Food Photos in Advertising

[johnb]

(I promise I'm not taking a slam at anyone here ... it's just a thought that popped into my head awhile back.)

I recently saw a critic's review of a restaurant, and thought how beautiful the dishes looked. Then, I thought to myself, wait a minute ... this is a news publication; not a marketing brochure. Do these beautiful photos reflect reality, or not? And if not, then why are they in there?

(Personally, the reason I don't like taking pictures of dishes is because I think it completely diminishes the value of the prose. "A Year In Provence" seems trite now (Peter Mayle completely jumped the shark with "Toujours Provence"), but it was a salivating read when it first appeared; I think photos would have harmed it.)

(Was Peter Mayle really the author of "What's Happening To Me?!)

And now for something a little bit different. This article appeared in the NYT today. The video is especially interesting. How food ads get made. And I learned a new term -- "tabletop directing."

[hm212]

I still think that they go too far. One day in the not too distant future a major food chan will get sued for their commercial vs. what actually is served in their restaurant.