How about taking up food photography as a career?



Eating with your eyes



The food industry has mastered the art of making food appear alluring and irresistible. A food stylist's job is to make food look great especially for the camera and have people fall in love with it even before they try it. A growing demand for gourmet food has turned food styling into a lucrative career option.



How it works



Food stylists are hired by publications, television shows, fine-dining restaurants and advertising firms to present food in an attractive manner. For a print or a television advertisement, food stylists collaborate closely with art directors and photographers to achieve a look that's right.



What to study



Food styling is part of most hotel management courses. The Government of India runs around 23 Institutes of Hotel Management and Catering Technology across India. Admissions are based on a joint entrance test conducted after Class XII.



Where:




  • Institute of Hotel Management Kolkata: B.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration Masters of Science (M.Sc) in Hospitality Administration

  • Kohinoor IMI School of Hospitality Management Khandala and Kohinoor College of Tourism and Hotel Management Studies, Mumbai: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Hospitality Studies and Catering Services. Abroad:

  • Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, Switzerland: M.Sc in Hotel Management

  • Swiss Federal Institute of Food Technology: M.Sc in Food Science.



What are the job prospects?



Usually, trained chefs become food stylists. They cook the food and plate it up in an aesethically pleasing manner. Gaining experience in kitchens, catering or doing a cookery course are essential for this job.



You can also be a food photographer. Professional photographers who do not have culinary skills hire chefs to prepare the food and then photograph it. Using lights and different camera angles, they take pictures to be published or sold. They often touch up the food with artificial elements to increase its appeal. To become a food photographer, you need to possess food styling skills too.



 



Picture Credit : Google