SO MUCH MORE GOES INTO FOOD STYLING THAN MEETS THE EYE. (AS JULIA CHILD FAMOUSLY SAID, “IF IT’S SO BEAUTIFULLY ARRANGED ON THE PLATE — YOU KNOW SOMEONE’S FINGERS HAVE BEEN ALL OVER IT.”) AT THE RISK OF DISPELLING THE ILLUSION BY PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN, HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF FOOD I HAVE CREATED FOR PHOTO SHOOTS.

CHALLENGE
It was a tall order, finding pastries for these photo shoots that looked home made and worked with the products we were trying to highlight.

STRATEGY
So, rather than seeking out different bakeries who could provide us with exactly what we were looking for, I decided to make them myself.

SOLUTION
Every tart, cake, cookie, brownie, petit four, cupcake, and even the lemon meringue torched cake were created by me. And I was able to come up with different concepts for styling that highlights the versatility of the bakeware and tableware.

CHALLENGE
When photographing food, best practice for authenticity is to use the actual product. But ice cream is a category unto itself because it melts so quickly, especially under studio lights.

STRATEGY
This is indeed food, but it isn’t ice cream. Can you guess how I created ‘ice cream’ for this shoot?

SOLUTION
The solution is very ice cream like in texture, consistency, and color, but it didn’t melt, and I was able to control the drips.

CHALLENGE
There’s something so satisfying and palpable about the perfect condensation on a glass, no? But controlling that condensation in real time is tricky, to say the least.

STRATEGY
For this watermelon margarita I used adhesive tacky spray and a misting water bottle to recreate the effect of condensation.

SOLUTION
The illusion of a delicious, thirst-quenching summer treat that gave us the flexibility to try multiple angles and shots while we got the perfect one.