A video posted by McDonalds Canada reveals how they stage the burgers for photographing them. They shift each layer backwards (bun, meat, etc) so that the ingredients of the layer are more visible when photographed. The top bun ends up being a few inches backward compared to the bottom bun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSd0keSj2W8

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alt227 an hour ago | parent | next [-]

However, the buns on the Japanese menu are much more obviously askew than other countries menus, which is the interesting point I imagine the OP was getting at.

Compare for example with the UK images which are much more symmetrical:

https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/menu/burgers.html

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lostlogin 30 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

I used to work in food photography (in an admin role).

Sprayed on glycerine for condensation on cool things. cigarette smoke for steam.

It was super nasty, but the photos looked good.

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Barbing 25 minutes ago | parent [-]

I was told once everything in those food photos in the United States had to be edible. You could substitute sour cream, but not glue, for whipped cream. I wonder if that was true.

	▲	riffraff 19 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I remember reading a book in the '80s where one of the characters was a food photographer and mentioned that some kind of plastic had to be used for the cheese in hamburgers or it wouldn't be realistic. But also many post 2000 claims that it was all actually real food because of various "truth in advertising" regulations around the world. The linked Canadian McDonald's video would be one example.