’s time for those scraps to be put to use. Using a pot wand, I blended the beet scraps with light cream and yogurt. The cream and yogurt add a rich opaque quality to the soup while the beets add lots of color interest. I continued adding cream and yogurt until Jean Ann and I were both happy with the color of the soup. The set must be finalized with all bowls leveled and in hero position for the styling to take place. Filling bowls on set is standard procedure for a food stylist because doing so avoids any messes around the edges of the soup that might occur if the bowls were carried to the set. Cleaning messes on the inside of bowls near the surface of the soup is not easy! Prior to adding liquids to the bowls, the set must be carefully protected from splashes and spills. If you have ever worked with beets you know they will stain everything they touch. The density of this soup causes it to splash quite easily when it is poured. Our white shooting surface needed extra protection!

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Supplies used to create the Borscht image: l

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Eco bamboo pattern towels; washable, reusable, compostable towels made of renewable materials

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Messermeister Meredian elité knife and scissors

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Architec gripper cutting board, and Smartmat

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Hamilton Beach commercial immersion mixer

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OXO measuring cup

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Jiffy floor model steamer

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Anchor Hocking prep bowl

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Notice that the beet cubes break the surface of the soup in random places for visual interest. We chose to garnish each soup serving with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of dill. Instead of using actual sour cream, I like to use Greek yogurt for this purpose. I placed the Greek yogurt on the surface of the soup by using a large syringe. The dill sprigs were placed with tweezers. The larger bowl was not garnished since it represents the serving bowl.

Anolon Ultra Clad 8 quart stock pot

Pigeon Toe Ceramics double-folded bowls and folded serving bowl

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Inhabit wall flats Braille pattern

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Bounty paper towels

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Wilton 9 angled spatula

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Beets, latex gloves, cream, Greek yogurt, instant mashed potatoes, foam plates, tweezers, medicine dropper, prop spoons, pitcher, pipette, tweezers, and foam plates

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Photographer’s Comments—The Borscht Set

at a very low power so the light on the right does not overpower the

On the day we did this shot it was cloudy in Dallas. I wanted to use

soft light coming through the window on the left. The color of the soup

natural light with a soft fill so the cloudy day was perfect. This shot

is strong and unusual and the interesting background and shape of

is a great way to show that you can use almost any type of natural

the bowls all complement each other. The sidelight coming through the

light and make it work.

window catches the texture of the beets in the soup. The angle of the

We have chosen an unusual background to shoot on to make a simple old-fashioned soup look elegant and modern. As our surface we used unpainted wall tiles by Inhabit. The soft round curves of the tiles give us a contemporary feel and go well with our ultramodern bowls. Try different surfaces you would never think of as a conventional background and use your ideas as an integral part of the shot, not just something to put an object on. Using natural light from the left of the camera and a medium Chimera lightbox set low and tilted a little overhead on the right gives me natural looking soft shadows on the soup and background. My strobes are set

camera is high and slightly overhead to show the shape of the bowls and texture of the soup, but not too high that you lose the roundness and depth of the background. There are no fill cards in front to interrupt the flow of light and shadows. It is very important that your color is correct when using natural light mixed with strobe. Cloudy days often produce a blue colored or cool light, and balancing with strobe light can be tricky. Be sure to use your gray card and white balance setting on your camera. My camera is set at ISO 200 at f13 and a shutter speed of 1/4. Art directors and clients love to see the unexpected in your work.

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Tacos

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Styling tacos requires working with foods that have vastly different styling techniques. This is not a project for the novice food stylist. However, as with any other project, knowledge of techniques and lots of practice can yield good results. If you want to add an image of tacos to your portfolio, practice, practice, and practice before you go to set with intentions of capturing a hero image. Let’s consider the different food elements in tacos: shells, meat, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, and possibly salsa and sour cream. The food stylist immediately thinks of all the different prep, handling, and styling techniques involved with these components since each of these foods have different requirements. Time sequence of styling and prep is very important. Planning is crucial. As you read through this chapter you will want to notice the prep sequence for the taco elements since prep was completed in a specific order. Again, the rule of thumb is, prep the least perishable item first and the most perishable item last. However, there are exceptions to this guideline as you will notice, and a few techniques are presented that may help extend the hero status of some of the items. In the case of tacos, the shells have the longest photographic

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life. However, you are forewarned that all the food elements are time sensitive! Prepping Taco Shells

On the day of the shoot, when shopping is completed and grocery components are properly stored, the first element to prep will be the taco shells. Guidelines for selecting hero taco shells are: l

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The entire shell should be even-colored. The bend in the shell that creates a cavity for the taco ingredients should be a uniform width and each side of the shell should be evenly formed. The sides of the shell should be fairly equal in height. The U-shape of the opening needs to be uniform without creases or cracks.

Go through the hero sorting process identifying at least three hero shells for every one hero taco in your shot. Any unsightly rough edges on the shell can be filed smooth by using a nail file or emery board, if you choose.

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SAFETY NOTEâ•… Be sure to follow directions on the clear acrylic spray product you use. I normally complete any aerosol spraying activities outside in the open air to assure there is good ventilation and to avoid lingering smells in the studio. If for any reason you are not able to use spray products outside, choose a well-ventilated area away from the photographic equipment in the studio. By covering large trays with paper, I can easily transport shells (or other products I’m going to spray) to an outside area or wherever I’m going to spray. The shells can be sprayed directly on the papercovered trays. Most spray products dry quickly and the sprayed

I spray the inside and outside of all hero shells with clear acrylic spray to help prevent moisture from damaging the shells during the styling process. If meat juices or moisture from other taco components soak into the shell it will become mushy and may collapse or break. The spray helps to prevent damage to the shell; however, it’s not foolproof. You will want to keep liquids away from the shell as much as possible.

items, now protected with clear spray, can be returned to the styling area. I usually leave the sprayed items on the trays in a safe, dry area until needed during the styling process.

In my opinion the acrylic spray also serves to strengthen the shell and helps to prevent cracks from forming along the bend in the bottom of the shell, which can happen after the shells are removed from airtight packaging. Since the shells will be exposed to air for several hours during styling and while on set, any extra protection that may prevent rebuilding a cracked or collapsed hero is worth the effort. 117

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Prepping Taco Ingredients

My cheese preference for tacos is cheddar because it has a rich golden color. Be sure to choose a cheese that is not too sharp. Sharp cheddar tends to be more brittle and will break easily when grated. The styling techniques mentioned here are fairly consistent with the way cheese is handled for other styling projects. This is a good method to remember since it renders cheese into a form that is much easier to style. Basically, a thin layer of cheese is grated directly onto foam or paper plates. Experiment with different graters to find the style that works best with the cheese you are using. Don’t touch the cheese, but rather let it reside on the plate where it naturally lands during the grating process. You’ll want to make several of these plates, each with a thin layer of cheese. Slip each plate into a zip bag and place in the freezer. Avoid stacking the plates, since doing so would mash the cheese. This technique

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yields individual cheese pieces that can be picked up with tweezers or hands and placed on the hero food. You will style the cheese in this frozen state, positioning pieces of cheese on a hero taco. One plate of cheese can be transported to the set for styling, and when the cheese thaws, another plate is available in the freezer. Thawed or room temperature cheese can be very hard to style especially on a project like tacos where individual cheese pieces will be visible to the camera. The freezing process also captures curls and interesting shapes in the cheese. These shapes add visual interest to the final image. NOTEâ•… After cheese thaws and is exposed to air for a period of time, it will start to appear translucent. If this happens before you capture the hero image, the cheese will need to be replaced before you can proceed.

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Lettuce prep for tacos is unique because the lettuce will be cut into thin strips. The strips of lettuce are more visually interesting if some of the naturally occurring curled edges are present on the strips. To achieve this type of look for the lettuce strips, I start with a head of green leaf lettuce. I normally remove the outer two layers of leaves from the head in case those leaves have tears or discoloration, and work with the next layers of leaves. The leaves in the very center of the head are usually too light colored to be appropriate for tacos. Once removed from the head, the lettuce leaves are rinsed and patted dry. I lay three leaves in a stack, one on top of the other, and roll them tightly lengthwise. I wrap the roll snugly with a damp paper towel. The paper towel secures the integrity of the tight roll. This “unit” is then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Make several of these units and refrigerate them until needed on set. This method gives lots of curl and shape to the lettuce when thin slices are cut across the leafy end of the roll.

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The techniques presented here for styling tomatoes for tacos can be used in many other styling projects. These techniques are good to learn and fairly simple to master. Before you begin, make sure the knives you

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are using for this task are sharp since a dull knife will tear the skin and bruise the tender flesh of tomatoes. Use firm red tomatoes. Cut a slice from the top of the tomato to remove the green top as well as a little of the rounded shoulder. Holding the tomato in one hand and a spoon in the other, gently score the exposed interior of the tomato along the inside between the tomato flesh and the seed areas. Gently press the spoon into the tomato interior all around the inside edge. This process allows you to remove the seeded interior core, leaving a shell of firm tomato flesh. This shell is material for the hero dices. Cut the tomato shell in half from the center of the cut top edge through to the bottom. At this point, you can vary how the tomato shell is cut depending on your specific project. But for tacos or for other projects requiring diced pieces or strips, each half of the tomato can then be cut into strips approximately 3/80 wide. The strips are cut to form squares or diamond shapes. Place the hero tomato cubes on a plate, cover the plate with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until needed on set.

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Even though the taco meat has not been prepped, it’s time to turn your attention to the set since building the scene with the taco shells may take a little time. All the other ingredients can remain in their appropriate places until the set is ready.

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The hero taco shell(s) will need to be stabilized on the set to allow for styling without accidents. The method I rely on most often is the use of hot glue to secure the back of the shell to the surface where it’s positioned. Regardless of the hero taco position, lying down or standing upright, the shell needs to be secure. The hot glue method will work in either case. Our project required three shells to stand upright.

the interior of the shell. The rig is a platform that will add height and stability to the interior food components of the taco. As with other foods that are styled stacked upon each other, the taco ingredients can weigh down and compress other ingredients. To maintain height and integrity of each food element, I cut a thin wedge of Styrofoam to fit into the bottom of each shell. I position the Styrofoam about 5/80 back from the front edge of the shell. Doing this allows me plenty of room to build meat that will be visible to the camera at the front of the taco while still concealing the Styrofoam.

NOTEâ•… The Styrofoam is secured at the back of the shell with hot glue so it won’t move during styling. In the image to the left, you can see how our set was constructed. We built the entire set on a revolving cake pedestal. The reason for this was to give us an easy way to view the finished tacos from the camera at different angles. All we had to do when we wanted to see a different view was to turn the top of the

Photography of tacos usually provides the camera with a view of the open edge of the taco. The image we planned would give the camera a view of the entire front of the open edge as well as the top profile of the taco. After the shells are secured on the set with hot glue, I build a rig for 122

pedestal, which is a lot easier than moving the camera and perhaps the light sources. It worked like a charm! Before styling food elements within the taco shells, I covered the red paper on the turntable and the trivet holding the taco shells with clear plastic wrap to

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prevent any drips or spills from staining them during the styling process. For added support, we used florist “frogs” that were made of metal and very heavy. The frogs helped to support the sides of the taco shells and would be out of frame when the final image was cropped. However, if your image doesn’t permit using supports, the hot glue will most likely give enough support to maintain the shells in an upright position. But you will need to take extra care not to put pressure on the outermost shell sides.

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Now that the set is finalized, the next task is to prep the meat. The prep for meat needs to be achieved right before you begin styling on set since the meat will begin to oxidize and darken quickly. Preheat a large skillet. Brush a coating of vegetable oil on the bottom of the skillet. Using your fingers, break the raw lean ground beef into small chunks and drop them into the skillet. Cook the meat over medium heat until it is no longer pink. Drain all liquid from the pan and return the skillet to the burner. Mix in seasonings to achieve the desired color and add dried or fresh herbs for visual textural interest to the meat. The meat for the image in this chapter was colored with chili powder, a mix of dried herbs and spices, and a little finely diced salsa. Place the seasoned meat in a bowl or plate and cover with plastic wrap to keep out as much air as possible. As you style the meat in the tacos on set, for a little extra protection against the meat darkening, you can leave the plastic wrap in place over the meat, lifting one edge of the plastic wrap to give access to the meat.

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Build the meat into each shell beginning at the front of the Styrofoam rig and working forward to the front U-shaped edge of the taco shell. While you are styling the meat you also need to add a layer on top of the Styrofoam. This layer does two things: it conceals the Styrofoam rig and gives a visual layer of meat that might be viewed by the camera through the lettuce and cheese. 124

Don’t worry if the meat looks dry at this point. Right before final capture, you will apply a mixture of clear Karo syrup mixed with a little water to the meat that is visible from the camera. This mixture will moisten the meat and give it a little sparkle so it will appear to have just come out of the frying pan. My preferred tool for this task is a pipette, but you can also use a small artist brush. If you use a brush, take care that the small pieces of meat don’t

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move because the syrup mixture can stick to them, making them move with the brush. If they do, you will need to place them back into position using tweezers.

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prevents bruising of the tender tomato flesh. Place the tomato pieces randomly so they create interest from the camera view.

NOTEâ•… By this time the meat has probably reached room temperature. The lettuce will thank you for this

NOTEâ•… Make captures from camera during the entire

because it won’t wilt as soon as you place it on top

styling process to assure placement is good. Each item

of the meat layer. Of course, once you start building

must be approved before another component is added

on the set, the “photo life clock” is ticking for all the

to the hero taco. Since the food components will be

food. Each taco ingredient has a short life on camera.

built into the taco in layers, it will be much easier to approve each layer of styling before proceeding, although it is possible to add individual pieces

I take a small cutting board with me to the set and cut lettuce as needed for styling. I unwrap one unit of lettuce, and using a sharp knife, make ¼0 to 3⁄80 thick slices across the lettuce roll beginning at the curly edge. Place the most attractive lettuce slices from that cutting in the hero taco. Cut more slices across the lettuce roll as needed. When slices cut from the lettuce bundle produce only flat-edged pieces, switch to another lettuce bundle. Trim any stray ends of lettuce with a small sharp scissors. Next, the tomato pieces are placed in strategic places. Use a tweezers for this task but be careful to handle the tomato pieces gently. The pieces can actually be grasped with tweezers at one corner by just catching the tomato skin as shown in the previous image. This

of ingredients at the end of the styling process if necessary.

When you are ready to place a layer of cheese on the hero taco(s), bring one plate of cheese from the freezer. Quickly look for interesting shapes of grated cheese pieces. Handle each piece gently with tweezers and place the pieces one at a time on the taco. If the cheese on the plate defrosts, the individual pieces will be hard to handle and will break easily. That’s when you set it aside and pull another plate of grated cheese from the freezer. Continue this process until the cheese build on the tacos is approved from camera view. 125

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Tipâ•… During the styling process, beginning with placement of lettuce, the photo life of the tacos can be extended by performing a simple task. Dry ice pellets placed in a metal mesh strainer can be held a few inches above the tacos. The cold air emitted from the dry ice will travel straight down, chilling the taco ingredients. The life of the lettuce, cheese, and sour cream can be slightly extended with this technique; however, this can be a tricky technique to use and requires another person or rig to hold the strainer in place. In case you are wondering, to accomplish the hero image for this chapter, I did not use the dry ice technique.

SAFETY NOTEâ•… If you try this technique you must use tongs to handle the dry ice; take care the dry ice does not touch your skin because it will instantly cause a painful burn. If you use a metal strainer with a metal handle, you must wear a protective oven mitt or glove when you handle the strainer.

I decided to add a dollop of guacamole to our tacos. My reasons for adding guacamole were (1) the color and texture of the guacamole would help the sour cream separate or pop, (2) the guacamole would provide a solid base for the sour cream as opposed to it resting on the grated cheese, and (3) it would give an added element of color and texture. Regardless of using guacamole, the stylist must be prepared with additional ingredients on hand 126

just in case an additional component is needed. And, you never know when that will happen. The key is to plan ahead before shopping and include items on your list that may be related to the food subject in your project image. Once all three tacos had guacamole in place, positions for the sour cream dollops were determined by viewing a capture of the tacos. My preference is to use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for this purpose. It’s my experience that sour

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cream often gets soft and shapeless rather quickly. Greek yogurt tends to hold shape a little longer, making it easier to style soft peaks and mounds. I keep the yogurt refrigerated until needed on set. The method I use involves two spoons. With one spoon I swirl the yogurt in the original container or in a small bowl until the desired texture is created. Usually, the texture for sour cream on tacos is smooth with a few swirl ridges and a soft peak at the top. When the desired swirl and shape are achieved in the yogurt, I scoop that area of the yogurt into the spoon. While holding the spoon with the shaped yogurt over the taco above the predetermined position, I use another spoon to gently push the yogurt onto the taco. Practice this technique off-set before attempting it on a hero taco. The hero dollop can be gently pushed from the back side without disturbing the swirls or peak. Before shooting a final capture, the stylist has some last-minute jobs. Using an artist’s brush and a mixture of clear Karo and water, moisten the areas of tomato pieces that are visible from the camera. Next, apply the same mixture to the meat. I use a small pipette for this task and place tiny drops of the Karo mixture where the camera will see sparkle. Readers of our first book commented about the image showing the back of our hero sandwich halves. They

were amused by seeing the rig and amazed that the camera view and the back view were so different. After we captured our hero taco image, we turned the hero around using the handy revolving cake decorating pedestal to show you the back view. Using a turntable as a surface for our taco shot gave us the opportunity to easily show the back of the build. As usual, viewing the back of the tacos tells a very different story than looking at the front of our heroes! 127

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Photographer’s Comments—The Taco Set

of the object. In this case I placed a piece of red construction paper

Building and shooting the perfect taco takes a lot of time and

on the surface to reflect red back into the red plate holding the

preparation. After finding the perfect shell and placing it securely on

tacos. This intensifies the color and makes the surface a rich red, not

the rig you will want to start lighting your set. We chose a simple

a milky white.

colorful set for this shot. We wanted the tacos to be the only thing

My camera is secured on a Gitzo Carbon 6X and my angle is straight

you see. The actual set is white and the light is bouncing around to

into the tacos. As the stylist builds the tacos on set we take many

create an overall coverage of even lighting.

exposures to check lighting and food positioning. The Chimera

I have two medium Chimera lightboxes to the right and left of the

Lantern positioned overhead is on a low setting because of the sour

camera and a small Chimera Lantern positioned to the back and

cream on top of the taco. You want texture in the white creamy

overhead. We want texture in the front of the taco but no deep

topping and you must be careful not to overlight it. After the sour

shadows on the face of the food.

cream is placed you must be ready to shoot quickly.

The tacos are sitting on a shiny and reflective red surface that

I use a Pocket Wizard Plus mounted on my Canon camera to sync

“sees” its surroundings. When I shoot on a white surface I always

to my strobe packs. My ISO is at 100 and my camera settings are

place a complementary colored sheet of construction paper in front

shutter speed 125 and aperture is f16.

Supplies used in the taco images: l

Architec gripper bar board and gripper board

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Zak Design trivets and Colorway mini bowls

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Anolon Chef Clad 100 open skillet

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Bounty paper towels

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Microplane Gourmet Series extra-coarse grater

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Bamboo cork cutting board

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Messermeister Chantry Modern knife sharpener and Meredian elité knives Oneida Stiletto flatware and cutting board Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Snap 7500 dispenser and plastic wrap Wilton Professional cake turntable Emery board, hot glue gun, heavy florist frogs, tweezers, Styrofoam, taco shells, seasonings, avocado, lean ground beef, Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes

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Hot Dogs

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Hot Dogs! and you Thought they were Easy!

Most people assume that preparing a hot dog for a photograph would be easy. But honestly, styling a hot dog for photography is a challenging task. If you are a novice food stylist, you might want to turn to another chapter for a simpler project. Don’t think I’m kidding, because I’m not. When you believe you are ready for a technical food styling project, this is a good one to tackle. I will walk you through the process of styling a hot dog. Be forewarned that this shot will most likely take all day. There are numerous prep steps required to style a hot dog for photography including building at least one rig. During planning for the hero hot dog image in this chapter, we decided that the hot dog would have finely chopped onion, relish with red pepper elements, and a mustard squiggle. We also decided to use this image to introduce the outline shot to our readers. This particular outline image would be captured on a white background. Rather than building the bun to sit on its flat bottom on the surface of the set with the camera at table height or eye level looking into the hot dog, we decided to view the hot dog from overhead. This means that our hot dog hero would be positioned on set residing on the hinged side of the bun. Styling and 132

building a hot dog from this angle has some additional styling challenges. To maintain a flat line along the bottom of the bun and to prevent it from moving during styling, I placed two weighted blocks covered in white tape to support the bottom bun. Using specialized computer software, Brad was able to isolate the hot dog minus the tape-covered blocks in our original capture and reposition it on a solid white background, creating our outline image for printing purposes. During planning of this image, we also decided to use a cake decorating turntable as the surface for this shot. When we began the process of designing this image, we weren’t sure if we wanted a vertical or horizontal presentation of the hot dog. The turntable allowed us to easily view the hot dog from different angles so we could choose the final angle. We covered the top of the turntable with white paper, enabling us to capture the hero outline image. Hot Dog Bun Selection

Selecting a hero hot dog bun is vital for a successful project. (Refer to the section “Looking for a Hero” in Chapter 1 and “Finding the Perfect Hamburger Bun” in Chapter 6 of Food Styling for Photographers. The basic steps for shopping and handling are the

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same for hot dog buns as for hamburger buns.) When selecting hero buns it helps to know the camera angle in relation to the hot dog in your shot. As you plan for the shot, look at examples of hot dogs in photographs. Find an example that represents the angle of the hot dog that you want to capture in your image. Looking at the example, you can determine what areas of the hot dog bun will be visible from the camera.

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Since our shot was to be viewed with the camera overhead looking straight down at the hot dog, the appearance of the cut edges of the bun and the overall profile shape when viewed from that angle were most important. To feel confident in finding a few contenders for our one hero bun, I purchased six packages of hot dog buns that appeared to have one potential hero in each package. The hero buns were carefully removed from the package, trimmed with scissors, and placed on paper plates that were safely stored in zip-top bags.

Noteâ•… If you aren’t fortunate to find a tear sheet of a hot dog image that was shot from the angle you want to achieve, you will want to use a stand-in hot dog bun (one for every hero in your shot) and experiment with captures until you determine the final angle. This knowledge is vital in the process of shopping for buns so you will be successful in selecting contenders for the hero bun(s) for your image. It’s not fun to get to set with what you feel is a hero bun only to find out there’s a flaw or two visible from the camera. Using a stand-in as a tool can be helpful for almost any photographic project in the planning stages. Sometimes there just isn’t a good replacement for the real thing. 133

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Tipâ•… When you shop for hot dogs for your image, you will want to be aware of the different lengths of hot dogs at the market. Use the length of the bun that will be in your shot to help determine which hot dog length will work best.

Prep Steps for a Hot Dog Image

If you cut a slice from the diameter of a hot dog when it is first removed from the packaging, the shape of the slice would be between round and square because the hot dogs have been compressed within the packaging. Soaking them in very warm water will change the shape to round. After spending 20 or 30 minutes in warm water the hot dogs will absorb enough water to plump up. The diameter shape of the hot dogs will now be round instead of square. As you complete prep of other ingredients, keep the hot dogs in a pot of warm water to maintain the plumped shape. Actually, for styling purposes hot dogs can remain all day in warm water until you are ready to identify heroes and proceed with styling.

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The next prep task is to cut small squares or diamond shapes of onion for styling on the hot dog. Here’s the styling technique I use for producing small, uniform pieces of onion. Note that this technique for cutting onions can be used in many different styling projects. First I cut a medium-size yellow or white onion in half

by running a knife through the stem end to the root end. Working with one of the onion halves, I remove the outer skin, and lay the half on a cutting board with the cut side down. One ½ slice is removed from the stem end and discarded. Beginning with this newly cut surface, I make 1⁄8 to ¼ thin slices (depending on the size of onion squares appropriate for the project) through the body of the onion. Then I stack two or three of these slices, aligning them on top of each other on the cutting board. I slice through the flat side

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of the onion stack. This slice will produce square and diamond shapes. After two or three slices are removed the onion stack will have very curved edges. I set it aside and start working with a new stack of slices. Once cut, place the onion pieces on a plate and cover the plate tightly with plastic wrap. Repeat this process until all the onion has been finely diced. This method will yield many small pieces of onion to select heroes from when styling on set. Refrigerate the plates containing the onion pieces until needed on set.

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Draining excess moisture from both the relish and mustard is crucial before styling since both elements will reside next to the bun. Even if the cut surfaces of the bun have been sprayed with a clear acrylic, the bun will tend to absorb liquids. The process of removing excess moisture from food elements involves spreading each item on either paper towels or prewashed muslin. After excess moisture has been drawn away from the relish, it can be stored on a plate covered with plastic wrap until needed on set. After the mustard is drained I use a 9 angled spatula to scrape the mustard off the fabric, put it into a small bowl, whisk it until smooth, and then put the mustard into an applicator bottle. The bottle needs to be stored standing upside down in a glass or cup to allow air bubbles to escape from the mustard. Keeping the applicator bottle upside down in a cup also keeps air away from the applicator tip. When exposed to air, after awhile mustard will start to harden and form a crust. If this happens within the applicator bottle or in the applicator tip, the mustard won’t exit the bottle in a smooth stream and might create problems when you are attempting to make a perfect squiggle.

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Tipâ•… A few months ago I purchased two yards of muslin, took it home, and washed it a couple times. I then cut the fabric into 1-foot squares using pinking shears. After washing, the fabric becomes very soft and absorbent. The squares come in handy for several styling tasks but are especially good for draining foods with excess moisture. After the squares are used for a styling job, I put them in a plastic bag and take them home for laundering so I can use them again when needed. After several uses, the muslin squares have developed some pretty interesting stains.

Building a Hot Dog Rig

A hot dog styled for photography will need to have a special rig. The camera won’t see the rig but the rig is necessary to achieve the desired photographic appearance of a hot dog. Take into consideration the proportions of a hot dog bun and the hot dog. A hot dog bun has at least twice the diameter as a hot dog. The stylist needs to build a platform that will be positioned within the interior of the bun for the hot dog to sit on. The rig will support the hot dog so it will be level with the opening of the bun. If a hot dog were styled without a rig, it would appear to be nestled in a cave! If you’ve eaten hot dogs, you know exactly what I mean. Sometimes you have to open the bun to see if the hot dog is actually there. 136

The easiest material to use to build a hot dog rig is a narrow strip of Styrofoam cut the width of the hot dog and about a ½ shorter. The rig is placed between the two halves of the bun. Yes, the bun must be cut so that you have two pieces: top and bottom. I refer to the top as the portion having a brown and rounded crown. The bottom is the flat side that sat on the baking sheet when the bun was baked. During the entire styling process you must handle the hero buns very gently, as

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though you were holding a fragile baby bird. Either a serrated bread knife or an electric knife can be used to cut the hero bun. I prefer to use a serrated bread knife for this task. Open the hero bun just wide enough to insert the tip of a knife blade and carefully cut through the hinge of the bun. This cut results in separating the top and bottom of the bun. Many bakers will precut hot dog buns before the packaging process. If the edge along the precut opening of the bun has a lip or raised edge, you must use a small sharp scissors to trim away the ridges. These edges are formed during the packaging process and can easily be removed. (Refer to the section “Finding the Perfect Hamburger Bun” in Chapter 6 of Food Styling for Photographers for more information about trimming the edges of buns.) Place the Styrofoam rig against the bottom portion of the bun centering the rig along the length of the bun. Remember you are holding the bun as though it were a baby bird. Carefully insert two or three skewers through the lower portion of the bun to secure it to the rig. Be sure to insert the skewers through a part of the bun the camera won’t see. Do not cut the skewers at this time because they will serve as a “handle” to move the bun during the styling process. When the hero hot

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dog is positioned on set, the skewers can be cut at the point where they enter the bun surface. Next, position the top portion of the hero bun on the opposite side of the rig. Align the ends of the top and bottom buns. As you look at the bun from overhead, position the skewers so the insertion point is out of view. Skewer the top bun through the lower portion of the bun. This will assure that the camera won’t be able to see the skewers.

Noteâ•… To keep the bun from drying out, you will need to lay a slightly damp paper towel over the bun when you aren’t working on the hero. The moisture in the paper towel helps delay small cracks or wrinkles from forming along the edges of the bun. Here’s how to prep a paper towel so it won’t damage the hot dog bun: Dampen a paper towel and squeeze out all excess moisture. Unfold the paper towel so it’s a single layer. Holding two corners of the paper towel, drape it over the hot dog bun. You can easily remove the towel to work on the hot dog and to make captures. If the towel dries out completely you will need to redampen it. Replace the paper towel over the hero bun anytime you are not working on the hot dog on set before the final image is taken.

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Be sure to wear plastic gloves for this process since the color mixture will color your hands as well as the hot dogs. Using an artist brush, apply the color mixture evenly over the hot dog, making sure to cover the ends as well. Once the color is applied, I wipe the hot dog down with a clean paper towel to remove any excess color. The hot dog is in effect stained by the color mixture.

Hot dogs out of the package are rather anemic looking, especially after they are plumped in hot water. To get a better photographic appearance, I color the hot dogs using my normal meat coloring formula (a mixture of gravy coloring, bitters of Angostura, vegetable oil, and a drop or two of liquid dish detergent) plus one or two drops of liquid red food coloring for a more realistic appearance. (Refer to the section “Adding Color to the Burger Patties” in Chapter 6 of Food Styling for Photographers.) 138

Insert a thin wood skewer lengthwise into the hero hot dog by starting at one end at the point where the casing is gathered closed. The skewer needs to be inserted through half to three-quarters of the length of the hot dog. This technique allows for easier placement of the hot dog into the hero bun rig, and also eliminates the need to touch the surface of the hot dog, preventing fingerprints and smudges. After the hot dog has been

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positioned within the bun, the skewer is cut off at the point of entry into the hot dog so it will be out of camera view. The rest of the skewer remains inside the hot dog during the shot. If you want more control than holding one skewer when placing the hot dog in the bun rig, you can use an additional skewer inserted about a ½ into the other end of the hot dog. This skewer can be easily removed, or if you prefer, cut off so the end is not in view of the camera.

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I prefer adding the onion first and then the relish since the relish can be more sensitive about drying out. Be sure to place red pepper flecks (present in some varieties of relish) within the relish build. The extra color of the red pepper does much to add visual interest to the hero hot dog. Tweezers are perfect for this chore. To assure a fresh appearance, immediately before final capture, you will need to treat the relish and onions with touches of a mixture of clear Karo syrup and water. Either an artist brush or a small pipette can be used for this task. Be careful not to touch the bun with the liquid mixture!

Noteâ•… The Styrofoam rig does not extend the entire length of the hot dog. However, you might want the onion and relish to be styled along the entire length of the hot dog; in other words, a little further than the Styrofoam rig extends on both ends. If so, you can use a narrow piece of light card stock to extend the line

The next step is to carefully position the onion and relish on the hero hot dog. Here is where being semiambidextrous comes in handy. You’ll need to use two tools for this task: either two tapered 9 spatulas or one 9 tapered spatula and tweezers, one in each hand, to position the little pieces of onion and relish.

of support for the onion and relish. Cut two thin strips of card stock. Slip one strip of card stock on top of the Styrofoam (under the hot dog) at each end of the hot dog and allow the card stock to extend close to the end of the bun. In my opinion, building the onion and relish the entire length of the bun will result in a 139

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prettier presentation. Be sure to conceal the card stock completely with the onion and relish. We use this method rather than cutting a longer piece of Styrofoam for the rig because of the depth of the Styrofoam, and depending on the camera angle in reference to the hot dog in your image, the camera might see an edge of the Styrofoam. Using the paper technique will prevent this from happening.

one tiny air bubble within the styled mustard can create problems. There are two schools of thought on the placement of mustard squiggles: (1) style the squiggles on the set on the actual hero hot dog with relish and onion already styled in place, or (2) make squiggles on hero hot dogs off set until a perfect squiggle is achieved, then position that hot dog on the hero bun rig. With the second method, you have to carefully build the onion and relish on the hero hot dog with the mustard already in place. This takes a very steady hand. One touch to the mustard by a falling onion or relish piece and you’ll be starting all over. This method has an additional complication because the photo life of mustard on the hot dog poses limitations. After a while, maybe 15 minutes or so, the acid in the mustard will start to etch a line of color where the mustard touches the hot dog. Also, the mustard will begin to dry out along the edges and won’t appear fresh.

Basically, any food mixture that has been applied in a thin stream, as mustard is on a hot dog, is very sensitive to styling and adjustments. The best way to get a perfect mustard squiggle in your hot dog image is to make it that way when you place it. Making changes to a mustard squiggle after it is placed is very tricky. Even 140

I prefer to add the mustard on the hero hot dog on set after the onion and relish are built. Of course, I practice many times off set using either stand-in hot dogs or a piece of paper towel or muslin. This method takes a lot of nerve, a steady hand, and can be rather stressful! Either way, it’s not easy!

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Supplies used to create the images in this chapter: l

Bamboo cork cutting board

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Architect Smartmat and gripper cutting boards

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Messermeister Meridian elité knife and orange silicone tongs Totally Bamboo the Big Kahuna footed cutting board Wilton 13” and 9” angled spatula, 9” tapered spatula, applicator bottles, and Professional cake turntable

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Hamilton Beach electric knife Anchor Hocking prep bowls and triple-pour measuring glass

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Anolon Chef Clad stock pot

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Le Creuset chef ’s aprons

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Bounty paper towels

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Skewers, diagonal cutter, Styrofoam sheet, scissors, tweezers, artist brush, pipette, red food coloring, gravy colorings, foam plates, and muslin squares

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Photographer’s Comments—The Hot Dog Set

You can also position your camera as closely overhead by manipulating

Shooting hot dogs on white seamless might seem like a simple food

the handles and gears on your tripod head. The complete overhead

to shoot but it’s really a lot of tedious work for you and your stylist.

aspect of the shot makes the hot dog more graphic and has more

If you are the stylist and photographer you have a lot of prep work

impact. If you don’t have tall ceilings you can use a shorter lens like a

to do. You’ve got to have your set composed, lighted, focused, and

50â•›mm. If your camera is completely overhead you will not have any

camera in place. Because you have a limited amount of time before

distortion with a shorter lens.

the hot dog starts to lose its freshness, you have to be ready.

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My ISO is set at 100 and my aperture is f14 with my shutter speed

When shooting directly overhead things are a little more difficult.

at 125. Focus and lighting are critical for this shot because it’s all

Getting your camera in position can be a challenge. I use a heavy-

about the hot dog and we have no props or background color to

duty Gitzo Carbon 6X Tripod with a special lateral column, also from

distract. I used my 20 Chimera lantern overhead and to the right

Gitzo, so I can position the camera directly overhead. The lateral

to surround the hot dog in overall flat light, and a medium Chimera

arm is perfect for this and makes any other overhead shooting easy.

lightbox to the left of the camera to create a large fill light. I also

I have a sandbag hanging from my tripod to balance the weight of

use the white seamless on the background to bounce and reflect

the camera.

the light.

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C h a pt e r S e v e n

What’s For Breakfast?

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Pancakes

The focus for this breakfast project is pancakes. If you haven’t styled pancakes previously or attempted them and experienced problems, you will find some helpful technique information in this chapter. Our project involved a rather high stack of pancakes topped with butter. The goal for food styling and photography in the hero image was to catch syrup in the action of dripping down the stack. Selecting elements for the pancake set was an interesting process. We decided to share this process with our readers. During the set design endeavor for our project, the steps taken to reach the final atmosphere or mood of the set were recorded with a few images. Those images are included in this chapter, as well as text of the process. It is a process that is well worth mentioning in case you are interested in learning more about set design techniques and applying the theories behind the decisions. (Please refer to Chapter 2 in Food Styling for Photographers for more detailed information about creating atmospheres in sets for photography.)

Choosing Design Elements for the Set The first step in designing a set when the food subject is already known is to identify the mood of the shot. Once a general mood or atmosphere for the image is 146

identified, selecting props and the setting for the food can take place. As a general rule, breakfast shots have an element of morning light. The mood of the image can vary from bright and high key to warm and homey. The mood we wanted for this pancake image was warm and homey. Selecting props that make up the setting for our warm and homey pancake image is the next step. The hero image for this project is a stack of blueberry pancakes. Choosing fabrics and dishware that would accentuate the blueberries as well as make the stack of pancakes pop in the image was our goal. If you are fortunate to be in a studio with a selection of plates, surfaces, and flatware, you will want to pull out all the elements that you feel are appropriate for the mood of your shot. We looked at a lot of fabrics and plates before settling on our set elements. We chose a tight blue-and-white weave fabric for the base of the set, and it was topped with a print fabric with similar blues. Using fabric-on-fabric is a method for incorporating color and texture in an image as well as visual interest. The base fabric in our image has an obvious woven texture, whereas the print fabric is tightly woven linen. The print fabric seems to anchor or ground our plate and creates a homey nest for the plate where the pancakes will be featured. Without the print fabric, the

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NOTEâ•… If you have to shop for props, be sure you have a good understanding of the prop needs for the set, including colors, textures, number of dishes, flatware, and any other props your planning has pinpointed. It would be helpful to take tear sheets and perhaps a color swatch with you when you shop. If you have an image of pancakes that is similar in color to the pancakes you want for your hero image, take it with you. By placing the tear sheet image of pancakes next to the plates, you can determine the best plate colors for your specific image.

environment is less warm and homey. A pale-blue plate that picks up blues in the print fabric was selected. These choices were made to create good separation for the stack of pancakes, to accentuate the blueberries, and to create a background that complemented the butter and syrup colors.

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Once the surfaces, type of lighting, and props have been selected, you will need to “hero” the set. When using a fabric surface covering the set or additional fabrics like napkins, the first step is to iron the fabrics. And it is very important to first cover the set with a sheet of heavy felt before spreading the hero surface fabric. (As discussed at greater length in the section “Working Fabric on the Set” in Chapter 2 of Food Styling for Photographers, the felt adds a softer appearance to fabric covering the set and allows you to iron directly on the set.)

Styling Pancakes When the food styling process begins, as always, prep the least perishable items first. For a pancake shot, one of the first things I do is cut “butter” pats.

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Noteâ•… I cut 1⁄8” or slightly thicker slices of margarine straight from the refrigerator. If the margarine is frozen, it tends to break when cutting. However, frozen margarine can be cut with a specialized long razor blade (sold in crafting stores) or with a warm knife. The margarine pats are laid out on a metal baking sheet and placed into the freezer. The maple syrup, selected specifically for its color, is also placed in the freezer. Real maple syrup can remain in the freezer most of the day without becoming too thick to pour.

Tricks of the Tradeâ•… Most food stylists choose to use

Pancake Batter Prep Techniques I have used a few different packaged pancake mixes for photo pancakes that produced the desired results. My favorite and most reliable pancake mixture is made-from-scratch batter. However, if you are styling pancakes for the first time, you can successfully use a packaged mix as long as you are aware of a few tricks. If the project calls for thicker rather than thin pancakes, there are two different approaches that can be

margarine in place of butter when styling butter pats since most margarine manufacturers add yellow coloring to their product. When compared to real butter, margarine has more color and tends to give better photographic results.

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taken. First, you can add more leavening ingredients to the batter. But you can also whip egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter to produce the desired results. Be sure to make notes as you alter the batter so you will be able to recreate the exact formula when you are ready to make hero pancakes. It’s important to do a test run of the batter, cooking one batch on the griddle, to make certain the proper thickness of pancakes is achieved. The original recipe can be altered to yield a different result with the

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addition or subtraction of leavening agents. Baking soda and baking powder in addition to buttermilk can make a big difference in pancake thickness. During this process, you will also determine the exact amount of batter required to create the diameter of pancake desired for your hero shot. For example, 1⁄4 cup pour of batter yields about a 40 round pancake. Having this information will help in creating a number of hero pancakes of approximately the same size. Otherwise, making hero pancakes is a hit-or-miss proposition.

Positioning Fruit in Photo Pancakes Once the batter is perfected and the size of the pour is determined, you can add blueberries or other fruits to the pancakes if you choose. The project we are showing has blueberries as an element in the pancakes. The blueberries are positioned in the external edges of the pancakes as soon as the batter is poured onto the griddle. I find a more realistic appearance is achieved when the blueberries are first coated in batter and then positioned in the edges of the pancake batter once on the griddle. To do this, I have a small bowl of pancake batter with several blueberries in it sitting next to the griddle. With my fingers, I roll the blueberries around to coat them in the batter and then select one at a time to position at the edge of a freshly poured pancake. For this shot, most of the pancakes I style have four or five blueberries spaced at different places along the outside edges. Only the top pancake in the hero stack will have blueberries positioned within the batter. After you have ample pancakes to use for the interior of the stack, you can make contenders for the top pancake. As a general rule, I make twice the number of pancakes that will be in the final hero stack. Since the size has been predetermined, this number usually gives a stylist enough pancakes to select from when building the hero stack.

Building a Stable Tower of Pancakes Photographing a stack of pancakes that will have a syrup pour often involves numerous captures from the

camera. The stylist will need to reapply syrup many times. During this process the top pancake can become discolored and saturated with syrup. Therefore, it is often necessary to replace the top pancake during multiple exposures. The stack of pancakes will need to have stability during this process to avoid movement within the stack. If any of the pancakes move, it will take time to reposition the errant pancakes. Taking time with heroes on set is not a comfortable option.

Tipâ•… To avoid movement in the pancakes, I have learned to add a Styrofoam core to the bottom of the stack. I cut either a small square or circle of Styrofoam. Approximately the same size/shape is removed from the center of the bottom two or three pancakes to allow room for the Styrofoam.

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Building the first few pancakes in the stack around the Styrofoam is a little challenging when fruit, like blueberries, is visible to camera. If this is your first attempt styling pancakes, you may want to use a circular shape of Styrofoam to make this task a little easier. However, once the height of the pancakes covers the Styrofoam, placement of the pancakes is much easier. When stacking numerous pancakes on top of each other, it often happens that the center of the stack will be the highest with the sides appearing to droop, yielding a mounded appearance. A good way to control the pancakes from appearing to droop is to add card stock or lightweight cardboard spacers between the pancakes, especially on the back side of the stack. To create an even appearance, use small spacers between all the pancakes rather than one larger spacer near the top of the stack. A little droop (but not a lot) in the front of the stack actually helps to show off the syrup and butter. It is helpful to view the stack from the camera, or take a quick capture between each pancake addition to determine the need for spacers.

The Top Pancake Gets Special Treatment Once the stack is complete, minus the top pancake, I normally add three wood skewers through the entire stack. The skewers are placed in a tight arrangement 154

through the center of the stack so they will anchor in the Styrofoam at the base of the stack. As mentioned earlier, this technique adds stability to the stack and prevents movement in case the top pancake is replaced during the syrup pour. Once in place, the skewers are cut close to the surface of the pancake and the top hero pancake is positioned. Remember, the top hero pancake is different than the pancakes within the stack. To create contenders for the top pancake, the stylist will need to press a few randomly spaced blueberries within the interior of the batter pour, as well as position blueberries on the perimeter of the batter. I usually make a minimum of three hero top pancakes, just in case more than one is needed.

Finishing the Stack When the top pancake is positioned as desired from the camera view and the stack gets final approval, it’s time for the butter pats to come out of the freezer. Using a tapered spatula, each butter pat can be carefully positioned on top of the pancake stack. I prefer two overlapping butter pats because the added elevation creates more visual interest. The pats will need to be slightly melted for a realistic appearance. I use a chef ’s torch for this task.

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The Syrup Pour OK … it’s called the syrup “pour,” but my technique is more of a dropper stream than a pour. I start out by using a large medicine dropper to create channels of syrup on the top pancake. These channels and areas of syrup will give me information about placement of syrup when we start shooting. Viewing the top pancake from the camera will allow the stylist and photographer to see places where a drip or stream of syrup will be most advantageous for lighting and viewing. Using the dropper allows precise placement of the syrup in these areas. I put the syrup, right out of the freezer, into a cup, and using the medicine dropper quickly place the syrup in the predetermined areas. After you have completed a few exposures, if the top pancake becomes discolored or saturated with syrup, it can be replaced easily without disturbing the stack. However, you will need to replace butter pats and torch them slightly before resuming the syrup application. This would also be the time to assess the captures taken thus far to determine if changes in syrup position are needed.

Supplies used to create the pancake image:

The image presented here is the same image as the one at the beginning of this chapter but with a tighter crop. Cropping a shot is a very important step. When you work with your hero image, try several different crops before you determine the final choice for presentation in your portfolio. Go for punch! We are representing this image here to show how crop can greatly change the impact of a shot.

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Wilton 90 tapered spatula

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BonJour professional culinary torch

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Oliso smart iron pro Architec Gripper Barboard and 600° silicone spatula Messermeister Meredian elité paring knife and nylon jumbo slotted turner OXO Good Grips angled measuring cup Hamilton Beach Soft Scrape handmixer, Commercial 7-quart stand mixer, and electric griddle

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Studiopatró T-towel

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Zak Designs Gemini bowl, Colorways 2-quart batter bowl, and meeme tray Eco Scrub scrubbing cloth Anchor Hocking 8-ounce triple-pour measuring cup, prep bowl, and syrup server

Tweezers, hero plate and fork, pastry brush, wood skewers, Styrofoam, medicine dispenser dropper, card stock, margarine, syrup, pancake ingredients, eggs, and blueberries

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Photographer’s Comments—The Pancake Set

bright reflection on my plate that caused the loss of color and created

Vertical food shots can be difficult for the stylist and the photographer.

a white hot spot. I placed a large black card at the back of the set

It is a very time-consuming setup situation and one shot can take many

to block the hot light. Be sure to always check your set for unwanted

hours. As always, you have to be prepared for anything. On the morning

reflections.

of the shoot we had beautiful sunshine streaming through the window.

As we built each layer of the pancakes it was important to take

Perfect lighting for a shot of blueberry pancakes. As the day went on clouds gathered and a huge Texas storm blew in. No sunlight!

many images of the build to decide the placement of the blueberries and the angle of the pancakes to the camera. Once we were set and the butter was placed we began the syrup pours.

What do you do? Panic? Nope, you fake it.

I was not looking through the camera but sitting at the exact level of

I placed my Chimera Lantern behind the pancake plate to create a

the lens, and from that vantage point I was able to direct where we

backlight effect that would mimic the sunlight I lost. I then positioned

needed the syrup to pour and drip. Many images were captured to get

a Chimera Pancake lightbox (yes, it is really called a pancake) directly

the perfect one. Tethered to my Lenovo laptop, I shot from the computer.

overhead. The overhead lighting using the pancake covered the entire

My strobe packs were set to fire rapidly and my camera settings using a

stack and lit the front face of the pancakes. When you are using a

Canon 90â•›mm TSE lens with no tilt or shifts are ISO 100 at f11 at 1/125

backlighting effect reflections can be a good or a bad result. I had a

shutter speed and a PocketWizard to sync my strobe packs.

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Cereal

Creating a bowl of cereal for photography is a task that I have done several times for clients when they needed new images for packaging. If you are considering going after a variety of new clients, this would be a good project to add to your portfolio. And it’s always a good idea to have serving suggestion and packaging type shots in your portfolio. I’ll give you step-by-step directions to build a bowl of cereal. This is a project that could easily be low cost, especially if you have appropriate props in your studio. (See Chapter 10 for building a spoonful of cereal.)

Styling a Bowl of Cereal If you are working on a portfolio image, the first task is to decide what cereal you’re using. My recommendation would be to build a shot using a flake-type cereal. Although the building process may seem more complex for flake cereal as opposed to round or oval cereals, it is actually easier to control the styling outcome of flake cereal when styled with the techniques presented in this chapter. To begin: Pour a portion of the box of cereal onto a large tray and sort through the flakes to find hero flakes. A hero flake will be uniform in shape, even colored, and a good representation of the product. I like

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to find different sizes in case some smaller flakes are needed near the spoon and larger ones are needed near the back of the bowl. I also like to find some flakes with bends because they add interest to the build. It will take more heroes than you think, but you should be able to find enough flakes for one hero bowl within one box of cereal. Next, build a base of mashed potatoes into the bowl. Use instant mashed potatoes. Rather than following directions on the box, mix the flakes with warm water until a thick, nonwatery mixture is achieved. Mix the instant potato flakes thoroughly until all the flakes are moistened. Press the potato mixture into the hero bowl to achieve a level layer. The layer will need to be the right height so that when flakes are added, the flakes will gently break the back line of the bowl when viewed from the camera. The mashed potato layer will also provide a surface for the “milk” to sit, so it’s important that the layer is level and smooth. I use the back of a large spoon or flexible spatula when first pressing the potato mixture into the bowl. Once the mixture is near the right height in the bowl, I use an offset metal spatula to flatten and level the potato mixture. Each cereal flake is placed individually by gently pressing it down into the potato mixture. Press the flakes 161

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far enough into the potatoes so they will stand upright. I normally begin cereal placement at the back of the bowl to establish a visually interesting back line. Some flakes are placed so that when viewed from camera, they break the line of the bowl, and other flakes are placed to allow the camera to see a little of the bowl interior. This type of build creates an interesting line

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with slight variances of height at the back of the bowl. Finish placing the cereal in the bowl leaving some negative space (areas that are without flakes) where milk will be seen from the camera angle. Create short winding channels of negative space as you place cereal flakes. This technique creates interest and leads the viewer’s eyes on an adventure through the cereal.

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At this point the set needs to be finalized, replacing all stand-in items with heroes. Replace the stand-in bowl with the hero bowl with cereal built into it. We chose to include a glass of orange juice in our cereal shot. But rather than use orange juice, I used tangerine juice because of the intensity of color and because tangerine juice is close to the color of the hero bowl holding the cereal in our shot. This technique of using similar colors on the set leads the eyes of the viewer through the

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shot. Right before shooting, a few bubbles are added to float in the tangerine juice for a realistic presentation of freshly squeezed juice. (For more detailed information about placing bubbles in beverages refer to the section “Making and Placing Bubbles” in Chapter 3 of Food Styling for Photographers.) When the set is finalized and everything is approved, the milk (white glue) is added to the cereal build using a medicine dropper or pipette. In this case, 163

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I prefer using full-strength, not watered-down, glue to replicate milk because it will not quickly soak into the cereal or mashed potatoes. It will take longer for the full-strength glue to affect the cereal than it would if water is added to the glue. Using watered-down glue increases the risk of making the cereal soggy before you are ready to capture the hero image. Because the cereal flakes are anchored by the potato mixture, they should not float or dislodge when the glue is applied.

Photographer’s Comments—Bowl of Cereal Shot You may want to eat this beautiful bowl of cereal, but think again. You know by now that what you see is probably fake. This is truly one of those images. We wanted a beautiful morning shot of cereal. I assembled our set in front of a west-facing window in my studio. I wanted a mix of sunlight and strobe to make this shot look very fresh. The window light creates a beautiful backlight effect over the set. Backlighting food is another way to get great texture on the

Noteâ•… Take care not to touch the cereal with the dropper as you apply the glue. The glue tends to have static tension, which will pull it toward the cereal flakes. If the glue gets on the front (camera side) of a cereal flake and shows above the milk line, you will need to replace that cereal flake.

Once you have reached the hero level of milk in the entire bowl, use either a slender pipette or wooden skewer to nudge the glue toward each flake so that it touches the flakes at the milk line where viewed from the camera. It is most realistic to see milk along the sides of the bowl as well as throughout the cereal build.

product. The window light also produces a soft white reflection on top of the orange juice. I have positioned my 200 Chimera Lantern directly overhead in this shot to cover the bowl in a soft light. I wanted a shallow depth of field on the cereal and my focus is in the middle of the bowl. My ISO is set at 100 and I am shooting at a shutter speed of 1⁄8 at f8. I have a slight tilt on my TSE 90â•›mm Canon lens to change the plane of focus and create a greater softness in the foreground and background. I will shoot from the Lonovo laptop computer to prevent any movement because of the longer shutter speed. The angle of your camera is very important in this shot. The camera should not be too overhead and not too straight on. If camera is set too low you will see out your window, and if the angle is too high you miss the shape of the bowl. I used a small white card to reflect white into the bowl of the spoon on the set. We used a brushed stainless spoon to prevent any

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reflections we would have to deal with later. Make it easy on yourself.

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Noteâ•… Laws apply to food advertising. It is mandatory the food stylist is aware of current rulings

Supplies used to make the bowl of cereal image:

regarding food and food substitution. Generally, if you

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are advertising or representing a cereal, you must use

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the exact cereal. Glue can be substituted for milk since it is not the subject of the image nor is it the product being advertised.

Zak meeme tray, Gemini mixing bowl, duo mini bowl

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Architec silicone spatula, Preps bowl

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Oneida Stiletto flatware

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Anchor Hocking Stozle Glencairn glass, 8-ounce triple-pour measuring glass

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Studiopatró tea towel (surface)

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Bounty paper towels

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Cuisinart juice extractor

Tangerines, instant mashed potatoes, bulb dropper, white glue, cereal flakes, funnel, tweezers, wood skewer

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Breakfast Smoothie

Keeping up with current trends in diet and nutrition is always a good choice for a food stylist and photographer. Having an image of a breakfast smoothie or protein drink in your portfolio might be a good decision. Regardless of the type of smoothie or breakfast drink you choose to photograph, this diet choice is quickly becoming a normal breakfast or meal replacement for many people. And remember, there are many kinds of breakfast and protein drinks on the market, making manufacturers of these drinks potential clients. This is another project that can be accomplished if you are on a tight budget. Designing a simple set and featuring only one or two hero glasses of smoothie or protein drink will help keep your costs down. Using a beverage with interesting color will allow you to make the star of your image pop on a simple set. If you use a garnish, make sure the garnish doesn’t draw too much attention away from the beverage. This project involves a smoothie made from scratch. Blending and juicing fruits and vegetables to create beverages is a method many people use to increase their nutritional intake. This project is a two-layered breakfast smoothie made from an assortment of fruits with the addition of almond milk to thin the mixture to a pourable/drinkable consistency. 168

Noteâ•… You will notice background changes in the next series of images. During the build of the hero, we were experimenting with different backgrounds to determine the one we wanted to use with the final hero. This method of selecting a background will work well if the backgrounds can be quickly and easily changed.

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Once the mixture of fruits is blended, half of the mixture is removed from the blender and placed in a glass pitcher or pouring device. This mixture will serve as the first layer in the two-layer smoothie. The hero glass is half-filled with the first-layer mixture. Using a funnel for this task will protect the interior of the hero glass from splashes. Frozen blueberries are then added to the original mixture remaining in the blender. The berries

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are mixed into the fruit until the color, consistency, and appearance are approved for the hero. Because of the density of the fruit mixture, the two layers of liquid are easy to control for the stylist, keeping a smooth line of demarcation between the mixtures. Using a funnel and adding the mixture slowly is all that is required for this method. 169

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When the mixture is within a 1⁄20 of the preselected fill line, it’s a good idea to stop and look for any abnormalities or undesirable elements that have developed within the glass. In this case, I noticed a ring of small bubbles had developed around the edge of the glass on top of the smoothie. Using a pipette or small medicine dropper, these bubbles can be easily removed. If there had been a liquid or watery build-up instead, the pipette method for removal would have been appropriate also. This maneuver is completed at this time rather than after the hero level of the beverage is reached to avoid smearing on the glass and potential clean-up at the edge of the smoothie. Addition of the final 1⁄20 of liquid will cover any smears that might have resulted from using the pipette inside the glass.

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Supplies used to create the breakfast smoothie image: l

Hamilton Beach commercial Summit blender

Anchor Hocking 8-ounce triple-pour measuring glasses

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bambu coconut bowls, deep-dish lacquerware bowl

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Eco Bamboo compostable cloths

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Zyliss kitchen scissors

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Totally Bamboo the Big Kahuna cutting board

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Studiopatró tea towel

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Inhabit wall flats, Architect and See Saw patterns

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Anchor Hocking 17-ounce Linden glass

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Funnel, medicine dropper, spritz bottle, pineapple, mango, banana, blueberries, almond milk, mint

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Photographer’s Comments—Breakfast Smoothie Shot

background panel from top to bottom, giving it soft shadows that

This is a perfect shot to demonstrate overhead lighting. We wanted

will define the curves and lines.

drama and a contemporary feel to this simple drink shot. When you don’t have exciting or complicated food shots it’s great to be able to create the excitement with your lighting and your set.

In the front of the set near the camera and off to the left side I have positioned another strobe head with a 10 percent grid spot directed at the front of the glass. This will give brightness to the front of

We used a 160€ € 160 wall panel for our background and a tea

the glass and create a little “pop” of crisp light. By positioning

towel for our surface, making this a small set. The focus is on the

your strobe head to the side of the camera you will eliminate any

glass but it’s what’s around it that makes this shot so interesting

shadows that might be caused by the strobe on your background,

and beautiful.

and the reflections on the glass are not distracting.

I used my medium Chimera Pancake lightbox positioned directly

On this set you have a horizon line behind the glass so you must be

overhead on the set. The side curtains are down to control the

sure your camera and set are completely level. I position my camera

amount of light and to focus the light to the center of the set.

directly in front of the glass on a sturdy Gitzo tripod. My camera is

The back curtain is up so the light will partially spill onto our

set at ISO100 at a shutter speed of 125 at f14.

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Styling Montage Shots

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A brief word about our grocery sponsor, Central Market: Aimee Deputy, the Communications Director at Central Market, told me they like to think big. She said, “Central Market is the greatest specialty food retailing company in the world!” We certainly think so, because Central Market has been fantastic to us by supplying all the groceries needed to create the images in this book. Central Market is known for quality and for having pretty much anything you might need—deli, meats and seafood, bakery, wine, produce, or chef-prepared specialties. Every time I shop at Central Market, I am newly impressed with the wide variety and quality of their products. In our last book, we featured a montage of produce from Central Market. For this book, we wanted to do something that would show off the quality and variety of their chef-prepared items. We selected a grouping of foods that would be appropriate to serve at a cocktail buffet or appetizer party. Our task for this image would be to artfully arrange the montage in a realistic and attractive setting showing off the beautiful bounty of foods. General Information about Montage Images

Often a client will request an image showing a full range of their products or a grouping of selected items from their product line. This type of image could be used by the client for numerous applications: letterhead, 176

business cards, trade show signage, and so on. I once styled a grocery montage that was made into a huge transfer and applied to the side of a delivery truck! The task for the photographer and stylist is to make a visually attractive arrangement of the items the client wants to feature within the space allowed. The client will usually provide dimensions for the final image and other information about the shot. NOTEâ•… The photographer converts the specified dimensions into mathematical proportions that will fit within the camera display or computer screen. Having the proportions of the image allows the photographer to frame the shot within the camera so that when the final image is enlarged, if necessary, it will meet the client’s needs while maintaining integrity of the image content.

Styling a montage image calls for creativity in arranging items on the set within the allotted space. The arrangement will need to have good visual flow that encourages the viewer’s eye movement to carry throughout the image. Each item in the montage should be easily recognized and represented at the best possible angle showing its features. If you haven’t already suspected, arranging products for a montage image can be challenging and time consuming.

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During my career I have been asked to style numerous montage shots. The subject matter has ranged from bakery goods to components for recipes. Each montage image has its own style and direction that is driven by the components. In montage images involving food, the food stylist must make sure each item looks beautiful and delectable. The process of selecting or creating hero products never ends for the food stylist! Creating Visual Interest in Montage Images by Adding Risers

One way to create visual interest in montage images is to arrange the setting with different heights or stairstep-type levels to display featured items. Normally this type of montage is viewed by the camera at table height or slightly higher. Depending on the range of sizes of the featured items, the person composing the montage may need to display some of the items at various heights. There are different ways to achieve various levels on a photographic set. For instance, we can use a type of surface that will lend to building levels as we did in the image at the opening of this chapter. Examples of surfaces that can be used to build different levels or stair-step elevations are planking, flat rocks, wood boxes, and bricks. This type of set surface allows the composer to add levels or specific areas of height on the set while maintaining a consistent surface. This method is especially good because

it creates more focus on the featured products rather than on the set itself. Another way to elevate specific items in a montage image is to add risers. Risers should be relevant to the subject matter of the featured items. Selecting appropriate risers is a great opportunity for creativity! In our first book, Food Styling for Photographers, we featured a montage of produce from Central Market, as seen above. Notice that 177

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we used grocery bags and a wine carrier with the store’s logo for risers. The bags were weighted on the bottom with bricks. The top edge of one bag was folded down. The folded top added visual interest and provided a midlevel height on the set. Both bags were lined with 1 Styrofoam for support. This is an example of a montage set that was created on a level surface with subject matter–appropriate risers added for visual interest and to fill the frame. If you have never styled a montage image, this is a skill you will want to practice, because eventually a client may request one from you. Here’s a way to practice: A good exercise in composition would be to select a few related items from around the studio; for instance, office supplies or kitchen measuring cups and spoons. Predetermine a shape (square or rectangular) and dimensions for the final image as well as camera angle. For your first project, let’s start with a table level or slightly higher view from the camera. This information is vital so that you can arrange the items so they will all fit within the frame. Using the items you selected as your “subjects,” compose a pleasing arrangement for the image. To get you started thinking about risers or height in your image to create visual interest and to fit the dimensions of your image, I will suggest a couple items that you could use to display the items in your composition. For an office supply image, consider using reams of paper, office “in” boxes, wooden storage 178

boxes, or books for height. For a kitchen measuring cup image, you might use bags of flour or sugar (remember these bags come in different sizes), upside down baking pans, or cutting boards for height. Let your imagination guide you through this project! For the photographer or stylist who has never composed a montage image, this is a great exercise. Once you have successfully completed the first montage, change the camera angle to overhead and begin again using the same elements. You will notice quickly that changing the camera angle requires a new set of guidelines for arrangement of elements on the set. Montages Photographed from a High Angle

Some montage images are photographed from a high or overhead camera angle. Adding height to items isn’t appropriate with an overhead camera angle; in fact, adding height can distort the proportions of the featured items when viewed from the camera. However, in this case, adding some tilt to individual items on a flat set surface makes a more interesting presentation. Random and various tilted positions can create interesting visual flow. The specific components or products provided by a client for a montage image will drive the specific styling techniques. For example, one of my clients asked me to style a montage of their pastry products. There were

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items like sticky buns, Danish, cinnamon rolls, and such. The shot was to be photographed from a high overhead angle. Working with stand-in products, I roughed in the arrangement within the photographic area that corresponded with proportions of the image size requested by the client. The photographer could then use the stand-in arrangement to determine basic lighting and to position the camera in relation to the montage. Because most of the pastry products were similar in size, the arrangement required some creativity to generate visual interest. I cut rigid cardboard to fit under each of the hero food items. The cardboard shapes were cut about a ½ smaller in diameter than the specific food item to prevent the camera from seeing the cardboard when or if the item needed to be tilted on the set. The cardboard was secured to the bottom of every hero food item with hot glue. This provided a firm foundation for each pastry product, allowing me to use putty or small blocks to generate some tilt in individual items without damaging the hero products. The photographer and I worked together to compose the image. Our first task was to outline the basic shape of the image on the photographic surface. Looking in the computer monitor, the photographer communicated with me as I worked on the photographic surface, which was actually placed on the floor. I positioned wood blocks on each

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corner of the surface to act as guidelines for the overall boundaries of the image. As I built the montage, the photographer took numerous captures so we could watch the progress of the arrangement and make sure we maintained the predetermined size of the image and good visual flow. We also had to make sure the blocks and putty used to tilt the pastries weren’t visible to the camera. Construction of montage images can be very time consuming since the composer will want to achieve good visual flow within the allotted space. The task is a trial-and-error process. But basic guidelines for building a montage can be applied to most subject matter, from hand tools, to car parts, or to pastry items. NOTEâ•… Montages shot from an overhead angle are often built on the floor. The photographic surface chosen for the image is placed on the floor and the featured items are arranged on it. The person styling the montage will be spending lots of time on the floor either on their knees or sitting. Be sure to assemble all items that might be needed during the styling process on trays and place them on the floor within easy reaching distance so you won’t have to get up and down more than necessary. Also, make yourself comfortable on a folded blanket or cushion to protect your knees and body. 179

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Steps in Building the Entertaining Montage for Central Market We wanted a warm atmosphere for our montage of chef-prepared food items from Central Market. We envisioned an environment that would create a festive feeling without taking interest away from the food items. Since there would be a bounty of food, we felt that step-style risers would be necessary to properly display all the items before the camera. Our vision was a buffet-type presentation. When I arrived at the studio after shopping for our entertaining montage, we assembled all the food elements plus a selection of wines, fruits, and flowers from Central Market that we wanted to display among the various food dishes. The first step was to select

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the appropriate surface. We looked at a lot of options but selected to build the set with beautifully finished planking. These wide planks would provide a rich warm-colored surface that would give us opportunities for building different levels similar to small stair steps to display the numerous montage components. The next step in our decision-making process was to choose serving dishes and trays for the various foods. In keeping with our goal of drawing the viewer’s eyes to the food rather than the set, we chose to use serving dishes in brown wood tones similar to the planking color. We used cork bowls, natural-colored woven wicker trays, wood platters and bowls, wood cutting boards, and stoneware bowls.

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Most of the foods in our image were packaged at the store in clear deli containers. This type of packaging allowed us to see the texture and colors in the food during the process of selecting the set surface and serving containers. I was able to place each deli container within the serving dish we were considering for that food. The clear deli containers made this process much easier. TIPâ•… This is a good trick to remember. If you are selecting prop dishes or other set elements for images with food, place a little of the food in a clear container with a see-through lid prior to the selection process. The clear container can be carried to the set or to the prop area for color and texture reference. Meanwhile, the remainder of the hero food can be appropriately stored until needed on set. Once serving dishes are selected, especially if there are numerous dishes on a set, marking each dish with the name of the food it will contain is helpful for the stylist and the photographer.

When we had selected a serving container or tray for every food item, I printed the name of each food on a note card and placed the card in the appropriate serving container. The food could then be properly stored

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until needed for styling on set. The cards gave everyone working on the set an easy reference as to the food that would be in each container. At this point, we started playing with the arrangement of all the serving containers on the set. One of the components in our set would be a fruit and flower arrangement. I built the arrangement of the fruits minus the flowers in a low oblong container and placed it on the set. Flowers would be added to the fruit arrangement shortly before our final capture. We also used a large gourd as a decorative table prop. The gourd was positioned on the periphery of the shot to visually anchor the boundary of the image frame. There is a subtle diagonal created in the image between the gourd on the upper left of the frame and the fruit flower arrangement on the lower right of the frame. Diagonal relationships of associated items in an image help to lead the viewer’s eye through the image. With all the serving containers on the set, we quickly learned that we needed more height built into our set. The added height would do several things: give us the final dimension we needed for the image, create visual interest, and display the variety of foods for better visibility from the camera.

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Building risers or adding height to a montage set is a process. You will need to make numerous captures during the process. If additional risers or levels are warranted, you must make a capture of the set for reference showing placement of all the dishes before the food containers are removed from the set so that more risers can be added. Once risers are added, the food containers are replaced on the set. Another capture is made to determine if the height gained with the risers is adequate or if other modifications need to be made.

In our case, we had not incorporated all the elements into our shot when we ran out of room within the predetermined size of our image. We did not want to position the camera further away from the set to achieve more room around our shot, because moving the camera away would make the food appear less prominent. Instead, we chose to add additional risers to our set. Adding more risers let us position the camera a little closer to the set with a slightly higher camera angle, and doing so made the food feel closer to the viewer. The results gave us a more visually attractive and interesting image.

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When we achieved a pleasing arrangement of risers on the set that would allow the camera to see all the elements in our shot, I was able to start arranging foods on the set. Similar to the prep process, foods are added to the set in a certain order. The least perishable foods are added to the set first. Unsliced breads, nuts, and olives were arranged in their serving containers and taken to the set. While I was working in the kitchen getting foods ready to go to the set, Jean Ann and Brad decided to try some different props on the set. They added some votive candles to the “buffet table” and put a string of small white lights on the wall behind the set thinking it might convey a more festive setting. As with building most sets, it’s a process of trial and error. In this case, none of us liked the votives or lights. Sometimes, you need to try things to learn whether they work or not. Cheese, still in wrappers, was placed on the set so we could find the best angles and positions for the different cheeses. Once the cheeses were in final placement, hero crackers could be positioned on the cheese serving boards. The bruschetta and salmon cakes were placed on the set next. Captures from the camera were made after every addition to the set to check the placement. I put the manicotti on the set before the cheese 186

was steamed so we could get a good idea of color separation and placement for the surrounding dishes. When the salads were placed in the serving bowls, we saw that we needed to switch two of them. Even though we had used the clear containers during the early arrangement process, the foods eventually went to the kitchen for proper storage and the arrangement of serving containers was completed with note cards indicating the food names. But when foods were styled and brought to the set, we had two salads containing cherry tomatoes on the top row. Originally, we didn’t notice the tomato issue and had placed them side-by-side. But when we put the salads on the set the placement did not work visually since the tomatoes instantly drew our eyes to the top row. We switched one of the cherry tomato salads with another item on the bottom row. Fortunately, the new placement provided us with yet another subtle diagonal. We now had a salad with cherry tomatoes on the top right and another one at the bottom left of the image frame. I had an elaborate arrangement of different types of salami arranged on a tray. To the eye it looked nice, but to the camera it didn’t work because the salami slices did not separate visually. From camera it looked like one big salami slice. So, I removed the flat salami slices and replaced them with rolls of salami, each containing an olive. The camera liked this much better! Wrappers

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were removed from the cheese chunks and the cheese on the manicotti was melted with a steamer. Central Market had provided us with a menu card for this image. The card was positioned within the food presentation. With my set styling tray and floor steamer nearby, I completed all the last-minute touchups on set. I’ve relayed most of the steps and miss-steps of our montage building so you could get a feeling for the enormity of this task and to make you aware of the trial-and-error process of building a complex montage image. The hero image at the beginning of this chapter took all day to complete. The day started with my trip to the market and ended with the capture of our hero image. Also, you need to be aware that I had “scouted” the food on a previous shopping day and we had previewed choices for our set surface and food containers as well. A lot of planning, discussion, and forethought went into our montage image several days in advance of the actual capture.

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Supplies used to create the Central Market montage: l

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Central Market chef-prepared foods, deli meats and cheeses, breads, miscellaneous groceries, wine, and flowers bambu bamboo pebbles, low cork bowls, deep-dish lacquerware bowl, the Plank

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Le Creuset roaster

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John Boos walnut chopping block

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Trengove Studios replica fruit, apricots

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Vermont Marble, Granite, Slate, and Soapstone Company soapstone grill stone

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Eco reusable towels

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Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Seal

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Prop dishes, napkins, baskets and bowls, fruits and flowers, note paper, cheese leaves, instant mashed potatoes

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Photographer’s Comments—The Entertaining

don’t have stand-in food for each item and our hero food will not last

Montage Set

very long on the set. I must get everything placed, cropped, lit, and

It takes a lot of time, hard work, and preparation to do a single food

focused before the hero food arrives on the set. Cropping an image on

shot. When you are shooting many items, such as this entertaining

a large set can be difficult and you want to make sure you have plenty

shot, the work, time, and preparation are doubled, if not tripled.

of room around the image and all of the image fits your crop. Taking

Your set is larger and your lighting is different because you are not

the time when setting up the shot will save you big problems later.

focusing on one or two food items, but many.

To light this big set I have used a large Chimera lightbox set to the

For Central Market we designed an entertaining shot using many

right of the camera and placed slightly overhead. To the left of the

of their prepared foods, cheeses, wine, and breads. All of the items

camera I have positioned my Chimera Lantern overhead. These broad

have different color, texture, and size. I had to make sure the lighter

sources of light cover the table and food in a soft and even light.

food items were not overlit and the darker items were not underlit.

My camera focus is primarily in the center of the shot. I use a large white

In this case it’s important to use a broad light source that will evenly

card held in front of the set to bounce light back into the set. The light

light the entire set.

from my window is minimal because I wanted the light to be balanced.

Our entertaining set is 5’€€4’ on dark-stained planks of wood. We

Using a shutter speed of 1/60 I control the light coming through the

have elevated portions of the set to help us in composing the shot. It

window. My camera is mounted on a sturdy Basalt Gitzo tripod and is

is important that the background does not compete with the food. We

level to the table and at the center of the shot. My ISO is 100 at f11.

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Styling a First Course for the Camera

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Working on projects presented in this book has given me opportunities to not only share food styling techniques, but also to illustrate the process of working through projects from beginning to completion. During the first year of my food styling career, the thing that impressed me most was the process of working through each project. The lead stylists whom I worked with recognized the talents and input from each person on the creative team. Even though every person on the team was most knowledgeable in their specific field, they all participated in the general creative process of the project. Although many ideas were quickly discarded, perhaps even by the person who voiced them originally, the collaborative effort always moved forward. Of course, there were times when the client came prepared with very specific direction for the images we were hired to produce. To a certain degree we may have contributed our opinions and ideas about the client’s plan, but the prepared client ran the production. If you are producing an image solo, you will benefit greatly by arming yourself with research, tear sheets, and lots of planning. During the planning stage for your hero image, you may come across an idea that will trigger an aha! moment. Let your thinking follow that idea. It might turn out to be great or maybe not. Learning to follow our instincts and trust those 192

creative insights are a part of growing as a stylist and photographer. Trusting your creative thoughts will often lead to a more successful and stylized outcome that reflect personal style. The project for this chapter is one that I had a lot of fun with! Designing an interesting first course for the camera was an exciting challenge. As a stylist, having carte blanche with design elements is a rare opportunity, and one that I relish when given the chance. As the photographer, Jean Ann was excited to have a beautiful food subject and then have the freedom to play with various photographic techniques—focus, camera angle, set composition, or wherever creativity led her. The Process of Planning an Image

My goal was to style a beautiful first course in an interesting serving piece. I wanted whatever food we selected for the image to be styled so it would have a lighter rather than dense appearance. While looking through a favorite cookbook for inspiration for this project, I spotted a recipe for ceviche. Although it’s one of my favorite dishes to consume, it’s been a long time since I styled ceviche for the camera. I wanted to challenge myself to style it with a fresh take on the presentation.

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As we began to plan this chapter I mentioned ceviche as a contender for the first course presentation. The idea was a unanimous hit. When we talked about the project we decided that a martini glass would be a fun and unusual way to serve ceviche. Using a clear container would completely expose the ingredients to the viewer’s eyes, creating additional styling challenges for me, but it would also allow me to achieve the type of appearance I was seeking for this project. Our choice for the set was to have a Mediterranean setting and we started looking at appropriate fabrics and surfaces. The creative process was well underway and we were off to a good start. While looking at different elements for the set surface, Jean Ann mentioned that she wanted to set up the shot in her reception area. The small room has one wall completely consumed with windows. The light coming through the windows was beautiful. We dragged all the fabrics into that area so we could see them in the natural lighting for the shot. When we came across a teal vinyl runner, we had our aha! moment. The runner was long but quite narrow. However, we really liked it and felt the runner could work if we cropped the image tightly. The runner had been folded for storage and had some crease marks. I carried it outside and scrubbed it with soapy hot water. After rinsing the vinyl with more hot

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water, I laid it out flat in the studio parking area and let the sun warm it. Between the hot water and the warm sun, all the creases disappeared. If we had been working on this shot in a cooler season, I would have washed it in a sink of very warm water and dug out a hair dryer to heat the vinyl and remove the creases. The next step for us was to look at serving glasses. We looked at six to eight different shapes of glasses. Placing the glasses on the vinyl surface and looking at them in the actual natural lighting for the image was beneficial. We could see how the light would play in the stemware. Once we selected a glass for the image, we set four of the same style glass on the surface. We didn’t like the interaction of the ridges on the vinyl surface with the base of the glasses. The glasses appeared to float on the set. They needed something to visually ground or anchor them on the runner. By adding a napkin under each glass, we not only grounded the glasses but also made them appear ready for serving. The napkins added a human element to the image without adding a human. The decision was also made to add serving spoons or fish forks. When we put a set of small brass spoons on the set, we really liked the warm color of the metal in the shot and felt it added to the Mediterranean feeling of our set. Although typically a fish fork would be used to serve this dish, we took some artistic license and used the small spoons. 193

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Prepping and Styling Ceviche

With all the set elements selected and in position, I had all the information needed to shop for food components and begin prep for the image. The fish and shell fish were prepped first. The shrimp was cooked in simmering water just until the flesh turned white. The shrimp were immediately placed in ice water where they stayed until I was prepared to style the hero servings. The white fish was placed in a lemon juice bath to cook the fish until opaque and tender. Beautiful fresh tuna was cut into bite-size cubes and placed on ice.

Noteâ•… If fresh tuna is placed in water or lemon juice, it will become opaque and will no longer have the rich translucent pink color. You must keep it cold but dry to maintain the appearance. If you keep raw tuna on ice, you need to make sure the ice doesn’t melt, allowing the fish to submerge.

The next prep step is to work with vegetable and fruit ingredients of the dish. I wanted lots of color in the ceviche. I shopped for the traditional ingredients but put my own twist on prep of some of the ingredients. Celery was cut into narrow julienne strips 2–3 long. The strips were stored in the refrigerator on a plate covered with a damp paper towel. Yellow Heirloom

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tomatoes, instead of the traditional red tomatoes, were cut into wedges and then each wedge was cut in half to create a triangular chunk. All seeds were removed and discarded. Likewise, the tomato pieces were placed on a plate and covered with a damp paper towel and stored in the refrigerator until needed for styling. Freshly washed cilantro was snipped with sharp scissors. To cut the cilantro, hold it over a plate so the pieces fall directly onto the plate. This way, you won’t have to handle the pieces before styling them into the ceviche, lessening the possibility of bruising the delicate leaves. When choosing a plate for the cilantro pieces, I avoid using foam plates because they tend to create static electricity, which makes the small cilantro pieces cling to the plate. A ceramic or paper plate work best for this task. A few snipped pieces of the cilantro can be carefully mixed with ceviche ingredients right before they are styled in the glasses. When placing additional cilantro pieces into the ceviche use fine-pointed tweezers and grasp the very edge of the cilantro piece, again to lessen bruising. When food styling projects call for avocados, I select firm but not hard fruit with no apparent soft spots or blemishes. To make avocado cubes, first cut the avocado in half. Working with one half of the avocado, 195

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with the seed removed, score through the flesh in parallel rows with a sharp paring knife. Turn the avocado and score the flesh going across the original cuts at 90 degrees to make cube shapes. By using a spoon, you can scoop out the resulting cubes without handling them excessively. Again, let them gently fall onto a plate. Sprinkle the cubes with Fruit Fresh to preserve their color and prevent oxidation. Natural moisture in the avocado will dampen the powdery Fruit Fresh, making it disappear quickly. I cut tiny pieces of curly endive to add to the ceviche to give additional color separation and visual interest in the presentation. The tiny pieces of endive were kept on a plate covered with a damp paper towel. All prepped ingredients were kept in the refrigerator until the set was finalized and I began styling the heroes.

Tipâ•… One of the styling hazards you will encounter when styling food in a clear glass container is smearing on the glass. The trick is to place each food element gently, positioning it right the first time. This takes luck and experience, so be patient with your styling efforts. Any ingredient that is wet or soft, like avocados, will leave marks on the glass if you have to move the ingredients around. Have plenty of cotton swabs and glass cleaner on your set tray. Remember to make one gentle swipe with a cotton swab moistened with glass cleaner. After each end of the swab has been used to make one swipe on the glass surface, the swab will need to be discarded. If used a second time, the swab will make a smear on the glass that will be harder to clean than the original mark.

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When all the components were prepped, I began to style the hero servings. Again, my goal was to present a light rather than dense construction. This goal was challenging since the ingredients naturally wanted to settle into the bottom of the martini glasses. I used the celery strips and other vegetable components to suspend the heavier fish pieces and give the structure of the ceviche a little air. I built the basic structure of ingredients in each glass and then completed styling with a top layer of hero ingredients and garnishes. The red onion strips and curly endive were placed for visual interest and color separation. The ingredients were placed into the glasses without any liquid. During the styling process I used a pipette

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to place drops of water containing a little Fruit Fresh on the vegetable components to keep a fresh appearance. The liquid eventually settled into the bottom of the glass but we liked the appearance of it. However, if we hadn’t liked it, the liquid could have been removed by using a pipette to suction away the moisture. Noteâ•… Knowing the photographer would need some extra time to achieve camera and composition changes, I was ready to refresh the ceviche servings if necessary. On the set tray I had water, vegetable oil, glass cleaner, paper towels, cotton swabs, extra food components to be added or to replace “tired” looking components if needed, tweezers, and sharp scissors.

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Photographer’s Comments—The Ceviche Set with

To show the different planes of focus you can use we focused on

Camera and Composition Changes

specific areas of the martini glasses. We demonstrated front, center,

Sometimes you just have to shake things up a little. On this shot we

and back focus in theses shots. Using back focus is a way to make

went “on location” in our studio. We moved all our equipment to the

the whole shot look more editorial, so try them all. When focusing

reception area for a little change of lighting and place. You can do

on the farthest glass or object in the shot, the front of the shot goes

this too by moving to different rooms of your house or shooting at

a little soft, drawing your eye to the glass in focus. We began the

different times of day. Make a mental note or keep a log of different

shot with four martini glasses of food, tried three, then went to two,

light that moves through your shooting space. Morning light is soft

then one, then back to two for the final shot.

and cool while evening light is warmer. The time of year also changes the quality of light coming through a window. My reception room is only 12’€€12’ so you don’t need a 4,000-â•›sqâ•›ft studio space to shoot beautiful and interesting food shots. My room is painted white and the windows face north so there is a soft neutral light all day long and there are no direct shadows to deal with.

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Trying different focus, lighting, and angles is what a portfolio shot is all about. We also did some shots with the camera tilted and angled to create yet another different image. I used a fluid head from Gitzo, which gave me every angle and movement I needed. This fluid head is also a must for video shooting.

We wanted to use a specific background for this shot. It is several

On the final shot we did a very low angle, commonly called a

feet long but not very wide. I built the set to sweep in front of the

“hero” angle. The camera was positioned below the set and angled

windows, giving me lots of foreground and background. Since the

up creating a majestic feeling in the image. I used the natural light

background is not very wide it is extremely important that your

coming through the window for the overall shot and added light

camera is perfectly centered to the shooting area before you place

with my Chimera Lantern positioned low and in front of the camera.

the stand-in on the set. This will save you lots of headaches later on.

My ISO is 300 with an aperture of f5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/15.

Cropping becomes very difficult if you have a narrow background, so

I am tethered to my Lenovo laptop and shoot from the computer. I

be sure you have enough room to get the crop that’s best for your

have a longer shutter speed so I don’t want movement. You will also

shot. If your background has lines as our’s does you want them to

want to make sure that people do not walk around your set while

be as straight as possible. We chose a watery blue color that would

you are exposing. If the room is carpeted, walking will sometimes

complement the seafood in the shot.

cause unwanted movement in your shot.

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When doing special angles and blur techniques it is important to have the best equipment. This Gitzo Fluid Head allows me to do 180 degree blurs and extreme angles easily and quickly.

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Supplies used to create the ceviche images: l

Anchor Hocking juicer, Premium 9  € 11 baking dish, prep bowls

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Architec gripper cutting board

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Messermeister Meridian elité knife

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Oneida Stiletto spoon and Color Burst plate

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Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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Microplane Specialty Series adjustable slicer

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Fruit Fresh food preserver

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Cardinal International Arcoroc 10-ounce martini glasses Lemons, sea bass, tuna, shrimp, ice, red onion, celery, avocado, orange bell pepper, heirloom tomato, endive, cilantro, roma tomato

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Catching a Pour or Splash in Action: Where to Begin?

Patience, practice, and technique are the three critical elements for both the photographer and stylist when capturing an image of a pour or splash in action. If you are attempting to photograph a pour or splash, you might want to involve another person for this project. I’m sure it would be possible to both style and photograph a pour, but it wouldn’t be easy. If you should decide to try to complete a pour image by yourself, keep in mind that creating a good pour action and also pulling the trigger on the camera at just the right time might require some special equipment. It might be easier and less expensive to ask for help. My intent is to share styling techniques for the person actually making the pour action. Completing hero pour shots requires timing and good communication skills among the people who work together to achieve the image. The projects illustrating techniques in this chapter were successfully completed within a teamwork studio environment. To achieve an image of a pour or splash in action, the stylist and photographer, and client if one is present in the studio, must work together as a team. The

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stylist is the technician and the photographer is the communicator or director viewing the pours from the camera. When I’ve worked on pour shots, the phrases most commonly spoken by the photographer are “pour with more force,” “less force,” “pour more into the center of the glass,” “lousy,” and “great, now do it again”! The stylist or person making the pour has to pay close attention to his body action and mechanics of the pour to control or change the pour when directed to do so.

As a stylist, I have to concentrate on my body position and more or less “muscle-memorize” the action required for every pour. This method gives me more control of subsequent pours on set, gives a reference point for making changes, and helps me to develop the proper pouring techniques required for the shot. If this is your first attempt at making a pour for photography, you will want to place markers on the floor for your feet and on the set for your body position. You will find that doing this allows you to more easily recreate the physical motions for a pour. Also, pay close attention to the positioning of your hands on the pouring device, the timing of the pour, and the force of action required to make the liquid leave the pouring device to achieve good pour action for the camera.

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Styling for a Splash Packaging for beverages like milk and sodas often includes an image of the product making a splash. The next time you walk through a grocery market, look at milk packaging and you will see what I mean. Many of these splashes are actually photographic images of very expensive acrylic molds that an artist was commissioned to create. They are works of art and deserve recognition as such. A photographer captured an image of the acrylic splash and that image was incorporated into the design of the product’s packaging. It is possible to achieve and capture images of real splashes for advertising without the added costs of hiring an acrylic mold maker. A stylist savvy with creating splash effects working in conjunction with a good photographer can achieve beautiful splash images for advertising purposes. The styling techniques presented in this section will be a good starting place if you are a novice to styling splashes.

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Every pour during the process of selecting the glass for the project needs to be scrutinized from the camera. Shooting with digital allows the photographer to capture each test pour so the results of pours into different shaped glasses can be evaluated. Digital photography makes the glass selection process much easier than trying to get a visual read of the pour since the capture from the camera freezes the action of the splash, if timed properly. Tipâ•… During the glass selection process for pours I like to use tinted water when making trial pours so the effects will be easier to view and evaluate when looking at the captures. Be sure to protect the area with trays and absorbent toweling to prevent a huge mess!

The first task in a liquid pour project where the desired outcome is a great splash is to select the glass or container that will receive the pour. The shape of a glass directly affects the action of the liquid as it hits the glass surface. Because of this, it is necessary to practice

pours with different shaped glasses until the right splash action is achieved.

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If you don’t have a good feel for the physical mechanics required to produce the desired splash in the shot, you will need to practice off set. Use a stand-in of the same kind of glass as the hero glass while you practice so you can better evaluate the results. When you are more comfortable that your pour technique will produce good results, it’s time to go to the set. Tipâ•… When I’m doing a pour shot, I enter the project without expectations about the number of times I’ll have to recreate the pour. If the first pour is absolutely fabulous, you may be tempted

surrounding the set. You must build the rig below and around your pouring area so that it will contain all liquids, splashes, or overflow to protect the set, background, and equipment. We used a huge tray with 3 sides as a base and within that tray we rigged a smaller tray. Large wood blocks were positioned under the smaller tray to elevate the tray to achieve the desired view of the glass from the camera angle. To avoid any damage to the background of our shot, we positioned the background of the image at least 12 behind and away from the actual pour.

to think, “We’re finished already!” but the photographer or client will say, “Great! Let’s do more and see if we can get better.” Keep an open mind, and recreate the pour as many times as it takes. Try to avoid getting frustrated because it only makes the task more difficult.

Tipâ•… When our set was constructed and we did a test run, we discovered that the blue pitcher I was using for the pour was reflecting color into the glass in our shot. We liked the appearance of the pour stream and wanted to keep the pitcher as our pouring

Protecting the Set during Pour Attempts Before you start to make pours for the camera, the set needs to be rigged so that all possible splashes and spills will be captured in a container below the hero glass. It seems like overkill to mention this, but the power supply of photographic equipment and computers is electrical. The equipment will be closely

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device. To remedy the blue reflections, I covered the pitcher with white paper towels using white tape to secure the towels and to cover the long spout of the pitcher. I’m mentioning this because you would be smart to make a capture of the first attempt on your set so you can closely evaluate the image for all kinds of “interference.” It’s much better to start off scrutinizing the set early than to have a fabulous pour and splash later only to find there are technical issues.

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When you have worked through problems on the set and have a comfort level that your pour technique is producing the kind of results desired in your hero image, turn your attention to items you might need while on set. On a table near the set you should have a tray with clean hero glasses ready as replacement heroes after each pour attempt. On another tray have a supply of paper towels and absorbent toweling, glass cleaner, and a container holding additional liquid for the pour.

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Establish Communication Protocol Before you begin making pours, discuss with the photographer the mechanics of the pour and establish a communication protocol. For instance, one of you will need to say “start” to indicate the beginning of the pour. If you are capturing a splash as the liquid bounces off the glass, timing of the capture from the camera will be critical. The person making the pour and the photographer will need to work out a communication system to be successful.

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Photographer’s Comments—The Orange Juice Pour Shot

catch the splatters and spills. For my focus I placed a card with type

Photographing pouring liquids is a photographic specialty all its

on it in the center of the glass to give me a close enough idea of

own. Some photographers spend years developing a technique to

where my focus should be. I used a fast shutter speed of 320 at

capture pours. They have special equipment and now Photoshop to

f22. My ISO is at 600 and my strobe packs are set on quick recycle.

make it easier, and with a few helpful hints, you too can do pours.

I used my Chimera pancake lightbox directly overhead and the side panels were down to direct the light down. The surface is white to

You’ve got to be patient and quick at the same time and it’s a messy

direct light back up into the shot. Once again, your camera must be

setup. All liquids are different and have different qualities. Thick or

level and centered to the glass.

thin, clear or opaque, you have to figure out the best way to capture them in motion. Even the container you are pouring from and the glass you are pouring into make a difference in your success.

My Canon camera is secured on my Gitzo Basalt tripod. I shot the action from my Lenovo ThinkPad laptop, not from my camera. I was able to see the beginning of each pour and catch the pour in action

In these shots we used chocolate milk and orange juice. We wanted

without having to look through the viewfinder of my camera. Seeing

a “stop action” pour for both. Our set was simple and we tried to

the liquid and catching the perfect pour takes many captures and

contain the liquid as much as possible. I used darkroom trays to

many clean ups … patience is key.

Supplies used to create the orange juice pour and chocolate milk pour images:

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Bounty paper towels

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Inhabit wall flat “Braille”

Luminarc Signature 5-ounce martini glass, Arcoroc Cabernet 10-ounce champagne glass, and Arcoroc 10-ounce martini glass, supplied by Cardinal Industries

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Zak Design meeme tray

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Eco towels and sponges

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Blue watering pitcher for pouring, blocks of wood used to elevate the tray holding the glasses, large receptacle to catch splashes, orange juice, blue food coloring, chocolate milk, and white tape used to camouflage the blue pitcher

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Liquid Pour Caught in Action: Landing on Ice and Other Objects Let’s say you are browsing through a magazine and see an ad for whisky. The image in the ad shows whisky being poured from the bottle into a glass. The liquid that falls from the bottle appears to twist and turn as it falls into the glass. There is more than one way this effect can be achieved for photography. One way to produce this type of image would be to hire a model maker to produce a glass or acrylic form that replicated the whisky as it poured from the bottle. The photographer would attach the acrylic model of the pour into the opening of the bottle to make it appear as a real pour. The other end of the acrylic model would rest in the glass receiving the pour. Another way to produce this type of image would be to commission a photographer and stylist with the task of making a real action image of the whisky being poured. Both methods are common. My task is to share some basic techniques that will enable you to make a real action pour. This project is much easier to accomplish with two people—someone making the pour and a photographer. Our goal for this project was to show a lot of movement and twisting in the stream of liquor as it poured into a glass built with acrylic ice. We had two main

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challenges with the image we wanted to capture: (1) the motion within the liquid as it poured into the glass, and (2) having a visually interesting arrangement of acrylic ice within the glass. Adding additional objects, like ice, inside a glass that receives the pour always increases the challenges of producing a good pour image. Here’s why: Instead of the liquid landing against the smooth inside of a glass, the liquid will land on something hard and textural, like ice. Taking images that capture the motion of liquid not only pouring but also landing on ice can get very tricky. There are a lot of variables that can affect the outcome. For instance, the shape of the ice pieces, arrangement of the ice in the glass, and movement of the ice when the liquid pours onto it can all affect the visual results. To make our lives a little easier, we decided to use high-quality acrylic ice in shapes called shards along with a few small cubes. There are times when using real ice for photography is a good choice. However, for this type of image, using acrylic ice is more likely to result in a good capture. Acrylic ice is less likely to move during a pour than real ice. But depending on the force of the pour, using acrylic ice doesn’t guarantee that movement will be prevented. However, it does prevent the ice from floating to the surface as real ice would. 215

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Prepping for the Pour Since the approximate “build” of the ice in the glass will need to be recreated each time a new pour is made, you will want to be prepared. To speed things along when we go to set, I like to have several hero glasses prepped and built with acrylic ice lined up on a tray near the set. The amount of acrylic ice and the number of hero glasses you have available may limit the number of glasses you can prep. However, even if you have only a few, having them prepped will enable you to move from one attempt to the next with a minimum of fuss. (Refer to the section “Building Acrylic Cubes in a Glass” in Chapter 3 of Food Styling for Photographers for techniques in building acrylic cubes in a glass.) Oh, did I mention, we decided to build a citrus wedge and herb sprig within the ice cubes for our image. Are we crazy? No. Having food elements in the ice will be interesting, appropriate, and beautiful. This is a great project for you to consider adding to your portfolio since it will communicate your skills (and patience) in achieving a technical pour shot. The first task toward success in achieving our goals for this image was to find a pitcher or pouring device that would yield the pouring action appropriate for this shot. Unfortunately, liquid poured from my trusty blue pitcher did not create the twisting motion that we 216

desired for this image. Our plan was to view the stream of liquor as it poured into the glass. Since the camera would not see where the liquid was being poured from, the appearance of the pouring device was a nonissue. We assembled numerous pouring devices from around the studio and tested each one until we found one that gave us the twisting action we desired. I practiced the mechanics of this pour several times before going to set. When we moved to the set with the hero glass built with fruit and ice, I experienced problems with splashing that I hadn’t noticed during practice. The set surface had to be changed a couple times due to splashes. To get an interesting pour stream, a substantial amount of liquid was required to exit the pouring device. And every time I started a pour, the liquor kept splashing when the liquid first hit the acrylic ice. Brad coached me through a different pour technique that is worthy of sharing because it solved the splashing problem. By using this technique we were able to complete the project without a major background disaster! Tipâ•… To avoid splashes when pouring over acrylic ice, start the pour with a small stream of liquid and then increase the volume of the liquid as it pours into the glass. When you increase the volume of the pour, be sure the desired visual image is achieved from the camera view. You may need to practice this technique a few times before going to set. But it helps to eliminate splashes.

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Supplies used to create the orange liquor pour shot over ice: l

Anchor Hocking 8-ounce triple-pour measuring cup and Martinique 13-ounce glass

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OXO 4-cup measuring cup

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Eco sponge and towel

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Trengove imitation ice cubes, shards, and chips

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Marc Danielle Triple Orange Liquor, supplied by Artisanal Beverage Company Various prop pitchers from the studio, food coloring, tangerines, thyme, white tea towel surface, tweezers, and skewer

Other Types of Pours Some pours are made with a combination of liquid and solid ingredients as seen in the image of pouring noodles. Our intention for this image was to produce some splash with the water as it hit the colander while successfully keeping the noodles in a pleasing shape as they poured from the kettle. Adding solids to a liquid pour can be tricky and requires practice. Good communication between the photographer and the person completing the pour is crucial. Practice off set to get a good feel for the way the solid ingredients behave

during the pouring action. To achieve this pour, I found the amount of noodles in relation to the amount of water in the kettle was crucial. Pouring solids can be fun, especially if the photographer captures bounce as the objects land on a surface, as Jean Ann did when capturing the pouring peas in Chapter 3. Again, the key to pours is practice, patience, and technique. 219

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Drips

Styling a Drip on a Spoon This image has visual pop and appears to be very difficult and technical to produce. The image has high visual impact and may look tough to style but the styling techniques for this project aren’t too complex. And because the styling area is only as big as the hero spoon, you can achieve this task in a relatively short time. You might want to consider adding a similar image to your portfolio. More good news is that you can complete this shot without any complicated or expensive equipment, and the food supplies needed for this image are minimal. We wanted our shot to really pop with color so we chose a multicolored children’s cereal. One box of the cereal produced more than enough hero cereal pieces for the spoon image. When you have selected a hero spoon and picked a type of cereal for your image, you will need to build a rig to hold the spoon during the styling and capture process. The end of the hero spoon handle needs to be

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wrapped with a folded paper towel or fabric to protect it from scratches before securing it into a knuckle clamp or an A-clamp. Either clamp system can be attached to a long arm fixed into a tripod stand. These elements are called the “rig.” The rig can be hidden from view of the camera with background material. We chose to use card stock, but scrapbooking paper, colored construction paper, or fabric can also be used successfully. When positioning the spoon on the rig, be mindful of how the spoon is positioned. Since your goal is to have a drip viewed from the camera, the drip should appear as happening naturally. Even though you will style the drip to form at a precise point along the spoon edge, you can position the spoon with a slight tilt toward the side where the drip will form, making it appear more natural that a drip would happen at that spot. Regardless of the angle seen from the camera, whether straight on or profile, the spoon needs to look comfortable in the frame.

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A small amount of mashed potatoes in the bowl of the spoon helps to stabilize the individual pieces of cereal as they are positioned in the spoon, and gives the stylist control of elevation of every piece of cereal. The mashed potatoes are made from instant potatoes and mixed with a small amount of water so the mixture is rather stiff and not soupy. If certain cereal pieces need to sit higher in the spoon, a small ball of the potato mixture can be placed under the cereal piece. Likewise, if some cereal pieces need to be lower in the spoon, you can use the tapered end of a spatula or artist’s palate knife to remove a small amount of the potato mixture to give the proper elevation for the cereal. Noteâ•… As you build cereal in a spoon, check the cereal arrangement often from the camera so you don’t have to remove cereal pieces after the spoon is completely built. Even with mashed potatoes in the spoon, round-shaped cereals add an extra challenge since they tend to roll when placing or moving adjacent cereal pieces.

Once the cereal arrangement is approved, it’s time to start adding “milk.” White glue is my choice when styling milk for this shot because it photographs as white and because I can control the thickness of the liquid glue. In some cases the glue is used straight from the container, but for our dripping spoon image I added a little water to the glue: about two parts glue to one part water. I chose to mix water with the glue so that it would

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behave more like milk as it formed the drip. The glue “milk” is added to the spoon very slowly using a small pipette, which allows precise placement of the liquid. If any glue hits the cereal where the camera can see it, the glue will show as a shiny or wet spot and the cereal piece will need to be replaced. It’s important to go slowly when adding glue so closely to the cereal pieces. Whenever possible, I place the pipette behind a cereal piece so I can place the glue out of view of the camera. Static electricity can create a problem during this process. As the glue leaves the pipette in a thin stream, if it falls near a piece of cereal, an electrical attraction can pull the glue toward individual cereal pieces. So proceed with caution. When the spoon is filled with glue you can create a drip in a preselected spot on the edge of the spoon. Hold the pipette directly over the spot where you want the drip to spill over the edge of the spoon. Add glue one drop at a time until the drip starts forming. Add one more drop and back your hands and the pipette out of the frame quickly so the photographer can take an exposure. Supplies used to complete the cereal spoon shot: l

Oneida Stiletto flatware

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Wilton 9” angled spatula

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Bounty paper towels

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Pipettes, foam plates, white glue, cereal, tweezers, mashed potatoes, small prep bowl

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Drips Falling from Food We wanted to do a simple but colorful shot with a piece of dripping fruit. During a two-month period, I searched the grocery store every time I shopped for the perfect type of fruit. The fruit we desired for our final shot needed to have a red-tinted interior to give us a red-tinted drop. It took three weeks of waiting until the perfect fruit appeared at the market. We chose to use plumcots because they have an interesting interior and produce red-tinted juice. One of the elements we wanted to have in our shot was to have a fresh picked-in-the-orchard feeling. Since we didn’t have a hand model to hold the plum and we didn’t want to position the plum on a plate, we decided to build a rig that would float the hero plum. The rig consisted of a tripod stand topped with a photographic knuckle that would securely hold a metal skewer. The backside of the plum would be impaled on the skewer out of camera view. Depending on the final crop of our hero image the skewer might need to be removed using Photoshop. It is easier for the Photoshop technician to remove a white object.

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Jean Ann’s studio has two windows that allow her to shoot with natural light. Rather than go to an orchard for this shot, we brought the orchard to us outside the window. There are bushes growing on either side of one window. We chose a couple branches nearest the window and bent them down using a sand bag weight so they would be in the frame of our shot. Once the branches were in position so the camera saw them within the framework of our shot, we augmented the branches with additional branches clipped from other areas of the same bush. To make the greenery appear denser in the camera frame, I hung an imitation greenery garland that was in the studio prop shed in the branches. Small imitation fruit was hung with wire in the greenery for visual interest. Nothing outside the window will be in sharp focus in the hero shot, so it’s not important that we aren’t using plum foliage. A 225

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stylist has to do what is necessary to complete the shot. I’m used to pitching in when needed, so I go outside the window to build our fake orchard! After approval of the set outside the window, the standin plum is removed and replaced with the hero plum. With the hero plum suspended on the rig, we could easily move the plum into the desired spot within the frame of the background. It’s easier to move the plum than it is to rebuild or rearrange the orchard set outside.

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Rather than juice plums to gather liquid to make our drip, I purchased pomegranate juice to use for the drip. To test the speed that the juice would drip off the plum, we experimented a couple times by dropping the pomegranate juice onto the face of the cut plum. The juice dripped quickly and was not attractive from the camera. To make catching the drip in action a little easier for Jean Ann and to make a drip with a more rounded shape, I decided to thicken the juice. I mixed some clear Karo syrup into the pomegranate juice. The next step involved brushing the thickened juice mixture over the cut face of the plum to make the drip sheen match the liquid on the flesh of the fruit. When we were ready to make a capture, I placed drops around the seed. The liquid ran down each side of the seed and accumulated at the base of the plum to produce a realistic-appearing drip.

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Photographer’s Comments—The Dripping Plum Set

on a limb to pull it into our scene and then placed fake greenery

Catching the perfect drip is like catching the perfect snowflake

and plastic fruit to make our set look real. You can also use plants in

or raindrop—you have to be patient and shoot a lot of images.

pots or cut a tree branch for the same effect.

Preparation is key to this kind of shot. Your camera must be focused and set correctly for the proper exposure and your set must be lit and ready to go.

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I balance the backlight coming through the window with my Chimera Lantern in front of the plum and slightly overhead. I use a shiny silver card in front of the plum to reflect light from the

We decided to shoot a beautiful plum with juice dripping from it. I

Lantern into the face of the plum. My camera is secured on my

positioned the camera and our set in front of an open window to

Gitzo Basalt tripod and the camera is positioned at the same level

get the feeling of being outdoors. We rigged the plum on a skewer

as the plum. We make many captures to catch the perfect drip. My

wrapped with white tape to make it easier to be retouched later. The

camera settings are ISO 100 at f5.6 and a shutter speed of 1/60.

skewer is tightly attached to a knuckle and arm on a c-stand to hold

It was important to have a shallow depth of field to soften the

it securely. I have a stand-in plum so we can position our set around

foliage and make the plum with the perfect drip the only thing you

it. We created a look of natural green foliage by placing a sandbag

really see.

Supplies used to create the dripping plum image:

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Wilton glycerin

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Bounty paper towels

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Karo clear syrup Medicine dropper, tweezers, artist brush, metal kabob skewer, white tape, set tray, plums, pomegranate juice, fake fruit, and greenery garland

Steam and Smoke

When I mentioned doing a chapter including smoke and steam, Brad told me an interesting story. Several years ago he and Jean Ann worked on an image that required a steaming cup of coffee. A nonsmoker, Brad bought a pack of cigarettes so he could blow smoke into the cup to give the steam effect that was required for the shot. To make a long story short, a year and a half later he was finally able to kick the smoking habit he picked up that day helping out with the shot. The good news is, there are other ways to get steam and smoke without lighting up and risking nicotine addiction.

A Steaming Cup of Hot Chocolate This simple project is a good place to start if you are a novice with faking steam. The styling involved in this shot of hot chocolate, even with mini-marshmallows and grated chocolate, is fairly straightforward. This type of image can be achieved at minimal cost if you

keep the background uncomplicated. I will walk you through the steps for styling and for the steam. Once your set is designed and props are selected, you will want to prep the food ingredients. In the real world when marshmallows are served in hot chocolate, they melt a little and their shape softens. To achieve this realistic appearance of the mini-marshmallows for photography, stir a few of them around in a bowl of hot water. The texture and appearance of the marshmallows changes quickly, making the edges softer. As soon as that happens, carefully transfer them to a plate using a tapered spatula and set them aside for use on the set.

Note╅ Never use tweezers to move the marsh�mallows because the shape and texture of the marshmallow will be damaged.

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To add visual interest to the hot chocolate, I decided to add grated chocolate on top of the mini-marshmallows. I grated dark chocolate using a fine microplane grater and let the chocolate pieces fall onto a small plate. Avoid using foam plates for this task since they generate static electricity, which makes the chocolate shavings difficult to maneuver. The chocolate was set aside in a cool place until needed on set. Next, the chocolate milk mixture is prepped. I prefer using whole milk to add richness to the color of the final mixture. Heat the milk until warm and stir or whisk in a premium dark chocolate mix. You may choose to add an extra spoonful or two of the mix to get a richer color that will contrast with the marshmallows.

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Building a Rig for the Smoke Source The steam that will appear to rise from the mug of chocolate is actually incense smoke. I built a receptacle for the incense cone out of aluminum foil. The foil is folded to create several thicknesses of foil on all sides. As you can see in the previous image, the sides and back of the foil rig are higher than the incense cone. The shape of the foil rig forces the smoke from the incense to rise upward. When the set is finalized with all elements in place, the incense will be lit. The smoke will rise up above the cup. The person standing closest to the set can gently wave her hand to move the incense smoke forward. The smoke will tend to settle into the cup if waved gently and then it will rise above the rim of the cup. This motion takes practice but results in good steam formation. Tipâ•… Make sure the heat or air conditioning system in the studio is shut off before you start to make captures from the camera. Also, close doors or windows to prevent drafts that will pull or blow the smoke around on your set. Warn people standing around the set they need to remain absolutely still while you are making captures because the air currents from their movement will interfere with the smoke action.

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All elements are now ready on set. The cup of hot chocolate can be styled. First add the chocolate milk mixture to the mug achieving a level in the mug that looks good from the camera. I normally use a funnel when filling the cup. Protect the set with paper towels or absorbent toweling when you pour. Using a tapered spatula, carefully add the semimelted marshmallows to the cup.

Noteâ•… You may need to add a drop or two of clear dish detergent to the chocolate milk mixture to prevent surface tension, which can cause the marshmallows to move erratically.

Once the marshmallows are in a good position, add some grated chocolate. Use a tapered spatula to scoop up some of the grated chocolate from the plate and gently tap the side of the spatula to deposit chocolate in desired areas over the marshmallows. Make a bubble mixture using a little of the chocolate milk mixture and some clear liquid detergent. With a bulb dispenser, deposit a few small bubbles into desired areas around the edges of the cup and among the marshmallows. Light the incense and start shooting! 233

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Photographer’s Comments—The Steaming Mug of Hot

creates a deep shadow that gives me the fall off I need to show

Chocolate Set

the smoke rising from the cup. To contain the smoke I also use two

Playing with fire? No sweat. You won’t get burned or even hot with

black cards positioned on both sides and a little bit behind the cup

our tricks. It’s a great way to save your lenses, camera, and studio

of chocolate to create a three-sided box to keep the smoke where I

from heat, fire, and yes, smoke, and no one will ever know.

want it. I have positioned a small white card in front of the camera

For a steaming hot cup of chocolate you always need to have a

to reflect light into the front of the cup.

beautiful, wispy white stream of smoke rising from the cup. For this

After the set is lit, the chocolate poured, marshmallows placed, and

effect you can buy a chemical that will give the illusion of smoke,

several captures have been made, it’s time to make that cold cocoa

or Photoshop it in, or do like us and use incense. The best way to

look warm and inviting. The incense has already been placed behind

show any type of smoke in a shot is to make sure the background

the cup and everything is in focus and you are ready to shoot. Light

is darker. This will give you a natural separation of light and dark

the incense cone and wait a little so the smoke is thicker. You can

and highlight the sheerness of the smoke. Build your set to do two

gently blow on the incense cone to make it smoke more and to

things at once. You will want to contain your smoke to a limited

move the smoke around. We shoot approximately 15 to 20 images

area and light your set at the same time. To achieve the darker

to get one or two perfect shots. My camera is set at ISO 100 at f8 at

background I have placed a medium Chimera lightbox with a fabric

a shutter speed of 160. I’d recommend getting an incense that you

grid attached directly over the cup. On a c-stand I have secured a

really like because your studio will remind you of your hot chocolate

flag/cutter behind the cup to block light off the back of the set. This

shot for a while.

Supplies used to create the mug of hot chocolate shot:

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Anchor Hocking 8-ounce triple-pour measuring glass and prep bowl

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Oneida color burst mug and plates

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Microplane fine grater

Wilton 9 tapered spatula

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bambu coconut bowl

Le Creuset chef ’s apron

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StudioPatró tea towel and surface

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Building a Smoking Fake Fire The techniques shared with you in this chapter section were developed by some clever stylist who came up with a way to fake a fire in a grill. I have personally, at the request of clients, made several attempts at using real charcoal fire. Those attempts were extremely frustrating for me as a food stylist because the food I had prepared for the shot was being destroyed by the heat of the fire. Not only does using fake fire save the hero food, but as an added bonus, it gives the photographer lots more time to complete the shot. Other bonuses include the fact that you can safely shoot this “fire” inside a studio or on location. And, when you show the end results to a client, they are usually very willing to come onboard with this concept. Why? Because, the fake fire looks good and it saves time and money. This might give you ideas for a shot or two to add to your portfolio.

gloves! Put a pair or two of disposable gloves in the top of the storage box with the fake fire components as a convenient reminder for the next use.

Preparing the Fake Fire Techniques for making elements to build a fake fire are presented in this section. The charcoal elements can be used many times if stored carefully between uses. Store the fake fire components in a plastic box with a lid to keep them free from dust. During the fire building and painting process, you will want to wear protective

After the paint has dried, assemble elements to be built into the fire. We used painted briquettes, ashes, lava rock briquettes (the kind that are used in gas grills), and unpainted briquettes. We used lava rock briquettes to add texture and a variety of colors for depth and visual interest to the charcoal, but if you choose not to use them, use unpainted briquettes instead.

Lay charcoal briquettes on a flat disposable surface; we used craft paper. Space the briquettes so you can focus spray paint on one briquette at a time. Use bright neon fluorescent red-orange paint. Your goal is to achieve a realistic appearance and splotchy is good. Keep some black areas on each briquette. The paint will resemble the glowing areas of the briquettes and a blotchy look rather than solid coverage with the paint will achieve this.

Safety Noteâ•… Follow manufacturer’s directions for use of spray paints. Be sure to use spray paint in a well-ventilated area and take recommended precautions.

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To begin assembly of the fake fire, build a base of unpainted briquettes. As you build the briquettes, place them in a random pattern so that some are tilted at different angles. Work a few lava rocks into random places among the briquettes. At this point you will want to position the camera in shooting position to complete the process of building the briquettes. Lightly sprinkle ash dust over the base. Then, work in the painted briquettes in areas where the camera will see them. Add a final light dusting of ash.

Noteâ•… Be certain the camera and any other sensitive equipment, like computers, are protected from dust before sprinkling ashes.

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Place a rough stand-in representing the food on the grill grate. As you can see, my stand-in is crunchedup paper towels. The stand-in doesn’t have to be precise because its purpose is to simply allow you to determine if the painted briquettes are visible to the camera. At this point you want to notice where more of the painted briquettes might be desirable, and if you need to change angles of existing briquettes to present the painted area to the camera. While the stand-ins are in place, use short skewers placed vertically through the grill grates to mark areas where incense cones can be positioned out of camera view. Position a few incense cones throughout the briquettes placing a small grouping of cones directly under the area where the food will be.

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Tipâ•… To place additional briquettes and incense, you will need to remove the cooking grate from the grill. Be sure to mark the position of the exact grate prior to moving it. This can be achieved by placing a small piece of tape on the edge of the grate and the grill that align the positions. Leave the tape pieces in place until right before final capture. I would also leave the stand-ins in place on the grate during this process to help you get everything back in the correct position and to give you reference when placing the hero food later in the process.

When the hero food has been prepared, place it on the cooking grate in position on the grill. Take a capture to critique the food, set, and such. When everything is ready, you can carefully remove the grate by lifting it straight up. Again, be certain you have marked the grate position so it can be repositioned in exactly the same place. Be sure you have eliminated anything that might stir up the air in your studio—air conditioning, heat, doors, and so on. Light the incense cones and

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reposition the food grate. The smoke from the incense will drift upward through the food, giving the appearance of a smoking, hot fire. Shoot when ready! Keep a spray bottle handy to put out the incense when you’ve finished shooting. (Refer to Chapter 8 in Food Styling for Photographers for food styling techniques used to create the “grilled” veggie kabobs featured in the hero shot for this series.) Supplies used to complete the fake fire section: l

Weber One-Touch Platinum charcoal grill

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Incense, fireplace lighter, charcoal briquettes, gas grill briquettes, neon red-orange spray paint, and skewers Foods used for veggie kabobs include baby heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, zucchini, butternut squash, red onion, spring garden onions, mushrooms, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and green bell peppers

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Shooting Food on Location

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Sounds like fun to photograph food on location, right? But have you ever done any job out of town? It’s stressful to work in unfamiliar surroundings, but when you put the added physical element of transporting yourself and the tools of your trade, it can be overwhelming. Taking a photography enterprise on the road is similar to moving … twice in one day. Photographing food outside the studio often means without a kitchen. Even shooting in your neighbor’s backyard is lots more work than styling and shooting in a studio where you have a full kitchen to prep and style the food. During almost 30 years of styling food professionally, only one of the many location shoots I’ve been on was fun—well, mostly. As it happens, Jean Ann and I did this particular job together. We were asked to shoot for one of our clients at their pineapple and coffee plantations in Costa Rica. The shoot list for the project was extensive and our directive was to shoot in beautiful locations of our choosing as we traveled the countryside, as well as in our client’s pineapple and coffee plantation fields. We were scheduled for 10 days of shooting. Our entourage to Costa Rica consisted of Jean Ann, a photo assistant, an art director, our client, and me. Yes, we actually had a client with us (now, those were the days!).

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So basically the images we were directed to complete in Costa Rica would be photographed in cultivated fields and in other locations as we came upon them in our travels. Thank heavens we had a hearty group with a go for it attitude. When we first arrived in the country we were handed a map and instructed to drive our rental cars to a bird sanctuary where our lodging was prearranged. The two cars, more like boxes on wheels, had manual transmission. We were fortunate that two of us knew how to drive a stick shift, because there was no way all our gear and our crew would fit into one of the cars! Our arrival at the airport was at sundown, which meant that by the time we transferred our gear to the vehicles, we would be driving across the countryside for more than two hours in the dark. The twolane roads we traveled were not lighted. On the drive we periodically smelled what we assumed was burning trash but the next day we learned the odor was volcano smoke. We arrived at our lodgings around midnight and headed off to our rooms to get some sleep before starting work on photography the following morning. Our lodgings in the bird sanctuary were cabins connected by beautiful wood walkways. By daylight the next morning we were surprised to see that the

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cabins and walkways were suspended 40 feet in the air in mammoth trees. At night we were serenaded by tree frogs and insects in a deafening cacophony of nature sounds, making ear plugs a necessity if you planned to sleep. The next morning, sleep deprived but eager to start our mission, we began exploring the beautiful country. By the way, all the plant props used in our images and background scenery were scouted by us as we journeyed to the pineapple and coffee plantations. The secret of successful location shooting is to be prepared for anything. This chapter will give lots of examples and tips that are intended to help you think outside the box when it comes to planning for a location shoot. For instance, on the trip to Costa Rica I took a small rusty folding table to use as a surface for styling products when we were on the road. I didn’t love the fact that it was old and rusty, but it folded flat and fit into my heavy-duty traveling kit on wheels. So I took it. As it turned out, not only did that folding table fill my styling needs, but we also used it as a shooting surface on more than one occasion when we stopped on the side of the road to capture an image! Jean Ann and I still joke about that table today!

When you’re on location, you have to be available and willing to do almost anything. One shot the client requested was to depict plantation workers in the field. One worker had broken his coverall strap. So, to make the picture perfect, I jumped in with needle and thread to repair the strap. Later in the shoot when we

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arrived at the coffee plantation, we discovered that coffee bushes grow best on steep slopes. We were all carrying photography equipment up and down the slopes in search of the perfect cluster of coffee beans growing on a bush. Everyone pitched in to help.

first. Then, evaluate the location shoot list and mentally walk through each shot, taking notes regarding prep for each item, equipment needed, and storage necessary for the prepped items.

Planning for a Location Photo Shoot Involving Food

My rule of thumb for location shooting is: There will always be

I’m sharing these stories with you so that you will get the idea of how important it is to be prepared for anything, which includes keeping an open mind. Each location job is uniquely different due to challenges of the location as well as the foods on the shoot list. When you plan for a location shoot you need to examine every possible scenario. Start thinking of basic things you might need. For instance, ask yourself about the utilities available at your specific location. Do you need to take water for clean up? Will you need a hose to hook up to an outdoor faucet? Will you need a portable sink? Are there electrical hook-ups, and will you need heavy-duty extension cords; how long and how many? Will you need propane for cooking? Do you need cold food storage? Will you need to take folding tables for styling? If you will be more than one day on location, how will you secure all the gear overnight? Will you require assistants to lug gear around or assist with food styling? Consider these broad issues

list after you arrive at the location. A food stylist has to be prepared

requests from the client or photographer to add shots to the shot for the unknown. So I usually plan, shop, and prep for at least two additional food presentations that are appropriate for the shoot list. With just a few changes in components and perhaps a different garnish, a new dish can be created. Prepping and storing all the food elements separately makes it easier to come up with new serving presentations rather quickly.

For this chapter, we have assigned ourselves two locations with specific shots to accomplish. I will talk you through the entire process for each location so that our experience can serve as a guideline for you. This chapter will not contain detailed food styling tutorials since the goal is to prepare you for shooting food on location. However, many of the techniques used to style food shown in images in this chapter have previously been addressed in this book or in Food Styling for Photographers.

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Some General Information about Location Photography

One of the major reasons for taking a photo shoot on location is the need for a specific area to be in the background of the image. When the specific area involves someone’s home or outdoor entertaining area, the image is referred to as a life style image. To capture the entire scene for a life style image, the camera is pulled back to view not only the items featured in the image, but also some of the surroundings to set the mood of the image. In the film industry there are location scouts who specialize in finding specific types of locations for photo and film shoots. A client can choose to employ a location scout to help find the right setting for an image.

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However, many photographers who shoot on location keep their own list of locations and can often avoid hiring a location scout. Jean Ann is no exception to this. Both locations for our projects in this chapter were on her list. The home owners generously provided their property for our location images. If a client requires an image showing people in the scene, the photographer may consult a talent scout to help select talent—people who have the appropriate appearance for the project. The talent hired to participate in the project will be required to sign a release that gives permission to show their faces in a published image. This type project can get very complex and expensive for two reasons: (1) talent implies the people are paid, and (2) great settings usually demand a location day rate.

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Location Shoot 1

As one of our location projects, we wanted to do an elaborate life style image. Life style images often include people in an entertaining situation, but our life style image will not include people. Shooting food in dining settings on location is a huge undertaking. The packing and transportation of props, dishes, food, photographic gear, styling equipment, and coolers can be compared to moving a small household, and then at the end of the day, moving back to the studio again. Jean Ann and I talked at great lengths about how we could pull this off without spending a fortune for assistant’s fees. She contacted a friend of hers who teaches photography in a local college and asked if any students might want to contribute a day to work an actual photography location shoot. Three students promptly volunteered. Working on a shoot like this would be great experience for them and potentially a boost to their resumes. Meanwhile, I had been contacted by a culinary student who was interested in learning about food styling. She volunteered to assist me on several occasions during the months of image production for this book. She consented to assist me on the prep day before location as well as on the actual location day. This would be invaluable experience for her and invaluable assistance for me!

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There were several hero images planned to be styled and captured during this one location day. Our main hero image, shown at the beginning of Location 1, would be a life style image with a buffet table ready for serving in an outdoor entertaining setting. I came up with a menu and found some go-bys to show Jean Ann and Brad. In addition, we planned to shoot an image of a young girl’s campout as well as several close-up images of individual food items featured on the buffet in the main image. We also wanted to feature specific products in some of our images. This was a huge task for one day, but we were up for the task and felt lucky to have our assistants to help make things go smoother.

Noteâ•… Tear sheets or go-by pictures are invaluable when selecting prop dishes for each dish to be presented to the camera. The go-bys can be carried to the prop room or to the store when shopping for dishes and linens. I also take the go-bys to location as reference so everyone on the crew will be informed about the food for each image.

Preparation and planning are vital in large undertakings like this. I made lists for food prep, lists for shopping, lists of things to take from the studio, and lists for various size containers needed to transport food components. Jean 249

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Ann made similar lists for her equipment, props, food and water for our crew, and so on. She made all arrangements with the homeowners. We checked the weather reports and everything looked good for shoot day. And, just as a safety precaution, we identified an alternative shoot day in case the weatherman missed the forecast!

back at the studio, we properly stored foods and began our prep. Our task would be to prep all the food at the studio. It would be a long and busy day! The last job of the day would be to pack all our tools in carts to transport to location and to have coolers ready for the morning so we could quickly load them and leave.

Organizing Food for Transport to Location It’s kind of like prepping for a cooking show where all the ingredients are prepped, premeasured, and placed on trays. But, location prep is on a much bigger scale. Each food ingredient in a serving presentation, or recipe, will be prepped and stored separately in a container. I usually purchase and prep three times the amount of each food ingredient needed for a single presentation. This is my insurance in case the size of a serving platter or bowl is changed to a larger presentation at the last minute, and to make extra food available to accommodate requests for additional shots added to the shot list once we are on location.

The day before the shoot was prep day. Early that morning my assistant and I, with lists in hand, went to shop. When all shopping was completed and we were 250

All the containers holding individual ingredients for each serving presentation are assembled in a larger container marked with the name of the specific serving presentation. The containers are placed in coolers and

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transported to location. Once at location, each serving presentation will be assembled as needed on set. Any sauces, seasonings, or garnishes will be added and styled at location immediately before the image is captured and possibly when the presentation is in position in front of the camera. This system makes assembly much easier and helps the stylist maintain the integrity of each serving presentation. If, for instance, cheese is to be grated on top of a dish, the stylist can place a note in the component container as a reminder to grate cheese over the food before presentation to the camera. This trick is especially helpful if more than one stylist is working on the same job. Don’t laugh, because if you’re styling numerous dishes, these reminders are really helpful. When the food stylist hears things like “The good lighting

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(meaning sun/shadows) will be gone in 15 minutes. Can the heroes be ready before then?” it pays to be organized so hero dishes can be quickly assembled and carried to set. The big day is here! The crew shows up bright and early at the studio to help load vehicles and we caravan to our location, which is just a few miles away. When we start unloading, it definitely feels like we’re helping someone move! The first task is to identify places at the location site where we can station props, photo equipment, and set up a kitchen work area. It’s helpful to have three distinct locations for each category and all the locations need to be out of camera view in all the shots planned so we won’t have to move things out of the way. This is smart planning.

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tables, our Stanley transport container, and two large Coleman coolers on wheels. I like to arrange the tables so they are sitting at 90 degrees in an L shape. This location property has an outdoor cooking area. We set the tables so that the built-in outdoor cooker with attached work surface makes our kitchen into a U shape. The open side of the U is facing the yard to provide easy access when we carry hero food to the set. Our coolers and transport on wheels are placed on the outside of the U near the work tables. All we have to do to get to our hero food is walk around the end of one table. Our styling supplies are unpacked and organized on the tables. My assistant and I have separate work areas with cutting boards where we will assemble hero dishes and do any remaining prep jobs.

Setting Up a Location Kitchen When an area is selected for the kitchen, we start moving our rolling carts and coolers into the area. The location kitchen will consist of two 6-foot-long folding

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We really lucked out with this location! There is a covered cabana in the backyard with a sink and countertop. This means we have easy access to water. And best of all, there is a restroom in the cabana and we have the homeowner’s permission for our crew to use the facilities in the cabana. Once our kitchen is set up and we are familiar with the property, we start selecting locations around the property for each of our shots. Jean Ann has written the order she wants to complete our shots with natural daylight in mind. Our lifestyle image will be the last image of the day since she wants the angled light of late afternoon. In the meantime, we start working our

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way through the shot list. You might be interested to know that I was asked to produce hero food presentations for several additional shots. But, because the food ingredients were packed individually and because there was extra of all the foods, I was able to make different combinations of food to get very different serving presentations for the added shots. The following images represent a sampling of the images that we achieved in one day at this location. We also took a few images of crew members working on the sets to help illustrate the process of constructing the scenes for our images. I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as we enjoyed producing them!

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When the day was done we cleaned up, packed up, and moved back to the studio. Everything went with us, even the trash! It is the photo crew’s obligation to leave the owner’s property just as it was upon arrival.

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Noteâ•… The day after our location shoot I asked my volunteer assistant what stood out in her mind most of all from her experience with us. She replied, “the organization.” I think that sums up the food stylist’s major task in a nutshell. If you are organized and ready for not only the shots planned, but also other things that may be required, you will have a good chance for a successful location shoot. 259

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If you decide to do a location shoot and you want to do the food styling as well as the photography, my advice is to keep it simple. Before shoot day, scope out the lighting at your location so you will know what time of day will give you the best light. The first time you

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go on location, plan to complete only one hero image. Plan on shooting food that you feel comfortable styling. Most importantly, plan ahead for contingencies and be organized.

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Photographer’s Comments—Location 1

always take more than I will actually use because you need a backup if

When shooting several shots on location it’s very important that you

strobes or cameras fail. You really have only one chance to get it right

are extremely organized. Be prepared for everything and any lighting

on location. Shooting food makes it even more challenging because the

situation that might happen. I make lists of shots, equipment, and

food and the lighting have to be perfect at the exact same moment

cameras. I have a list of basic equipment I always take with me on

and having to do a reshoot on location is sometimes not even possible.

location and I check it twice, maybe more. I have shot all over the

We scouted the location before the shooting day and pretty much

world for many different clients and in many different situations and I

knew what we wanted and where we would shoot. I always ask

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the homeowners where the sun sets on their property. It makes it

For our shot of a little girl’s picnic we picked an area on the edge of

easy to figure out the course the sun will take all day long. I can

some heavy shade but in direct sunlight. I used all natural lighting

then plan to shoot at a certain time of the day. If you know what

with a scrim and large white cards to soften the light and create

time the sun sets you will be able to calculate when the last shot

natural-looking shadows. As the sun passes through the scrim it

should be ready to go. Be sure to tell the property owner how long

filters the light, creating a natural-looking and even softness to the

you will be there, explain where and what you are shooting, and ask

light on the set. The large white card being held in the middle of the

where the outside power sources are located. It’s a very good idea

set blocks the hard light and bounces the sunlight back into the set.

to make sure your insurance will cover location shoots or simply add

The black-and-white card, held white side down, creates a shadow

a provision to your policy for the day of the shoot. You must protect

on the grass behind the set.

yourself and the homeowner if anything happens.

It is sometimes easier and faster to hold the cards and scrims than

We arrive on location with lots of photo equipment, props, and

to position them on c-stands. The sun is moving minute by minute

perishable food in large ice chests. After the placement of the

and nothing stays the same for very long, so you need to be able to

location kitchen is determined you will decide on a staging area

move quickly.

for your equipment. Both the kitchen and staging area must be in a location that you will not be shooting. You would hate to have a fabulous shot set up and see your food stylists and props in the background. I try to make sure all my equipment is consistently returned to the staging area after each use, so at the end of the day I am not searching for that lost stand or sandbag. Things will go much smoother if you have lots of help shooting on location. Get your friends, hire an assistant, or better yet see if any photo

I shoot tethered to my Lenovo ThinkPad and my camera is secured to my Gitzo Basalt tripod, which is lightweight and easy to move around and perfect for location shooting. My camera settings for this shot are at ISO 400 with an aperture of f8 and a shutter speed of 1/30. Be sure to check your histograms on every shot, because the light can change dramatically very quickly and you could overexpose or underexpose that perfect shot.

students from your local college want to learn and give you a

As we move around the location area to different spots at different

hand. Photography students will appreciate the opportunity to see

times of day it is also very important to use a light meter. In the

professional photographers in action and maybe pick up a few tricks

studio I rarely use a meter because my lighting is always controlled

while helping out.

and after you have been shooting for a while you get to know

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your light. Location shooting is a different situation with light and

Using scrims or balancing your light with a strobe in a lightbox is

shadows moving constantly. I use a Seconic light meter to check my

always a better idea. I used both in all of theses images as the sun

light in shadows and in sunlight so I can balance the lighting. Heavy,

moved and the light changed throughout the day. I mixed strobe

dark shadows and hard sunlight are not the best way to light for

light to brighten the natural light in the shadows or to add an extra

food.

little pop of light to the set.

Supplies used to create the images:

l

l

Coleman retro rechargeable full-size lantern, 54-quart steel-belted cooler, and 82-quart x-treme six-wheeled coolers

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l

Studio Patró tea towels Weber One-touch Platinum charcoal grill and Style three-piece stainless steel tool set Stretch-Tite Wrap ‘n Seal Le Creuset roaster, oval casserole with lid, and chef ’s aprons

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Stanley mobile tool chests

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OXO Good Grips candellas Bounty paper towels

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Anchor Linden beverage set

Kaku and Maru by Wasara, supplied by Branch

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Anchor Hocking various dishes

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Oneida Color Burst plates, Stiletto flatware

I used practically every tool in my kit to produce food for the location images.

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bambu coconut bowls, curvy servers lacquerware, low cork bowl

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Location Shoot 2

The food styling projects for this location are much less complicated than the food at our first location. Likewise, we specifically chose this location to show that great location shots can be produced in a small yard. Neighbors of Jean Ann and Brad have a cute but small yard with a kiddie’s pool just off the deck. The pool is about 12 feet in diameter. With the camera positioned carefully, shooting off the railing of the deck provides enough view of the water to complete the background in a shot. By using this shooting angle, we are tricking the viewer to believe these shots were taken at the ocean or in front of a huge pool. Planning the images to complete at this location was fun. We all wanted to do a champagne and caviar shot framed by the water. I wanted to add a second shot. I visualized a simple styling project with a large slice of watermelon. These two shots are uniquely different yet were achieved at the same spot on the deck.

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At this location we had full access to the homeowner’s kitchen just off the deck. I was able to use their sink for water and clean up. The day before location, we had a quick meeting to make a list of everything we would need to take. Once the list was created, we packed most of the photo and styling gear. The morning of the shoot, I finished packing specific foods that would be in our shots. Perishable food was stored in a cooler. Styling for the champagne and caviar image was fairly simple. However, the caviar needed to be kept in the cooler until the last minute before shooting; consequently, the food styling for this shot would need to happen quickly. I used empty crackers for standins. We used hydrated Soil Moist granules instead of crushed ice in the caviar servers to eliminate worries about condensation on the glass containers running down on the fabric surface.

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S h ooting

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Noteâ•… Providing stand-ins for the photographer is very important, especially on location. Expect the unexpected! Because I used fake ice in the servers and provided rough stand-ins of bare crackers rather than crackers with actual caviar, Jean Ann had time to work some of her magic, because it happened that she had to deal with reflection issues. The deck had a covering that was framed with large dark-colored beams. Unfortunately, the champagne glasses reflected those dark beams and the camera saw them.

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When the set was composed and all the technical problems of reflections were resolved, I began filling the caviar servers. Keeping the caviar cold was important so that each caviar egg remained firm and held its shape. The last minute before shooting, the crackers were styled with caviar, I added a dollop of crème fresh, and garnished the canopies with snipped chives.

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Our final shot at this location was a watermelon slice balancing on a plate. I transported four small watermelons to this location. We used a nonhero slice for stand-in. With the stand-in on set we were able to determine the precise size of slice that would work best in our image. When we were ready to take the hero capture, I started slicing watermelons, looking for the perfect slice to balance on the plate in our shot. I cut three watermelons to find that slice. There were not any large seeds in these small melons so there wasn’t a need to remove seeds. To keep the surface of the watermelon

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looking fresh, I used a pipette to dribble cool water onto the flesh of the watermelon slice right before final exposure. This is an easy styling project and might give you ideas for completing a similar project on location to add to your portfolio. You might choose to use a grass background for your image. If the shot were tightly cropped, viewing only water or grass in the background, it could be taken in almost any yard.

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Photographer’s Comments—Location 2

until you know where the top of the liquid will be and then cut it a

If you’ve got a small pool or a neighbor with one you can have a

little shorter.

beautiful elegant shot. These series of shots show you how you can

I used my Chimera Lantern overhead and slightly in front of the set.

be anywhere and get professional images.

Its small round shape makes it perfect for location and for shooting

We went on location with all of our props, food, and camera

glass because of the small round reflection it produces. I used

equipment to a neighbor’s pool. We set up the shot from their deck.

the lightbox more as a fill light for the set because I used natural

You don’t need a lot of background space to shoot into a water

light in a natural setting. My ISO was 100 and my camera was set

background. The placement and angle of your shot make all the

at a shutter speed of 1/8 at f22 and I am tethered to my Lenovo

difference. The higher overhead the camera is, the less background

ThinkPad laptop. When shooting tethered on location the image is

you need. No one will know if you were at an Olympic-size pool or

on the laptop screen and it helps to have a hood or a black cloth to

one just a few feet across.

position over the screen so you can easily view your shot. Brad was

We decided to shoot champagne and caviar poolside. When lighting any clear glass of liquid you must deal with reflections and whatever is behind the glass. In this case I had blue pool water. The best way

and movement in the water. I also got a natural starburst of light on the glass, which was unexpected but beautiful.

to get rid of the background is to place a white card behind the

As the light changed and the sun moved during the day we had to

glass. Lay a stand-in glass on white paper and draw an outline of

scrim the hard directional light. I also used a large white card with

the bowl of the glass. Cut the paper shape a little smaller so it is not

different shaped holes and cut-outs to let some of the light in and

seen around the edges of the glass. Using a very small piece of clear

to make that light look natural. You can also use a tree branch or a

double-sided tape secure the paper to the back of the hero glass

person to block the sun hitting the object you are shooting.

where the bowl meets the stem. Leave the top of the paper longer

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at the pool “stirring” up the surface of the water to get reflections

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Supplies used to create images at Location 2: l

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Bamsart.com table art surface

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Photos of Location 2 deck, provided by Brian Coats (www.briancoats.com)

Soil Moist granules for fake crushed ice

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Oneida Colorburst plate

Cardinal International Luminarc Signature 5.75ounce flutes

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Messermeister 8 chef ’s knife

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Wilton 9 tapered spatula

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Typing paper, scissors, crackers, chives, champagne, Greek yogurt, watermelon, pipette

WASARA tree-free renewable, bio-degradable serving tray

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Marky’s Caviar serving glasses, mother of pearl hand-carved spoons, and caviar

Thanks to Brian and Beverly for allowing us to use their backyard.

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Appendix After all the hard work you have done to create a spectacular image you must now switch hats and tread into the land of the digital technician. All the efforts that have gone into your portfolio piece, the one in which you have worked for hours, can be lost or diminished if you have not made some critical steps prior to, during, and after shooting. In the following pages, these crucial steps will be covered and the process that went into making ready the images that appear in this book will be discussed. Some of these steps have been presented in our first book, Food Styling for Photographers, and will be mentioned here cursorily. Others will be examined in more depth. But remember, for more extensive information on photography, color management, sharpening of images, processing and handling of files, numerous resources are available. So many that at times you can become overloaded and confused by all the how-tos and steps to accomplish a task. There are so many different types of cameras and computers, tools, tips, and programs to accomplish the same end result for many

things in photography—the key is to find what works best for you! All the images within this book were shot tethered to a Lenovo W701ds. The Lenovo W701ds is a mobile workstation and a true workhorse of a computer.

The system has a 128â•›GB solid-state hard drive as well as a 320â•›GB hard drive with a Microsoft Windows 7 275

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Professional operating system. The Lenovo has an Nvidia Quadro FX 3800â•›M graphics card and 8â•›GB of RAM. The 8â•›GB of RAM allowed for numerous programs to be opened at the same time without any noticeable decline in performance. This was very important, since at times multiple camera programs and a processing program were opened. All images were shot in 16-bit format at 600â•›ppi. Some of these files were very large, and having enough memory was helpful in streamlining the workflow efficiently. The Lenovo W701ds made it easy to meet one of the crucial steps needed for successful color management— calibrate your monitor! The W701ds has a built-in heuyÂ�Pro software and hardware calibrator by XRite. Just start the program, close the lid of the computer, and in a very short time you have a 17, 1920  € 1200 pixelcalibrated display. A D65/6500â•›K setting for the white point with a gamma of 2.2 was used. The Lenovo W701ds also provided other time-saving tools that made evaluating, processing, and retouching

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the images very efficient. The Lenovo has a secondary display screen that pulls out from behind the main display. This 10.6 screen was used to keep all camera, processing, and retouching tools and palettes on, freeing up the entire main display for visualizing the image being shot or retouched. In addition to the pull-out display, a great tool provided by the Lenovo W701ds was another built-in—a Wacom drawing tablet with a stylus. Both these tools became a valuable time-saving and convenient asset when working on the more than 200 files in this book. So now you are on set with the subject that you are going to make your masterpiece. Your display is calibrated and you are ready to go. After positioning your camera to the best angle for the shot, getting the food looking just the way you want, and tweaking your lighting, you take an exposure. The image looks pretty good, the exposure is right, but the color is still off. Your screen has been calibrated, so what happened?



way to achieving a pleasing effect. It is a simple tool and a step that is so critical.

A tip that will get you to within 90 percent of correct color in your color management space is to throw in a gray card for white balance. There are many commercial color check cards available. Place the gray card in your shot, expose the shot, and within your camera processing software there should be a little eyedropper symbol that you can use to click on top of the gray card. This white balance adjustment will go a long, long

Another tool that is available to you in most camera software packages is the histogram. A histogram is a graph that represents an image’s tonal range going from black to white. When looking at your histogram, if the graph is bunched up to the right then your subject better have a lot of white in it (such as when you are shooting on white seamless). If the graph is bunched up to the left then the subject should have blacks dominating. If either is not the case and you are shooting a subject with a wide range of colors, then step back for a moment and reevaluate your exposure. You definitely do not want to have a histogram with a majority of its peaks on either end that you cannot explain. This is telling you that you are either over- or underexposed and adjustments need to be made. To not make adjustments would result in information— tonal shades—being clipped or lost. Once you clip the information, this detail is gone, never to be retrieved or restored in processing or retouching. Train yourself to keep an eye on the histogram and many potential problems will be eliminated. Once the files shot for this book were converted and saved using the camera software, the images were

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opened into Camera Raw using Adobe Photoshop Bridge. In most cases the only adjustments done at this step were to increase the clarity and vibrance. Yet many other adjustments are available in Camera Raw that can be used to adjust color, sharpen, add contrast, and adjust exposure. These same changes to the image can be made later in Photoshop, Lightroom, or other retouching programs. Remember there are so many ways and methods to take that will result in the same end result. Experiment and find the methods that work best for you. From Camera Raw the images were opened into Photoshop. The image was cropped to the desired size. In the rare instance that noise was detected, Nik Software Dfine 2.0 was used to reduce the noise. A levels adjustment layer was opened and the end points were adjusted to gain a full tonal range. A curves adjustment layer was opened and in most cases a slight S-shaped curve was used. The zoom tool was used to magnify the image and the “trash” normally seen in every file was cleaned up. Each file was then sharpened using Nik Sharpener Pro 3.0. The file was then converted to a CMYK color space and the 16-bit file saved to an 8-bit file. The files were burned to a DVD and shipped off to the publisher.

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Throughout the book time-saving, quality-producing software from Nik Software was utilized to enhance and adjust the images.

These software solutions from Nik enabled me to fluidly incorporate them into my workflow. What at one time would have required creations of complicated masks and layers, spending valuable time can now be accomplished quickly with wonderful results. As an example, the onions in the hotdog shot did not pop and were a little dull; the onions needed to be lightened up but the surrounding hotdog and bun did not.



By using the Nik software, Viveza 2, the onions were selected, lightened, and now appear to be whiter, all in less than 30 seconds. The results were great and the time savings invaluable.

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Many times you are asked to do “something special” to the images. Oftentimes that is the only guideline you have. “Something special” can easily and quickly be achieved with a professional result by using the Nik Software, Color Efex Pro 3.0. The first image of the blue cocktail and shaker was processed without any special effects. On the next four images, different effects on the blue cocktail and shaker were accomplished with ease and speed. Plus, many, many more versions could have been supplied. With the Color Efex Pro 3.0 edition, images can be manipulated using the numerous preset filters provided.

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You could also present the latest in high dynamic range (HDR) imagery with the Nik Software HDR Efex Pro as represented by the all-natural sandwich.

This is a very special look. But the beauty of these packages is that you can adjust and manipulate the images using the presets and then adjust and manipulate the presets to give you your own unique look. The presets give you a great starting point and the rest is up to you and your imagination. So much can be accomplished whether you are working together as a team of photographers, food stylists, and digital technicians, or you are wearing all the 282

hats and every decision is yours to make. Regardless of which situation you are in, remember to take the important first step of planning the process of the project. Think what you are trying to accomplish. What equipment, programs, personnel, props, supplies, and timeframes are required to complete the project? Is the project adequately funded so that you can finish it? Are you working under a deadline that has to be met? For a larger project, such as this book, do you have a processing workflow that will give you a consistent look to the images throughout? These are but a few of the considerations to take. Planning will help smooth out the glitches and get you back on the correct path when the inevitable roadblocks appear. Be confident, make your plan, work your plan, and don’t give up. You can do it. On planning, preparing, executing, and completing such a large project as making this book, it was such a great asset to work with experienced, knowledgeable, and passionate people. Plus, the vendors who generously supplied us with their goods were invaluable and without them on the team it would have been very difficult to complete the project. Teamwork is imperative. And as an added bonus, when all is completed, if the team is still smiling you have the satisfaction of a job well done.



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Index Note: Page numbers followed by “f ” refer to figures. A Acrylic ice, 215 Acrylic spray, shells with, 117 Adobe Photoshop Bridge, 278 Advertising laws, 63 Agent’s view portfolio, building, 9–10 Applicator bottle mustard in, 135 Asian noodle soup, 98–107 cameras, on set, 105 photographer’s comments, 105 set design, 98, 100, 102 supplies, 103 tips, 102 Attitudes/abilities learned as an assistant, 5–6 B Bake method, 63, 64, 71 Batter preparation techniques, pancake, 149–150 Beer, 28–33 photographer’s comments, 35 supplies, 33 Beet soup, blended.. See Borscht Blended opaque soup, styling, 107–111 Book, 6. See also Portfolio, building Borscht, 107–111 photographer’s comments, 113 set design, 107, 108, 109, 110 supplies, 111 tips, 109

Breakfast, 45 cereal, 161–168. See also Cereal shot, bowl of pancakes, 146–156. See also Pancake set smoothie, 168–171. See also Breakfast smoothie shot Breakfast smoothie shot, 168–171. See also Breakfast photographer’s comments, 173 supplies, 171 Building/support techniques hot dog rig, 136–141 for taco shells, 121, 122–127 Bun selection for hot dogs, 132–133 C Camera Raw, 277–278 Cameras. See Photographer’s comments Cameras, on set Asian noodle soup image, 105 borscht set, 113 hot dog set, 143 taco set, 129 Canned vegetables, 87–88 Card stock, 139–140 Central Market, 176 entertaining montage for, steps in building, 181 Cereal shot, bowl of, 161–168. See also Breakfast photographer’s comments, 164

supplies, 166 Ceviche image planning process for, 192–195 photographer’s comments, 202 prepping and styling, 195–205 serving glasses for, 193–195 set elements, 193–195 smearing on glasses, avoiding, 196 supplies, 205 using Fruit Fresh, 195–204 Champagne and caviar shot, 265–269 Cheddar, for tacos, 118 Cheese for tacos, 118 Cheese pull shot of pizza, 63, 75–87, 75f, 76f photographer’s comments, 84 supplies, 85 Cheese zits, 79–87 Chef-prepared items, 176 Clear soup with solid ingredients, styling, 98–107 Cocktails, 37–59 curaço on ice with a twist garnish, 37–42, 39f, 40f, 41f with foamy top, 46f, 47–54 layers of liquor in a glass, 42f, 43–46, 43f, 44f making sugared flowers for garnish, 47–49 photographer’s comments, 52 raspberry daiquiri, 55–59, 55f, 57f, 59f Color Efex Pro 3.0., 280, 281f, 282 285

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Coloring technique for hot dogs, 138, 138f Communication protocol, establishing splash/pour photography and, 211–214 Curaço on ice with a twist garnish, 37–42, 39f, 40f, 41f supplies, 41 D Dining settings shooting in, 249–264 Dripping plum set photographer’s comments, 228 supplies used, 228 Drips, 221–228 falling from food, 225–228, 225f, 226f styling on a spoon, 221–223 Dry ice for tacos, 126 E Entertaining montage set for Central Market, 181 photographer’s comments, 189 supplies, 187 Ethnic food, 17 F Fake fire building, 237 preparation for, 237–241 supplies for, 241 First course styling, 191 ceviche. See Ceviche overview, 192 Florist “frogs,” for taco shells, 123 Foam core, 20 Foamy top, cocktails with, 46f, 47–54 286

Force of action splash/pour photography, 208 Frogs, florist, 123 Frozen vegetables, 87–88, 91 G Glass, selection of for ceviche, 193–195 splash/pour photography, 209 Gloves coloring hot dogs, 138 for handling beets, 107 Glue for taco shell, 122 Go-bys, 249, 264 Gray card, 277, 277f Greek yogurt for tacos, 126–127 Guacamole for tacos, 126 H HDR. See High dynamic range (HDR) Hero shells, identifying, 116 High dynamic range (HDR), 282 Histogram, 277 Hot dogs, 131 adding color to, 138, 138f bun selection, 132–133 cameras, on set, 143 image, prep steps for, 134–135 photographer’s comments, 143 rig, building, 136–141 supplies, 141 I Information location photography, 247–248

K Karo syrup, 124–125, 127, 139–140 L Lavender cocktail set photographer’s comments, 52 supplies, 51 Layers of liquor in a glass, 42f, 43–46, 43f, 44f supplies, 44 “Leave-behind” mailer, 13 Lenovo W701ds, 275–276, 275f Lettuce for tacos, 120 Life style image, 247 Lighting for sets. See Photographer’s comments Living food photographer’s comment, 25 supplies, 23 test shot, 17–23, 18f, 19f, 20f Location day rate, 247–248 Location kitchen, setting up, 253–264 Location photography. See Shooting on location Location scouts, 247 M Meat for tacos, 123, 124–125 Metal strainer, safety note for, 126 Moisture, protecting shells from, 117 Montage shots creation of visual interest by adding risers, 177–178 entertaining montage set for Central Market, 189. See also Entertaining montage set

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information, 176–177 photographed from high angle, 178–187 styling, 176 Muslin squares, for styling job, 136 Mustard for hot dog styling, 135, 140 N Nik Software Dfine 2.0, 278–279, 279f Noodles, pouring of, 219, 219f O Onion for hot dog styling, 134–135 Orange juice pour shot photographer’s comments, 214 Outline shot defined, 4 P Packaged foods, styling of, 61 pizza, 63–87 Pancake set, 146–156. See also Breakfast batter preparation techniques, 149–150 choosing design elements for, 146–148 photographer’s comments, 159 positioning fruit, 152 styling, 148 supplies, 156 Paper towel for hot dogs buns, 137 Peas styling for serving, 86f, 87–93, 89f, 92f Photographer’s comments breakfast smoothie shot, 173 cereal, 164 ceviche set, 202 cheese pull shot of pizza, 84

dripping plum set, 228 entertaining montage set, 189 lavender cocktail set, 52 living food test shot, 25 orange juice pour shot, 212f, 213f, 214 pancake set, 159 pizza set, 73 pub set, 35 shooting on location, 262–264 steaming mug of hot chocolate set, 235 Photographer’s comments Asian noodle soup image, 105 borscht set, 113 hot dog set, 143 taco set, 129 Photographer’s view for portfolio, building, 8–9 Pizza, 63–87 bake method, 63, 64–71 cheese pull shots, 63, 75–87, 75f, 76f. See also Cheese pull shot of pizza cheese zits, 79–87 photographer’s comments, 73 on set, 71 sliced shots, 63 steam method, 63, 78–79 whole shots, 63 Planning shooting on location, 246 test shot, 15 Portfolio, building, 3 agent’s view, 9–10 basics, 7 image suggestions for, 7 photographer’s view, 8–9 planning a test shot, 15 presentation, 10–13, 11f, 12f, 13f where to start, 4–17

Pour. See also Splash/pour photography challenges, 215 landing on ice and other objects, 215, 216f, 219f liquid and solid, combination of, 219, 219f preparation for, 216–219 protecting set during, 210–211 solids, 219–220 technique to avoid splashes, 216 Pour shots, 91 Precautions, handling beets, 107, 110 Presentation portfolio, 10–13, 11f, 12f, 13f Protection of set during pour attempts, 210–211 shells from moisture, 117 Pub set photographer’s comments, 35 R Raspberry daiquiri, 55–59, 55f, 59f set design process for, 57–59 supplies, 58 Release, 247–248 Risers, 177–178, 184 S Safety notes for acrylic spray, 117 handling dry ice, 126 Serving styling for, 86f, 87–93, 88f, 89f, 92f Serving containers for montage shots, 181, 183 Serving suggestions, 62 for frozen peas, 87 supplies, 93 287

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Set design Asian noodle soup, 98, 100, 102 beet soup, blended, 107, 108, 109, 110 for raspberry daiquiri image, 57–59 soups, 96 styling for serving and, 87 Sets/settings Asian noodle soup image, 105 borscht set, 113 hot dog set, 143 taco set, 129 Shards, 215 Shooting on location, 243 champagne and caviar shot, 265–269 in dining settings, 249–264 information about, 247–248 location kitchen, setting, 253–264 organizing food for transport, 250–253 photographer’s comments, 262–264 planning, 246 supplies, 264, 273 watermelon slice shot, 265, 270 Skewers for hot dogs buns, 137–139, 138f Sliced shots, pizza, 63 Solids, pouring, 219–220 Soups, 95 blended opaque soup, styling, 107–111 cameras, on set, 105, 113 clear soup with solid ingredients, styling, 98–107 color, stylist’s perspective, 100 photographer’s comments, 105, 113 set design, 96 supplies, 103, 111 types, 96

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Sour cream dollops for tacos, 126–127 Splash/pour photography, 208–221. See also Pour communication protocol, establishing, 211–214 force of action, 208 glass, selection of, 209 noodles, 219, 219f photographer’s comments, 212f, 213f, 214 pour landing on ice and other objects, 215, 216f, 219f protecting set, 210–211 styling for, 209–210, 209f Stand-ins hot dog bun, 133 Steaming mug of hot chocolate set, 229–232, 231f, 232f. See also Steam/smoke photographer’s comments, 235 supplies used, 235 Steam method, 63, 78–79 Steam/smoke, 229–241 fake fire. See Fake fire source, building a rig for, 233–235 steaming mug of hot chocolate set, 229–232, 231f, 232f Still images, 6 Styling bake method, 63, 64–71 drip on a spoon, 221–223 first course. See First course styling montage shots, 175 packaged foods, 61. See also Packaged foods, styling of pancakes, 148 peas, 86f, 87–93, 89f, 92f for serving, 86f, 87–93, 88f, 89f, 92f

for a splash, 209–210, 209f steam method, 63, 78–79 vegetables, 86f, 87–93, 88f, 89f, 92f Styrofoam, 152, 154, 177–178 Styrofoam support technique for hot dog, 136–140 for taco shell, 122–123 Sugared flowers for garnish in cocktails, 47–49 Supplies Asian noodle soup shot, 103 beer, 33 borscht set, 111 bowl of cereal shot, 166 breakfast smoothie shot, 171 ceviche, 205 cheese pull shot of pizza, 85 curaço on ice with a twist garnish, 41 dripping plum set, 228 entertaining montage set, 187 fake fire, 241 hot dog set, 141 lavender cocktail set, 51 layers of liquor in a glass, 44 living food, 23 pancake set, 156 raspberry daiquiri, 58 serving suggestions, 93 shooting on location, 264, 273 steaming mug of hot chocolate set, 235 taco images, 129 whole shots, pizza, 85 Supports. See Building/support techniques T Tacos, 115 building hero tacos, 121, 122–127

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cameras, on set, 129 final touch-ups, 127 food elements in, 116 ingredient placement, 125 ingredients, prepping, 118–127 photographer’s comments, 129 shells, prepping, 116–117 supplies, 129 tips, 126 Talent, 247–248 Talent scout, 247–248 Teamwork, 282–283 Tear sheets, 15, 249

Test shot defined, 6 living food, 17–23, 18f, 19f, 20f planning, 15 Tilt in montage shots, 178 Tomatoes for tacos, 120–121 Transparencies, 6

W Watermarks, 11–12 Watermelon slice, shot of, 265, 270 Whole shots, pizza, 63 supplies, 85 Wilton Meringue Powder, 49 Workable state, defined, 96

V Vegetables styling for serving, 86f, 87–93, 88f, 89f, 92f Video images, 6

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