Remember the number of times you saw an ice cream ad on the television and wanted to get a tub for yourself? Or the time when you saw a juicy piece of chicken and called your favorite restaurant to order a bucket to feast upon? What if we told you that all the images that you saw on these ads were not real food at all. Well, maybe not completely fake food, but they were fabricated and were added with non-edible ingredients to make them look appetizing.
Ever wondered why restaurants add a note saying the images of the food that you see on the menu is only for representational purposes? The answer is simple. Everything from engine oil to shoe polish is used in food photography to make them look appealing to the viewers. Do not believe us? Well, read on to know all about the four shocking food photography secrets that will make you question everything you see!
Shaving Foam for Cream
When was the last time you craved to dig into a piece of cake after seeing a picture or video of it somewhere? What if we told you that the cream that made you drool wasn’t actually cream but a generous serving of shaving foam? Food photography or any product photography uses a lot of lights and artificial settings. All this generates a lot of heat, which might make the food melt.
The cream would melt onto the cake or pie and make it look anything but appetizing. That’s why photographers use shaving foam in place of whipped cream on desserts rather than actual cream.
Potatoes for Ice Cream
Ever wondered how many scoops of ice cream go to waste in the process of filming a commercial for the same? We have the answer and that is zero! Yes, not even a bit of ice cream goes to waste while shooting a commercial as there is no ice cream used in the first place.
Instead, they use mashed potatoes, lard, powdered sugar, and color to get the perfect texture of ice cream. Sometimes, they also tend to use shortening and corn starch to get the perfect finish. No wonder the scoops remain the same even under the glaring heat of the lights used in the photoshoot.
Makeup Sponge for Burger
We all surely remember the number of times when we ordered a burger seeing the image on the display menu and getting deeply disappointed in seeing how small and soggy the burger actually looks. Well, you are not alone. If you wonder why this happens, the reason is simple. While your burger has patty and meat in it, the burger in the ad has a sponge and toothpicks in it.
While toothpicks help in holding the ingredients in place, the sponge helps the meat look puffy and appetizing. Besides that, they also use a heating gun to heat the cheese, add some vegetable oils to make it look juicy, and the toothpicks come handy in holding the lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese together. Wow, imagine biting into a burger that is used for the shoot!
Glue for Cereal Bowl
The perfect bowl of cereal from the ad or the box looks so perfect. The crunchy portions of the cereal floating atop the bowl, the fruits perfectly in place, and the milk so thick. It looks and feels so delicious that you cannot resist the temptation to have this healthy snack. However, it never feels the same when you make this breakfast at home. The reason for that is simple.
The ingredients that go into the breakfast cereal bowl are the same as what you include at home — the cereal, fruits, and honey. However, what changes in the ad is that, while you add a glass of milk, they add a mixture of glue mixed with water. Yes, it is the glue that holds the crunchy cereals on the top of the bowl and prevents it from getting soggy or sinking to the bottom.
Cardboard for Pancakes
The pancakes look fluffy, fresh, and nice in the pictures because they use cardboards and toothpicks to build the stack, but also use motor oil in place of maple syrup to make it look appealing. As the motor oil does not get absorbed into the pancakes, it will continue to look fluffy until the shoot ends.
Well, these are just a few dirty tips the food photographers use to allure you into buying these foods. How many of these tips have you fallen for?