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06-26-2014, 06:46 AM   #1
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Motor Oil On Your Pancakes...

I spent the better part of 5am tossing around in bed, wide awake but refusing to get up. I Reached for the phone, loaded up Facebook (yes, I still play on Facebook) and started to browse around when I came across a link to an article that really caught my attention.

"Motor Oil On Your Pancakes, Shampoo In Your Cereal…" (original article)

The article talks about a few tricks that are used by the "advertising" and "marketing types" to enhance the images, such as image manipulation and staged products (using motor oil to simulate honey or syrup and microwaved tampons to simulate the steam of hot food), but one statement really seemed to bother me:

QuoteQuote:
These tricks of the trade are not harmless or just irritating, but can have serious implications to consumers. Unrealistic body images are linked to eating disorders, depression, and body shaming. Other glossy ads of grandeur can lead to overspending resulting in debt. In the least it’s dishonest, but the deceit goes beyond that in how it truly and deeply affects society and culture…all of which is will not be sparred when turning a profit is more important.

Which brings me to some questions, or pardon the pun, food for thought:

1. As photographers, professional or otherwise, what are your thoughts on common elements of photography such as product (model) staging, the use of specialty lenses and image manipulation? Aren't all images manipulated in one way or other before publishing?

2. Do you see image manipulation and "camera tricks" as deceitful when it comes to advertising? When photographing a wedding and retouching the blemishes of the bride?

3. What are some "tricks of the trade" that you have used, or have seen used, when it comes to photography; either in relation to advertising, publications, professional services, et cetera?

06-26-2014, 08:06 AM   #2
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I remember reading or watching something on this topic, and one of the ones that struck me as interesting was turkeys -- they're frozen solid and the outer parts are cooked with a blowtorch. That way they look cooked, but they don't fall apart when someone tries to move them.

Wikipedia has some interesting bits:

Styling techniques
In addition to choosing, preparing and composing plated food, food stylists use numerous techniques to make appear the food as attractive as possible. These may include:
creating steam with cool air nebulizers or a combination of chemicals that give off smoke that gives the appearance of steam;
spraying food with water or mixtures of water, corn syrup, or other liquids to keep food looking fresh;
making a mixture of solid shortening, corn syrup, and powdered sugar (essentially a very stiff frosting) that can be scooped to simulate real ice cream;
using a variety of browning agents (usually mixtures used to brown gravies or sometimes heat activated liquids used in commercial bakeries) to enhance the color/brownness of cooked meats and poultry;
using heavy cream instead of milk in bowls of cereal to prevent flakes from becoming soggy too quickly. The use of white glue is generally discouraged, and is not usually encountered. (as most cereal companies prohibit this practice).
blanching green vegetables to just bring up their bright color, rather than cooking them completely. Other vegetables and foods may be cooked just to color, so they do not brown or become wrinkled if they must stand under the camera for a while.
adding water to beverages so light will filter through better and add sparkle to the drink.

Cold beverages
To create the effect of a thin layer of condensation forming on the outside of glasses containing cold liquid, dulling spray may be applied,[11] with paper or masking tape protecting the non-"frosted" areas. More pronounced condensation and dew drops are imitated by spraying the glass with corn syrup or glycerin.[12]
Ice cubes used in shoots are made of acrylic, so they do not move or melt during the shoot, which may take place under hot studio lighting.[13] Fresh-looking bubbles on the surface of drinks are created by applying a mixture of the drink and detergent to the surface with an eyedropper.[14] White glue may be used in lieu of milk,[11] and a mixture of brewed coffee and water instead of tea.[15]
Salads[edit]
Salads in food photography are composed with a view to creating appealing textures, shapes and colors. To improve support and aid in composition, salad in a bowl is built around a smaller bowl placed upside down in the outer bowl.[16] Salad greens are kept fresh and crisp by misting them with cold water prior to composition.[17] Salad dressing is not normally used, as it makes the salad slippery and difficult to style, but the appearance of dressing may be created by sprinkling herbs and spices over the wet salad, or mixing them in oil and applying it with a brush.[18]
Fruit salads are particularly challenging to shoot because of the short time the fruit pieces, which are cut immediately prior to final photography, retain their appearance.[19] As only the outer layer of the salad is of interest, the concealed interior of the salad bowl may be filled by mashed potatoes or another mixture.[20] Thick or heavy dressings don't photograph well; they are usually thinned and applied by brush.[21]
Hamburgers and sandwiches[edit]
Hamburger photography is challenging because the buns dent easily and an assembled burger is quick to lose its visual appeal.[22] When assembling the burger, the ingredients are held in place with toothpicks and the meaty interior of tomato slices is removed to avoid juice discoloring the ingredients.[23] The meat patties are superficially cooked, the edges browned with a torch and the meat made to look more appetizing with a colorant.[24] The edges of melted cheese slices may be brushed with household cleaner to make them look freshly melted longer.[25] Condiments such as mayonnaise are applied to the edges with an applicator bottle.[26] Steam is normally used to suggest the burger is hot.
Sandwiches are assembled using similar techniques. Wet paper towels are used to prevent the bread from drying out. If a half sandwich is to be depicted, the bread and the components are individually sliced with scissors and assembled in place.[27]
06-26-2014, 08:10 AM   #3
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See, I find this all very interesting and clever. Do you see any issues with the way products are styled, or do you think is all a natural part of the trade?
06-26-2014, 08:40 AM   #4
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I don't have any issues with this. This is the reality of studio photography. Ice cream melts fast. Pancakes get soggy and syrup quickly gets absorbed. No company is going to buy photographs of nasty looking food. I also seriously doubt that the picture on a package is the cause for a customer overeating or going into debt. The real issue here is creative freedom. Years ago, catalogs, ads, and packages had artwork. Companies hired commercial artists to create images to help sell their products. Studio photographers are doing nothing more than exercising creative freedom to create a pleasing image for a customer. How is a photograph of a product using some look alike ingredients, like white glue instead of milk to avoid several trash cans full of waste, deceiving, while an artist drawing an image of of the product not?

06-26-2014, 08:46 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
This is the reality of studio photography.
Exactly my feelings, although not expressed as eloquently as you have done.
06-26-2014, 09:10 AM   #6
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Two thoughts jumped to mind:
1) Those of us of a certain age might remember a time when we'd sit around the kitchen table and look at old family pictures. Even if those photos weren't wrinkled, torn or faded, there were lots of issues to contend with; lack of clarity, poor focus, inaccurate colors (or lack of any at all!), small size, etc. We enjoyed those pictures nevertheless. Parts of our brain leading to warm & fuzzy were stimulated, totally unrelated to those expressing dislike of technique or criticism of photographic ability. We certainly can't go back to a time when equipment was so bad that the pictures we looked at were merely reminders of what the photographer saw and our imaginations played a greater role. Maybe all we really need to do is adjust our attitudes.
2) I tend to do more shooting than post-postprocessing, so my opinions are undoubtedly skewed by that, but I do also lean toward the "less is more" approach. I can tolerate a modicum of image manipulation without my psyche saying "okay, well, that's just wrong". It's not a clear line of demarcation, although, like the Supreme Court's views of pornography, I know "too much" when I see it.
06-26-2014, 09:22 AM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by BiggTexx Quote
1. As photographers, professional or otherwise, what are your thoughts on common elements of photography such as product (model) staging, the use of specialty lenses and image manipulation? Aren't all images manipulated in one way or other before publishing?

2. Do you see image manipulation and "camera tricks" as deceitful when it comes to advertising? When photographing a wedding and retouching the blemishes of the bride?

3. What are some "tricks of the trade" that you have used, or have seen used, when it comes to photography; either in relation to advertising, publications, professional services, et cetera?
The way the questions are worded make me think the answer should be "Don't ask us to do your homework for you. The professor gave it to you, not us."

I don't have a problem with the way this is done. I find it rather fascinating. It's certainly *possible* to make a burger that looks just like it does on a McDonald's billboard without having to apply special effects… it just won't look that way for very long, and it would take more effort than a McDonald's worker would have time or inclination to do.

Now, the photos of food they use on some frozen food packages (like TV dinners, but I dunno if this is still a problem, I haven't purchased one in probably 15 years), those are straight up false advertising - when there's no way it could ever look like that, and the package shows twice as much food as it actually contains.

06-26-2014, 09:44 AM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by narual Quote
"Don't ask us to do your homework for you. The professor gave it to you, not us."
Dang, do those really sound like homework questions? And is that a good or bad thing? lol

@jamarley - I completely understand what you are saying, but isn't there a time and place for different types and styles of photography? I don't imagine anyone stages and works hours on touching up photos from family reunions, holiday gatherings at grandma's house and so forth, but for professional sessions like weddings or the advertising styles talked about here, wouldn't you consider staging and post-processing a part of the job? You are trying to produce the best image possible after all.

@narual - I think we are both on the same page here. I have known many companies who lure you in with 'pretty pictures' and demonstrations that appear more appealing than the actual product; however, it is not necessarily false advertising when the functionality and message are the same, right? Expectations vs reality in a way...

I don't know, maybe this article just rubbed me the wrong way. I almost took at it as a stab towards the photographers for producing quality and realistic images, even if they specifically called out "advertisers" instead of the photographers themselves. I have met a lot of marketing and advertising professionals that can dream up ideas, but it is always the photographer who puts it into effect and provides that final product.

On an unrelated note, is it normal to pace around the front door waiting for a shipment to arrive from B&H? UPS has already missed the 10:30 delivery deadline
06-26-2014, 09:54 AM   #9
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I'm noticing that most of the replies focus on the food aspect, so i apologize for getting too philosophical in my prior post.
Now, as to those food issues, tricks of the food photography game are nothing new and probably totally necessary considering the circumstances.
Conclusion:
my viewfinder needs to say "serving suggestion, actual file results may vary from your expectation"
06-26-2014, 10:01 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by jamarley Quote
...so i apologize for getting too philosophical in my prior post.
Nothing to apologize for IMO, that is the type of discussion/input I was looking for. It may have been brought on by the article about food, but I think this covers all aspects of photography.

QuoteOriginally posted by jamarley Quote
"serving suggestion, actual file results may vary from your expectation"
You may want to go ahead and copyright that one...
06-26-2014, 10:06 AM   #11
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The reality here is that the picture on the McDonalds billboard has little to do with whether the customer eats there. Most people are very familiar with McDonalds menu. The picture might sell the burger to you once but if you don't like it, you get something else. As a traveler, the billboard tells me there is food ahead. Do you want to stop now or in another hour? Chances are also very good that if McDonalds has a location there, so do a couple of other chains as well as a local diner or cafe. If this is on an interstate, every restaurant at that exit benefits from the billboard. If a picture of a burger was involved, it was of little importance.

Could I make a TV dinner look like the package after I cook it? Maybe, but I never would. It's a convenience food. The picture might sell it once but if it tastes bad, it won't be bought again and the company that makes the dinner will go broke quickly without repeat sales. That is true of any product. Corporate profits come from repeat sales. The ad only gets the customer to try it once and has little value after the initial sale. I'm all for honest labeling of ingredients. That concerns me far more than a picture on the box. I want to know what I'm eating, how much fat, how much sodium, etc.
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