Here's a brief overview. There are two types of still food photography: editorial photos for a book or periodical and advertising photos. Understandably, advertisers want their product prominently featured and in full focus. Editorial work allows for greater creativity on both the part of the photographer and food stylist than advertisements. In the professional world, the food stylist and photographer work together to create the look.For the purpose of this article, I will focus on editorial work. Within this genre, again there are primarily two types of shots: process shots known as step shots where a technique or action is captured and explained and straight editorial shots of food. Step shots are always clear and in perfect focus throughout; editorial can be artistic.[Edited by Moderator on 2/12/2010 8:57:36 AM]
Food photography changes with the times. It's tied to fashion. Below is a general summary of the styles from 1960-2006.In the 1960s, the look was highly stylized. Food was presented with an abundance of props, some totally unrelated to the dishes. You'd see dead pheasants adorning a table, perhaps a bowl of fruit in the background to fill the frame. Copperware, fine china and crystal were the norm. Shots were using wide angle with a group of dishes or photo spread. The angle was generally straight on, and the lighting was very direct. In the 1970s, we began to see food shot on location, the styling, though a bit more casual, still featured a large amount of colorful, props. The use of ethnic props, such as a sombrero in a Mexican spread, was commonplace. The trend of wide-angle shots with several dishes and condiments in the frame continued. Lighting continued to be fairly direct, but a greater variety of angles began to be used -- straight on, from above, etc.In the 1980s, the food itself started to take prominence over props. Often only one dish is featured in a photo. Casual entertaining is in full swing and food styling has become less 'formal' but maintains a sleek, styled look. Garnishes that matched the flavors and complement the ingredients became important. The garnishes were used to add texture and color contrast to the main dish. Props were used to match the theme or ethnicity of the food and were generally colorful. The lighting has become more varied to create mood. No longer is every item in full light. Food is in full focus and the introduction of shooting food within its cultural context was introduced. In essence, the look was a clean carefully crafted casual look with no crumbs, no spills and nothing out of place.In the late 1980s to the mid 1990s, the casual trend continued. Lighting became more experimental, the perfect props were carefully chosen, more DOF in photos. Casual home-styled food was in vogue as well with chef-styled food that began to hit the scene. Chefs architecturally designed food -- layers of ingredients, colors, dots and squiggles of sauces, and dustings of cocoa or powdered icing sugar on the plate became popular. Plate rims were often decorated with minced herbs.During this time, shoots took hours, sometimes days. We set up the shot, took a Polaroid, then moved things and relit until everything looked right. We worked mostly in the studio under hot studio lights. Large format cameras were the norm, though a few photographers began to use professional 35mm cameras. It often took a few days to see results and sometimes a re-shoot occurred. Then came digital. [Edited by Moderator on 2/12/2010 9:05:22 AM]
What a joy! Digital brought immediate results -- the stylist and photographer could see their work without waiting. Freedom at last!From the late 1990s to 2006, there were two prime food stars; professional chefs and the new home chef. Food programs took the television by storm. Food was stylized with precision and eye-catching composition. Professional star chefs work was a prominent fixture in the food scene, but received backlash from food writers such as Australias Donna Hay. Often raw ingredients, such as dried mushrooms, noodles or spices, became an important feature in photography, both as solo shots or to complement finished dishes. Styling became minimal; rules were broken. Fuzzy photos were in vogue for a time, but gave way to photos with good DOF. Colorful plates and backgrounds vanished for a time, replaced by white plates, white background. Props vanished for a time. Shooting within cultural context vanished. Slightly melting ice cream or whipped cream, cake crumbs or breadcrumbs, (previously a no-no and carefully removed by tweezers) now remained on plates and cutting boards. Garnishes still matched the ingredients as a compliment in color and flavor. Sometimes, non-food items, such as chopsticks, porcupine quills and shells were used by food stylists to set mood. In general, the unpretentious presentation of the average home-cook became the look. Stylists and photographers created the homespun sense just as carefully. Shots generally focused on one dish and were often close-ups. It was food photo minimalism.Where are we now? The natural look is it. We have found a bit a balance again. Color has returned, but white on white, if done well, remains fashionable. Style is casual and comfortable. The look is a bit less fussy -- toss a few herbs as a garnish and let them land naturally. A bit of dripping sauce, a tad of melted ice cream, a few crumbs, a slice of meat less than perfectly cut -- all these things are fine. But so are the precise compositions of the star chef. Anything goes, but do try to create atmosphere and make choices that enhance the subject. Any lighting can be used -- natural, soft, mood, direct. Any type of angle. Shoot within the cultural context or just the food itself. Does this mean that styling is unnecessary? Absolutely not. In a professional environment, the stylist and photographer need each other to create this look.
Good cooking and baking skills and a knowledge of food chemistry are required for the professional. Most professionals learned their trade by assisting others. Most have chefs training and art training or an eye for artistry. Few have formal so called food stylists training , but now some courses are taught in culinary schools. A non-professional, who takes time and pay attention to detail, can style relatively well. Just remember, the camera picks up everything. Current considerations in styling include color, contrast, composition, propping and garnishing. When garnishing, consider the ingredients in the recipe or the cultural context of the dish. If youre making a Spaghetti Bolognaise, theres no way that a garnish of dill is appropriate. If youre making a non-descript average dessert -- dont stick several cinnamon sticks out the top -- particularly if the dessert has no cinnamon -- rather use tuiles or rolled cigarette cookies that can be eaten. Dont put orange wedges on a raspberry dessert just to get color contrast. Such things dont make culinary sense and look amateurish. Think within the context of the recipe or culture unless youre doing a spoof on bad cuisine.In the early years, faking it was the norm. Recipes werent made to specifications, but for styling. Things may not be cooked fully or made a bit out of order, but for the most part the integrity of the dish is maintained. Whats important in food preparation is to maintain color and texture. Take rice for example, undercook it slightly so the grains remain separate and toss them in a little cooking oil if necessary to create a bit of shine. Undercook meat, poultry and fish so it doesnt look dried out. Find the best looking produce in terms of shape and color and try to maintain the color, even if its cooked by blanching in salt water and refreshing it in ice water. Err towards underdone -- after all no one is really eating the food.In the old days, a roasted chicken was partially cooked a chicken and painted it with motor oil to get some color. Today, we still partially cook or undercook fish, meat or chicken to keep it plumper. Poultry and meat can be painted with soy sauce or Kitchen Bouquet, and various other concoctions, then seared briefly to get the perfect color. Before green veggies were olive green. Today, we blanch vegetables in salted water, refresh them in ice water to stop the cooking process and maintain the bright color. Before we used to dye tomatoes, apples, oranges, lemons etc with food coloring; today we find the perfect specimen and use it as is. Before we used to make fake ice cream out of powdered sugar, hydrogenated fat, such as Crisco, and food coloring, but now the real McCoy is often used. We still go through boxes of crackers or packs of hamburger buns to find the perfect one. And no, we rarely use real coffee in a shot because coffee is oily and an iridescent film of oil forms across the top and creates a reflection. Today we dont take a slice of cake and carefully reconstruct it with skewers, crazy glue and tweezers. Instead we merely leave it natural and clean it up to acquire a good photographic composition. A final note, which you all probably know, always use fresh herbs for garnish and keep them chilled until you are ready to use them. Cut that perfect lemon slice or find the perfect ripe tomato. Sure you can fix some imperfections in photoshop, but theres nothing like the real thing.
You may have some of these and definitely wont use all of them for a shot. Depending what you shooting, you may find a tool in this list that will make you styling easier. Kitchenware shops arent the only places to look. The hardware store is a stylists paradise.
There are two main ways to create atmosphere-- props and lighting. Because props are an essential component of atmosphere, what you use creates the tone. Find props that have the right character -- be it ultra chic and modern, antique, broken-in, ethnic, ornate or plain. Remember, the camera picks up every imperfection, so unless you want to see it, remove it.Props include cloths, backdrops, table linens, napkins or serviettes, tableware, pots, cutlery and pure atmosphere pieces. Think of an antique coffee mill in the background for a coffee shot. Often something used for another purpose can be a wonderful prop -- an old ivory box can look wonderful holding spices or tray of black beans holding up a canap made with cherry tomatoes stuffed with crabmeat and cilantro. A slab of glass set over a bed of nails becomes a table. Silk scarves become a great textured backdrop. Anything goes as long as it works within the context of culture and contributes to your concept. Be inventive, be creative and by all means have fun. There is only one book on the topic: Food Photography and Styling by John F. Carofoli. ISBN: 0-97259874-0-5 Good info, but some things have changed since the original publication. The book was updated in 2002.Part Two will address Food Photography and Lighting.