Have you ever seen a picture of a particular restaurant’s dish on social media, finding it hard to hold back the drool coming from your mouth, with all the other elements in the photo in perfect harmony with the dish itself? That’s the work of none other than a food stylist.
Food styling is still very much an up and coming niche in the food and beverage industry. A food stylist works in conjunction with the photographer, on the placement, arrangement and garnishing of the food, to make it look more visually appealing to an audience. He/she also works closely with the chef. While a chef’s job is to prepare food for consumption, a food stylist’s job is to prepare food for the camera. The food stylist must be able to translate a chef’s vision from a three-dimensional dish to a two-dimensional photograph.
Another essential skill a food stylist must have is an understanding of a camera’s perspective. They will need to understand the limitations of this medium, and try to maximise the effect of the dish through it. For example, if the dish you’re photographing is a curry, arrange a few spices and condiments around the dish to lend more authenticity, and to give the audience a feel of what it might taste like. As a food stylist, you have to be able to conceptualise multiple elements and presentations for the same dish.
While there are a number of institutes that offer short food styling courses, there isn’t a specialised degree in the field. Although, a general culinary degree seems to be the prerequisite. This is why most food stylists are former chefs, as their holistic knowledge of food gives them an extra edge over those who don’t have any prior degree.
However, you can also begin your food styling career as a hobby, and then take it up full time as your workload increases. Food stylists also may be employed full time by magazines, restaurants, hotels, ad films, print ads or food product brands, but a majority of them are freelancers. If you’re someone who has an insane passion for food, loves to cook and has a knack for photography, but does not have any formal food education, there’s room for you too. You can kickstart your career in this industry by interning or assisting an experienced food stylist.
As exciting as it may seem, food styling comes with its own set of challenges too. Shoots are often high-stress environments but you will have to deliver exceptionally even under pressure. Some shoots can go on till the wee hours of the morning, and some shoots begin much later than expected. You may also face hurdles in the availability of resources for your shoots, clients changing the brief at the last minute or you might even have a personal emergency pop up. You may also have to deal with clients who want to work with the least possible budget, thereby affecting your pay grade, or clients who want you to replicate a concept used by another stylist, thereby restricting your creativity. But if you’re passionate about your work, nothing will keep you delivering effectively.
In recent times, Instagram has become quite a popular medium for food stylists to showcase their work. If you’re someone who aspires to be a food stylist, here are some Instagram handles you must follow –
Deeba Rajpal @passionateaboutbaking
Shivesh Bhatia @bakewithshivesh
Amrita Rana @amritaoflife
Julie Lee @julieskitchen
Sam Linsell @drizzleanddip
Simon Andrews @simoncooks
