Just got to read this blog as I’ve been googling food photography. I am representing an up-and-coming food photographer who does not “style” the food. She’s really talented, as she comes from the Baldemor clan. Her philosophy is that she does not “touch” the subject, but lets the lights and shadows do it to make it more enticing. Hope you can “feature” her in one of your blogs. Just email me or give me a call/text at 09209048659 so I could set up a “photo date.” Her name’s Charming Baldemor. Truly talented.

Tes Lariosa

Your photos look very good to me. I’d rather see honesty written over a photographed dish although i must say too that food stylying is an art in itself.

— Now, that IS dishonest. But that’s not the food stylist’s fault; it’s the client’s. The times I’ve worked with food clients, they were very strict about shooting the food exactly how it would be served. When ads or menus aren’t realistic, the client should be blamed. The food stylist is just following directions. :-)

I do feel I have to come to the defense of pro food stylists and photographers. As someone who’s worked with them for years, I know for a fact that what they do IS indispensable. It’s a bit unfair to call their work “tainted” or “unpalatable.” It really isn’t too different from putting makeup on the models you see in fashion magazines — just as most people are more enticed to buy clothes when they see it on a pretty girl modelling it in a beautiful setting, they are more likely to buy food products or try a recipe if the finished dish looks like something they aspire to achieve at home. The key word here is “aspire.” Most of us can’t look as good in a dress as a model does, just as most can’t make food look as good as in the photo. But the ideal makes us want to try. In general, the goal of food stylists and photogs isn’t to make the food look so impossibly perfect that no one could replicate it — just as good as it can possibly look. (In contrast, fashion mags do often Photoshop models and celebrities to the point of unrecognizability.)

I think it’s also important to point out that although food can be photographed for still pictures in magazines or cookbooks in a totally realistic way — no “trickery” involved at all, as Gourmet proudly boasts — TV commercials or any other *moving* medium are a completely different deal altogether. Until someone invents ice cream that doesn’t melt under hot lights for hours on end, or ingredients that can move the same way take after take after take, or make all fruits available all year-round, the fakery is necessary. I agree with Mila, though, that wasting food is a shame. However, the truth is that there really isn’t that much that’s thrown away. In fact, using only real food would cause more wastage, since you’d have to use more of it to get the perfect shot.

Sorry for the long comment. Just to be clear — this is NOT meant as a rant against anyone, least of all you, MM. I only wanted to respond to some of the comments made here and in Awesome Planet, because (with all due respect to bloggers) one truly should not compare photography for blogs and professional photography.

One last thing: have you heard of the Gorilla Pod, MM? It’s a really cool, portable tripod that you can bend every which way and even attach to all sorts of things so you can easily take your photos from any angle without constraint. I think you’d love it, as I do!

All the best to you and continued success with this blog! We’re all looking forward to your book. :)