meats and vegetables to look moist and properly prepared. Cooked steaks are most appealing when shown rare or medium rare. Foods do have the tendency to dry out on the set, so photographers must work quickly once the food has been placed in front of the camera. Most photographers will do their preliminary set ups with stand-in serving dishes without the food. Lighting and composition can be fully set up in advance of placing the actual food in the shot. In this way, everything (including a Polaroid test) is ready by the time the food is brought out, requiring only minor adjustments and then bracketed exposures. Hot food will look steaming
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and moist; cold food will be frosty and fresh. Many art directors and photographers are purists when it comes to the use of real food as opposed to fake props. It is a matter of choice and philosophy. For those purists, only real frozen ice cubes will do; real whipped cream has a slightly smoother texture (and a slightly warmer color) than shaving cream; real fresh fruit is a little softer-looking than wax copies. But occasionally even the purists will have to resort to an artificial prop. A required fruit may be out of season, or if Fall leaves are planned as background or props for a Spring or Summer setting, obviously the use of silk ones or air brushed real
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ones will be necessary. Catalog products like serving dishes and cooking items are frequently accessorized with food. The atmosphere and appeal is as important in shots of this type as those in which the food itself is for sale. The main difference, though, is that the prop food must not overpower the actual items of merchandise that are being offered. If the propped food is overpowering, commanding too much attention, then the bowl, tray, casserole dish or cooking pan will get lost, resulting in lost sales. A good rule is to use less (rather than more) food props. A slice of quiche will show the use of the quiche dish while not taking over
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