Fast Food photography by Graham Precey
Food photographer Graham Precey has photographed fast food for a number of years now, for the likes of McDonalds, KFC and O’Neils and numerous smaller independent chains such as Polo Campero. Trying to make those burgers and chicken legs and breast look good is quite an art in many ways. Firstly, you need an excellent home economist/food stylist. The home economist must be very patient and accurate and able to visualize exactly what the client wants. Most of the time they will have a visual reference to go by but some companies train their home economists on how they like their food to look and how to achieve this.
To make a burger for instance, they need to create a ‘build’. What is a build you might ask? Well, its making the perfect burger. The best buns will be chosen. Sometimes there is a bun and burger casting. Yes, a casting. We photograph a large selection of buns and cooked burgers . Each one is numbered and then people vote for their best buns and burgers. Sounds barking mad and it is!
Some companies dislike and don’t allow the retouching of their product. They want the food photography to be exactly as the product actually is. Each component is weighed accurately and a log is taken when and where the photograph was taken. So, if someone at a later date says this burger isn’t what it is supposed to be, the company can say, actually it is and further more, we have the proof to back it up.
As for chicken, invariably the purchase of a lot of chicken is required. It is not unusual to have a large van with trays upon trays of chicken breasts and legs laid out carefully. Invariably , pieces of fried bread crumbs are still needed to be stuck with super glue to make the perfect chicken leg or breast.
Other companies are more relaxed and don’t mind a little bit of retouching to make the product look good especially foreign companies who don’t appear to have such stringent rules and regulations on accuracy as we have here in the United Kingdom. But on the whole. I would say the fast food we photograph is real. It is just made to look very good. Liken it to a fashion model who has been made up to look good for a shoot.
As for lighting, food photographer Graham Precey tries and make it look as close to natural light as possible. Invariably, the main diffused light is to one side, close to the still life table. Then he adds smaller lights to the side and back. Depending on what the art director wants. Its important you don’t over light food. A bit of shadow isn’t a bad thing. On saying that some companies hate shadow. Its invariably a compromise!
This blog was created on the 3rd July 2014 by food photography expert Graham Precey. Graham as well as food photography, also shoots drink photography
some latest work for a well known fried chicken company.