Remember the days when all you could do with your food is either eat it, share it, or make others jealous of it? Well, thanks to innovations and newer generations, those days are long gone. Now, one can showcase their food to people all over the world, how they cook it, when they cook it, and why they cook it. This is done with a neat type of photography known as food photography. Food websites, blog sites, apps, channels, etc. all over the world thrive over this photography and use it to showcase everyone what they have to offer.
Who is a Food Stylist?
There’s a saying that goes like – “People eat with their eyes”. This is a notion all the above-mentioned food organizations stand by, in order to attract people. Let’s say, you’re going to order food at a restaurant. Usually, you first see the dish in the menu and then if you like it, you order it, right? Well, the better and more beautiful your food looks, the higher the chance it has to get ordered. Ever wondered who was behind arranging the food in such a fulfilling way? Definitely not the chef, it’s the food stylist!
So, who is a food stylist actually? Well, a food stylist has an important role of making the to-be-presented food look attractive in the final photograph. The amount of effort and time a stylist takes to accurately arrange the dish and present it, is the difference between how a stylist presents food and how a chef or a home cook may present the food. In short, it is the stylist who arranges the food and pays attention to the smallest detail, to make the finished photograph look so good, you just can’t deny ordering it!
When it comes to food photography, a stylist plays a very important role which can never be underestimated. For example, if you are own a bar or a restaurant, I’m sure you must be aware of the importance of your menu. The menu of your bar or restaurant is the first introduction of your food to your customers. Having great pictures on your menu can create a world of difference. How else would you attract a lot of tourists, international business travelers, and other people to your restaurant or bar? And since everyone can understand a photograph, food photography has a lot of relevance for the various bars and restaurants. The same applies to various other food organizations and websites.
The Importance of a Stylist in Food Photography
So, now that you know who a stylist is, in terms of food photography, it’s time to learn why a stylist is important. Most of the customers are keen on seeing the photograph of their food before ordering it off a menu, so that they are aware of what exactly would they be eating. For the people who belong to a different culture and are unaware about the style of various dishes, the photo of the dish plays an even more important role.
This is where the stylist’s skills come into play. He or she knows exactly how to plate the food, what details to keep and which ones to eliminate from the dish, how to make the dish look irresistible, and how to assure the customer that what they’re seeing is exactly what they will be eating. You can hire the best of profession food photographers, but that won’t mean anything unless you hire professional stylists who know what they are doing. Stylists also play a very important role in making the pictures of the dishes on your website look identical to the dishes served in your restaurant.
The Art of Diversity is Known to a Food Stylist
A food stylist is a culinary professional. Making food look photogenic is not at all an easy task, but the best food stylists come to the job equipped with an extensive range of techniques to make dishes look their best, be whatever task is required to be done.
The job of food stylists has changed as advancements in modern technology has made food photography a digital art. During the days of the good ol’ film, food would often sit under hot lights for hours at a time, while photography directors would fiddle with depths of field and f-stops. Now, digital cameras make the process much quicker and easier. Though that is good, true food stylists still work with a unique palette, which means that they face challenges most other stylists don’t even need to face. Apart from all this, it is also important for food stylists to understand the ins and outs of food videography and photography, because that way, they’ll know how a particular food item will show up on the final photograph.
An authentic food stylist will not just arrange food artfully. Often, he or she will have to make food taste delicious as well. When preparing food for cooking shows or commercials, for example, it might be a not-so-good idea to pour Pennzoil on pancakes, since the actors might actually HAVE TO EAT THE FOOD. Some laws also stipulate that the dishes displayed in advertisements must match the dishes that are being advertised. So, food stylists actually have to work a lot to make food not only look good but have a taste that meets everyone’s expectations. Phew, that’s a lot of responsibility for just a stylist!
Restaurant Promotion
It all comes down to this, because this is where you will have to decide, whether to dish out good money to hire a proper stylist. If you are about to open up your new restaurant, it is very important that you get the promoting part right. Ultimately, if people don’t hear about your new restaurant, they are not going to come. So, the best way to catch the attention of the public is by showing them the food you have to offer and tingle their taste buds.
A food stylist plays a make or break role for promotions like these. A quality stylist is properly equipped with the tools of his trade and knows how to make your dishes look flavorful on paper. That is exactly what you need to promote your restaurant and bring in the large number of customers. The importance of food stylists is not just restricted to newly-opened restaurants. People with any kind of food place, wanting to get the word out to attract more and more people, need stylists who know exactly what to do in order to make the dishes look finger-licking good.