Making food look amazing on set is as much the job of the food stylist as it is the photographer and retouchers. Here are the tools that a food stylists uses to get the job done.
There are loads of hoax videos online about food photography and the styling processes that take place (I wrote an article on it here). Although those videos are pretty far fetched, there is a lot of skill and craftsmanship involved in food styling. Understanding how food should look, taste, and feel is paramount, but having the right tools to achieve this is as important as the photographers camera.
I am sure that you have seen a million "What's in my camera bag videos", I certainly have and even ten years in, I still very much enjoy them. This video goes into what a food stylist carries in their bag, how they use them and what they use them for. From circle cutters to scalpels and right through to the right tweezers and surfboard wax.
Unlike photography, you can't do a degree or any form of formal qualification in the UK for food styling, so you really have to know what you are doing and have a thirst for knowledge. There is also a real lack of information on YouTube about food styling. Apart from assisting, there really isn't a straight forward way to learn the job.
How much of this have you seen be pulled out during a shoot?
Nice one! That's going to help out a lot of people.
I've an old IKEA drawer set on wheels that full of much the same stuff.
I use Pritt Buddies, I guess its like that white tack you have. I also have black tack that can I used to stick GoPros all over our racing motorbikes. Totally the other end of the tacky spectrum.
The rotary cutter. Have a look for Olfa Circle cutter. I couldn't live with out it for the reason you mention. (probably could, but you know what I mean)
oh cool. I have been looking at car mechanic trolleys with draws for that and to double up as a tether table or food prep table.
I've never heard of black tack, sounds useful (jumps onto amazon)
If you don’t find it, holler. I’ll dig through my invoices to find where I bought it. It’s really like poop on a blanket. Fantastic stuff for really locking stuck in odd places.
Is it this>? https://www.amazon.co.uk/PROtastic-Industrial-Strength-Black-Putty/dp/B0...
Looks pretty much the same. I checked where I got mine. Animation Supplies in Worthing. All sorts of goodies there that come in handy (I was a modelmaker in a previous life)
Thanks, I’ll check it out