Food Styling (Book with DVD)

There are certain situations in which the way food looks is actually more important than how it tastes. Food styling is the art of arranging food so that it looks tasty and fresh. This is important in a number of situations, particularly when the food is being photographed. For instance, the pictures of food that you see in cook books, magazines, advertisements, and menus
have been styled. Although these pictures may have the power to make your mouth water, it may not even be edible.

Professional food stylists have several tricks up their sleeves to make it appear as delicious as possible. Similar to what makeup men or hairstylists do in a fashion shoot, a food stylist does the same in tabletop makeup and plays the major role in preparing and presenting the dish placed before the camera. This is a very specialized line of work and takes years of experience to learn the tricks of the trade and understand the properties of food. Food stylists are needed by still photographers as well as the cinematographers who shoot television commercials (TVCs).