How food photographers trick you, part 2
Perfectly roasted chicken, steaming green beans, a large bowl of mashed potatoes: you see it in a photo, but it isn’t real. Food photographers use all kinds of tricks with the food to make sure it looks delicious in the picture.
RocketJump Film School investigated how the traditional Thanksgiving menu is photographed. It quickly became clear to the students that a lot of hairspray, motor oil and superglue are involved. And what do tampons have to do with a cozy family dinner?
Superglue under the wings
Turkey straight from the oven looks delicious… but not for long. After a while, droplets of fat appear on the skin of the roast chicken or turkey, the skin sags a little and wrinkles form on the legs. So how can such a tasty piece of poultry still look good on camera? It only goes into the oven for fifteen minutes, just to make sure no more liquid comes out of the chicken. The wings are glued onto the chicken with superglue, while pins keep the skin in place. Then that naked chicken gets a lovely color, for example by brushing it with dark motor oil, or browned butter mixed with a little soy sauce. Tasty bird – until you sink your teeth into it.
Hairspray on the beans
The green beans are nowhere near cooked either. They are blanched briefly and then placed in a dish. A thick layer of hairspray over the beans makes them keep their shine, so they look as if they have just come out of the pan. Just before they are photographed, a knob of butter is placed on the – by now cold – beans. A paint stripper is briefly aimed at it, so the butter melts slightly for the photo.
What? Tampons?
And the large bowl of mashed potatoes at the family dinner? Fortunately, that part is real. But what you cannot see in the photo is that tampons have been inserted underneath the mash. They are soaked in water and then heated in the microwave. That creates the little wisps of steam you see curling up from the mashed potatoes. Completely fake!
Read also:
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- 11 disturbing food photos you will want to forget as quickly as possible
- Absolutely delicious: chicken satay toastie, and easy to make too
Source: PetaPixel
