[GH85Carrera]

Food photography can be fun, but to make it look right is a real pain. I don't know if it is a law or just a code of conduct but all the food photographers I knew used real food and nothing that was not edible except the props like the plates and silverware. Jello was usually made with tow or three times the gelatin to make it photograph better and often the product was not really cooked properly to be eaten. To get a turkey to look like the Norman Rockwell paintings it was mostly raw inside and just the skin was browned to a golden perfection. If it is really cooked the skin is all ugly looking.

Sometimes things were sprayed down with a spray bottle of oil or water to get the shine on some foods just right. I was at one shoot where the lady preparing the pies for the shoot might bake a dozen apple pies to get one just right for the crust on top. The other pies she would put back in the oven and finish cooking and let the crew pig out.

One time we were shooting a TV commercial for a local ice cream chain. They were promoting banana splits. They sent us several of the huge square tubs of ice cream and an entire stalk of bananas that had hundreds of bananas on it. The ice cream would start to melt real fast under the very bright lights. We were using 35 mm Panavision equipment and special turntables and equipment. It is hard work to make it look just right. I was just a helper with the lights and equipment.