Chewing the Fat: The Dirty Secret Behind Food Porn

Why come Whataburgers never look as good as on the billboard? ThisPiggy.com addresses this common lament with a photo gallery comparing fast-food marketing photos and the often pitiful reality.It begs the question, though, how do they get the food to look so good for the ad? Not squishing the bun...
Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

Why come Whataburgers never look as good as on the billboard? ThisPiggy.com addresses this common lament with a photo gallery comparing fast-food marketing photos and the often pitiful reality.

It begs the question, though, how do they get the food to look so good for the ad? Not squishing the bun helps. But the shiny and radiant glow must come from somewhere, right? Well, Photocritic.org put together an odd list of tricks and materials used by photogs to create beautiful food porn.

Motor oil and shoe polish are just the tip of a clever iceberg of tricks.

Many of the techniques were devised to assist photographers as much as marketers. Hot lights can melt cold items and wilt lettuce while ketchup and mustard might ooze out or soak the bun–all long before the photographer gets the shot.

When news happens, Dallas Observer is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.

We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If the Dallas Observer matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.

$30,000

Now, how do Chinese restaurants get their buffet line crap looking so good for publication?

GET MORE COVERAGE LIKE THIS

Sign up for the Food & Drink newsletter to get the latest stories delivered to your inbox

Loading latest posts...