There's a stylist on my platter

For a while now itrsquos not just actors whorsquove had to don the greasepaint before facing the arc lights Food in all its fragrant and delish avatars has moved out of our kitchens to grace cookbooks and be whipped up on demand for TV food shows Naturally it isnrsquot an easy job to paint such succulent flavourpacked visuals after all behind every such frame are the notsopretty details While itrsquos possible to make a person emote and act in front of the camera a curry will stay a curry it depends on the photographerrsquos craft and even the stylist to visualise the final image of that curry and whether to add or negate elements for that perfect frame Stew from Rampur shot by Ashima Narain for the book Dining with the Maharajas Pics courtesyRoli booksAshima Narain Mumbaibased Michael Swamy chef author food stylist and photographer tells us ldquoThe biggest challenge in food photography is shooting within 1015 minutes as after that your food is deadrdquo One of Swamyrsquos latest projects is photographing for The Spice Route Westland Books Masterchef India 2012winner Shipra Khannarsquos book of recipes Jodhpurrsquos Laal Maas ldquoAre you aiming for something healthy experimental or traditional Itrsquos important to decide what you are trying to create as it has to interest people This is where props and setup comes inrdquo says freelance photographer Anshika Varma who photographed and styled the food shoots for Ritu Dalmiarsquo latest book Diva Green Fixing on the kind of emotion and approach you aim for with your dish plays an important part Get the basics right ldquoFirstly look for good lighting and composition With focus on texture of food and colours think about the backgroundrdquo says awardwinning photographer Ashima Narain However Swamy cautions that your props should not take away from the food Swamy tells us that a lot of cheating and tweaking also goes behind shoots such as use of oils gels and sprays to make food look glossier Sometimes bowls of food are also padded up with cardboard at the bottom for dishes such as salad to look full ldquoI donrsquot like to use that too much but it depends on the client If you are shooting readytoeat food like soups glycerine is what you see in most images finally If itrsquos freshly cooked you have the liberty of colours and good plating therersquos no need for even air brushingrdquo he reveals Dahi Chaat styled and shot by Swamy ldquoI take an organic approach towards my photographs People look at photographs for an experience it has to look real and interest people in eating itrdquo says Varma She also relies on symmetry as it helps add an extra element to your dish Varma is currently working on a book on Awadhi cuisine and is shooting around Lucknow to incorporate the local cultures and the role they play in the recipes Photographer Anshika Varma relies on symmetry to add an edge to her food photographs PicAnshika Varma The good the bad and the ugly Swamy feels Italian food is easy to shoot while Narain prefers desserts especially Western varieties Swamy also loves shooting dishes with modern styles of plating Both agree that Indian and Asian cuisine especially curries are difficult to shoot ldquoWhile vegetarian and nonvegetarian doesnrsquot make much of a difference it is very difficult to shoot curry Itrsquos liquid and there isnrsquot much texturerdquo explains Narain ldquoIndian food always has family portions and curries and gravies are either brown or green I call it lsquopotty foodrsquo he chucklesrdquo says Swamy Ashima Narain andu00a0Michael Swamy Bring out the forks Cutlery plays an important part in food styling and helps determine the mood of the dish ldquoIf you are going for a traditional setup you need to keep the colours in mind but cutlery can always help add to the theme You can mix up things a bit to make finedine dishesu00a0look approachable with earthy platingrdquo says Varma From the chef39s mouth Vikas Khanna It is not just about putting a plate in front of your readers but creating an ambiance around it People look at food and aspire to cook it and hence it has to be inspiring The main criteria I have for photos in my book is obviously it has to look edible and second it has to match up to international standards Countless international titles are available in India and you have to take it up a notch But at the same time you have several professionals here today to help you as well as stores to help with props for shootsu00a0