Many commercials can create mouth-watering effects, especially when it comes to food. But did you know that many photographers often use clever techniques to save money and time? From mashed potatoes to motor oil, here are some of the most creative tricks used by commercial photographers!
Spray deodorant for shine
Spray deodorant is used for a multitude of purposes in commercial photography. One of the spray deodorant’s main uses is to add shine to various types of fruit. It can also be used to create a frost-like effect on the outside of drinking glasses.
Glycerin as water
Glycerin is an ingredient that can be used to create long-lasting water droplets in photography. It is often mixed with water to create “sweat,” which is then put in a spray bottle and sprayed on models. This glycerin and water mix can also be sprayed on drink bottles and glasses for long-lasting water droplets that will stay in place.
Cotton balls as steam
Commercial photoshoots can sometimes take up an entire day to complete. With that in mind, there are not always chefs who can bring out steaming hot food every few minutes. That is why many photographers soak cotton balls in water and put them in the microwave to create steam. This source of steam lasts much longer than steam that comes from a plate of food.
Motor oil on pancakes
Pancakes with syrup, anyone? Nope, try pancakes with motor oil instead. Not literally, that’s toxic. Stylists often use motor oil in replacement of syrup because it spreads slower and takes longer to seep into pancakes.
Shoe polish for steak
Have you ever seen a commercial from a restaurant where they bring a hot, perfectly seared steak to the table? You might be surprised to find that many steaks in these ads have not been grilled at all. Instead, they are cooked a faster way, such as in the oven. Then, shoe or boot polish is painted onto the steaks to create those perfect grill marks.
Mashed potatoes as ice cream
Mashed potatoes are one of the most commonly used hacks in food photography. Due to the lower cost of this high-volume ingredient, many photographers use mashed potatoes to fill their plates. For example, a burrito might be stuffed with mostly mashed potatoes, with the actual burrito filling only showing at the surface. One of the most popular uses of mashed potatoes in photography is to serve as ice cream! Mashed potatoes are useful in this case because they don’t melt as ice cream does, and our eyes can’t tell the difference!
Glue as milk
Another popular photography hack is the use of glue. In most food photography cases, glue serves as milk in pictures. This trick is helpful when taking pictures of cereal because it won’t get soggy, and the individual cereal pieces can be placed discretely.
Do you know of any other photography tricks? Let us know @VALLEYmag on Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter!
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