What is a Food Stylist?

Do you ever wonder who makes that food in magazines that looks so perfect? Or the 40-foot-high burger on the movie screen that an actor eats; it almost looks unreal doesn't it?

A Career as a Food Stylist

It is a food stylist's job to prepare food to have its picture taken. They gather information from the photographer, producer and client and then come up with an idea of what the food should look like, how it is to be arranged, what colors should come through, etc. Food stylists work in varied locations, from a warehouse to a dressing room to a tropical rainforest that should have a believable iced cinnamon roll in it.

Becoming a Food Stylist

A career in food styling can be hard to find. But not because the jobs aren't there - they are. But food stylist is not a degree you can graduate with. Food styling is more of a career route you can take after graduation. You should begin with a strong desire and talent to cook. Then graduate from high school, experiment while you can, enroll in culinary school and focus on what you do best, meanwhile trying to pick up classes in food styling.

Depending on your school, introductory courses can sometimes take the form of a weeklong seminar. After graduation from culinary school, check in to working as an assistant to a food stylist -that's how you get your "in" and also all of your experience and clientele. It is very important that you assist a professional and learn the skills vital to this industry.

Some skills and traits that you should possess include: good baking and cooking skills, good organization, be personable, be overflowing with creativity, be confident with a sense of humor to be rivaled, have a sense of when to lead and when to take direction and it is very important that you be flexible. In your scheduling, your life, and your ability to prepare foods, you need to be flexible.

Tricks of the Trade

Work and pay can vary in food styling. A top stylist in a big city can earn between $450 to $850 per day and that depends on whether they are working in editorial work or advertising work. Food styling can mean long days. The original pitch can come early in the morning and you may not finish up the preparation until late afternoon. Then the photo shoot can last until late evening. However in the end you have an amazing piece that speaks to customers and that makes it worth it. Technology is helping change this industry a lot. Digital photography makes it easier to eye the finished product and decide if it is indeed finished or if there is still more work to be done. Where you live will determine what type of work you can get, how much of it and how well you will be paid.