A woman whose job it is to make food camera-ready has revealed the techniques behind her most mouth-watering ads.
Marilinda Hodgdon,
who got her degree in ceramics and metal sculpting, has been a food
stylist since 1978, using her artistic eye to make everything from ice
cream to pasta look as appealing as possible.
She told ABC News that the biggest challenge of her job is not just rendering food picture-perfect, but accomplishing that while also maintaining its authenticity to the real-life product.
'If it's, say, Burger King, or a fast food chain, everything must be according to a standard,' she explained.
'I have to slice a tomato exactly to their specification; I have to use their meat and their rolls and their cheese and their condiments... It has to be representative of what the real thing is.'
A big part of her job is attention to detail, and Ms Hodgdon is a perfectionist when it comes to getting the photo exactly right.
She claims, for example, that she has sifted through hundreds of sesame seed buns before to find the perfect one for a hamburger shot.
The former sculptor, who ran a home renovation company before becoming a food stylist, says her unconventional background gave her the skills necessary to excel in the field.
Her knowledge of ceramics and sculpture, for instance, gave her 'a great sense of color and design and texture and drama' which she was able to translate into food styling.
Much like a make-up artist, she carries a tool bag to each job, complete with brushes, Q-tips and spray-cans filled with olive oil to prep her food before it gets in front of the camera.
There are some widely-used tricks of the food styling trade - like adding water to beverages before photographing them so that light will filter through and add sparkle.
For the most part, however, Ms Hodgdon tries to avoid these somewhat deceptive tricks, using her own creative techniques instead.
She says, for example, that a mark of a truly talented stylist in her field is being able to create a picture-perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream, which tends to melt quickly in a spotlight.
Indeed, while many stylists use mounds of Crisco bound together with corn syrup to simulate ice cream, she sticks to the real stuff, painstakingly creating a new scoop for every single camera take.
Some of Ms Hodgdon's work includes commercials for Friendly's, Applebees, Dunkin' Donuts and TGI Friday's as well as print ads for Publix and Cool Whip.
She's also coming out with a book detailing her life as a food stylist, with food shots styled by her and shot by photographer David Bishop.
Food styling has long been an important part of advertising and film, but the rules and regulations that stand today came about after an incident in 1970.
That year, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation of the Campbell Soup Company and discovered that they were photographing bowls of soup with glass marbles inside to make the liquid look chunkier.
Since then, Ms Hodgdon and her fellow food stylists have had to follow a strict set of advertising guidelines.
But that doesn't mean she doesn't get creative when it comes to getting the right food photos
When, for example, a director asked her to style meatballs so that they'd bounce when they landed on sandwich bread, Ms Hodgdon was quick on her feet.
Since meatballs are too light to bounce, 'I cooked t[them] with lead weights inside them,' she revealed.
Marilinda Hodgdon,
who got her degree in ceramics and metal sculpting, has been a food
stylist since 1978, using her artistic eye to make everything from ice
cream to pasta look as appealing as possible.She told ABC News that the biggest challenge of her job is not just rendering food picture-perfect, but accomplishing that while also maintaining its authenticity to the real-life product.
'If it's, say, Burger King, or a fast food chain, everything must be according to a standard,' she explained.
'I have to slice a tomato exactly to their specification; I have to use their meat and their rolls and their cheese and their condiments... It has to be representative of what the real thing is.'
A big part of her job is attention to detail, and Ms Hodgdon is a perfectionist when it comes to getting the photo exactly right.
She claims, for example, that she has sifted through hundreds of sesame seed buns before to find the perfect one for a hamburger shot.
Perfectionist: She claims that she has sifted
through hundreds of sesame seed buns before to find the perfect one for a
hamburger shot (pictured: a Burger King ad by Ms Hodgdon)
The former sculptor, who ran a home renovation company before becoming a food stylist, says her unconventional background gave her the skills necessary to excel in the field.
Her knowledge of ceramics and sculpture, for instance, gave her 'a great sense of color and design and texture and drama' which she was able to translate into food styling.
Much like a make-up artist, she carries a tool bag to each job, complete with brushes, Q-tips and spray-cans filled with olive oil to prep her food before it gets in front of the camera.
There are some widely-used tricks of the food styling trade - like adding water to beverages before photographing them so that light will filter through and add sparkle.
Tools of the trade: Much like a make-up artist,
she carries a bag of brushes, Q-tips and spray-cans filled with olive
oil to prep her food (pictured: a Cool Whip ad)
For the most part, however, Ms Hodgdon tries to avoid these somewhat deceptive tricks, using her own creative techniques instead.
She says, for example, that a mark of a truly talented stylist in her field is being able to create a picture-perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream, which tends to melt quickly in a spotlight.
Indeed, while many stylists use mounds of Crisco bound together with corn syrup to simulate ice cream, she sticks to the real stuff, painstakingly creating a new scoop for every single camera take.
Some of Ms Hodgdon's work includes commercials for Friendly's, Applebees, Dunkin' Donuts and TGI Friday's as well as print ads for Publix and Cool Whip.
Keen eye: The stylist, who has done ads for many
food chains, says her knowledge of ceramics and sculpture gave her 'a
great sense of color and design and texture and drama' which she brings
to food styling
No faking: Many stylists use mounds of Crisco
bound with corn syrup to look like ice cream, but Ms Hodgdon sticks to
the real stuff, painstakingly creating a new scoop for every single take
She's also coming out with a book detailing her life as a food stylist, with food shots styled by her and shot by photographer David Bishop.
Food styling has long been an important part of advertising and film, but the rules and regulations that stand today came about after an incident in 1970.
That year, the Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation of the Campbell Soup Company and discovered that they were photographing bowls of soup with glass marbles inside to make the liquid look chunkier.
Professional: She is one of the most in-demand
people in an industry where the best stylists get paid up to six figures
annually (pictured: a deviled egg styled by Ms Hodgdon)
Life story: Ms Hodgdon is soon coming out with a
book about her time as a food stylist, with photos taken by David
Bishop (pictured: a shot of baked arctic char form the book)
Since then, Ms Hodgdon and her fellow food stylists have had to follow a strict set of advertising guidelines.
But that doesn't mean she doesn't get creative when it comes to getting the right food photos
When, for example, a director asked her to style meatballs so that they'd bounce when they landed on sandwich bread, Ms Hodgdon was quick on her feet.
Since meatballs are too light to bounce, 'I cooked t[them] with lead weights inside them,' she revealed.
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