Turning food into eye-candy: Bengaluru's professionals pursue food styling

By Ipsita Basu

BENGALURU: The love for food and the way it looks on a plate are driving many professionals in the city to take up food styling as a serious, and even, second profession. And, they are looking to make an impression through blogs and pictures. Food stylist, photographer and blogger, Ambica Selvam quit her 12-year-long career as a learning and development professional to follow her love for all things culinary .

"I love sharing moments from my life through food. Through this, I discovered my love for food styling and photog raphy," she of fers.Selvam, besides being a food stylist and photographer, also consults on recipe development and menu planning.

Avid food enthusiast and stylist Ashwin Iyer, more popularly known as magicplateman in the city's food circuit, has a similar story to share.An IT professional with close to 15 years of experience and now with Infosys, Ashwin gained fame as a food stylist and photographer through pictures posted on his social networking site.

"About a year ago, some of my friends told me to take it seriously and put it out for the world to see. I started posting in various food groups, which soon became very popular. Thanks to one of my follow ers on a food group, who referred to me as magicplateman, the name became synonymous with my creations and carried me forward," he says.Iyer who is an art lover and considers himself an abstract artist, is now transitioning into a food stylist and photographer and also consults parttime. Naveen Suresh, also an IT professional, started food blogging and styling a year back.

"It all began when I started writing reviews for Zomato, which became popular and gradually transformed my passion and pastime into a serious hobby ," he offers.

However, food styling is not just about making food look good. There is technicality behind each photo shoot. Ambica's advice: "Learn and practice. The aim should be to evoke response from those looking at it. Put your work up for criticism, listen to feedback."

Adds Ashwin, "People are very clued in to food now thanks to numerous food channels and travel experiences. Food is no longer something to just satiate one's hunger. It has become an experience for all senses. I feel there is lot of potential in this field with the numerous restaurants and food apps cropping all the time."