Posted on 05/19/2014 8:51:43 AM PDT by upbeat5
Blowtorches, tweezers and glue: These are just a few of the items used to create those mouth-watering restaurant ads.
To make food look as appealing as possible, food stylists and photographers use a range of instruments, good lighting, fresh ingredients and attention to detail. These tricks of the trade help explain why restaurant meals from the drive-thru often look very different than they do in promotional images.
"Nothing is just plopped down and put in the center like it is when you order at a restaurant," said Jean Ann Bybee, owner of Bybee Photography and co-author of a pair of books about food styling.
During shoots, stylists use tweezers, toothpicks, scissors, small blowtorches, paper, tape, glue, pins, paint, oil and glycerin to manipulate and enhance food, Bybee said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
I can see how that would work - we have a family joke about a time, many years ago, while flying, my sister was served a little cup of whipped butter and she thought it was whipped cream and downed it before my parents could stop her (yeah she was like that) - the look on her face was priceless to the family. Served her right for thinking she was going to eat dessert before her dinner.
My wife told me a story about when she went to a dealer way back in the early 90s. They had a car she liked sitting on the lot. She got in, and asked the salesman what the SRS stood for that was on the dash. He tried to tell her it was a performance upgrade. She looked at him, laughed, and walked out.
There’s two bugs on the guy’s shirt! In addition the pic was taken in the ‘60’s ie: Pocket protector; haircut; glasses; tie. (Must have worked for Bill Gates.)
The funny thing is, that all backfired. Kinda like Archie Bunker. He was not supposed to be a sympathetic character, but he ended up being one, primarily because so many identified with the BS he had to put up with. Gang-bangers identifying their turf with pictographs, crap food, numb-nuts all over trying to screw everyone over. The guy just wanted to see his kid.
LOL - what a great idea... Either bring a picture from an ad - or point to the picture on the board. "THIS is the taco I want"... Great one latina.
I had a favorite curry rice restaurant when I worked in downtown Tokyo. The owner/chef made a great curry rice for a reasonable price, but operated on a shoestring. He rented a floor above a fancier restaurant and had a small display at the entrance to the stairs, so he put out the actual food. He probably ate it before he closed the shop for the day.
Several decades ago, Campbell soups were accused of adding marbles to bowls of soup in their advertisements. The marbles would force the meats and veggies to the top, making the soups appear to be more filled with them.
Given the general level of nastiness among fast food workers in some establishments, I would be concerned about doing that if the food got out of my sight after being sent back.
“Food is one of the tougher things to photograph and actually make look good. With actual fast food off the line its pretty much impossible because it starts out looking like crap.”
....’starts out’ looking like crap.”
Looks like it.
Smells like it.
Tastes like it.
Could it be .... ?
High quality “prop” food for photography or display is not cheap at all.
I once was in a Taco Bell and a customer came back to the order counter with some sort of Burrito thingy she just had been served. Looked awful and was just plopped on a serving dish. Taco Bell was pushing this particular item at the time. The customer told them that she wanted her food to look just like that picture (pointing to advertisement on counter). They took it back and reserved it. I didn’t see what it looked like as I had to leave.
I hear they use oatmeal as a “meat filler”, unless that is an urban legend..
Maybe not and that includes some of the plastic food sold in Japan. But when measured against the cost of a professional photographer spending a couple of hours to get it to look exactly right and all the other associated costs, it is at least competitive.
Way back when we had to tinker with our TV a repairman told me the best way to adjust the color was when food was being shown. I eyes are very fussy about food color.
Cooked ground beef is a problem once it gets cold, and it will on a photo set before the final shot is achieved. All manner of things get used to work around the problem of fat congealing, things like that, that the camera will pick up on and ruin the shot. I’ve never heard of oatmeal being used for this purpose but would not be surprised.
Not so sure that getting more of whatever it is Taco Bell puts in their food is doing yourself any favors.
nice
Have you any idea what studio lighting does to ice cream? It's almost impossible to photograph.
We did the advertising for an ice cream chain and we overcame the problem by a.) installing a large freezer at the edge of the set and b.) hiring a "professional ice cream dipper" (there is such a job specialty).
At that, you're still constantly dipping and switching...
At one time, especially sculpted and painted plaster was used to stand in for ice cream at photography sessions. And I understand why...
Oh I wasn’t making fun - I can’t imagine even using butter as one freeper mentioned - I actually thought using mashed potatoes was very clever
Making fake food for display, is a really big thing in Japan.
Why don’t most actors and actresses look like they do on TV?
The food in an advertisement has been made up - airbrushed, etc., until it has little to do with the real appearance of the prepared food. The only limitation on doing this is that the food actually has to be edible for a VERY broad definition of edible.
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