So now that we’ve figured out some of the things that give us that appetite appeal, take a look at these two very different pictures from separate stories in the current issue of Saveur, just a few pages apart.

…
The left image is admittedly tame, possibly a bit “old school” in its approach because of its subject, use of a human element, vantage point and color palette.  The right hand image is  an example of a new trend: overhead angle, unusual colors, smears on the surface.  Um, what is it?

I think the first image is pretty, but conventional.  In the second image I think the photographer is trying to create art by using food as the medium.  There’s a certain shock value in the image – the blue highlights, and the very clear showing of what appears to be fat, or gristle.  Fashion photography uses shock in a similar way.

Hmmm … what do you think?