While chefs are becoming valuable
branding options for hotels and resorts,
their food photo styling skills and
time are limited. Coordinating all the
team members to prepare for a food
shoot can be a big task for an in-house
marketing department and equally
challenging for outside agencies that
don’t understand chefs and kitchen
culture.
A food shoot is unique because the
main focus is a product that degrades
quickly and may look flat or tired on
print or film if not handled properly.
And, those uber-talented chefs are
tricky to lure out of the kitchen.
The camera shows significate detail and
therefore requires specific preparation
that will go beyond the typical skills of
most chefs. Great flavor doesn’t always
translate to a great photo. Shooting
food falls outside the standard lifestyle
shoot as well; which aims to capture
environmental details that set a
scene or mood and not a close up of a
particular menu item.
Stunning food photos, boost social
media accounts, highlight new
offerings in print and digital media, and
attract the attention of millennials,
health-conscious travelers and meeting
and incentive professionals. Whether
the engagement is thru digital media
or print, organizations will want to have
compelling images to showcase new
offerings.
The key to getting beautiful food
content is in the details. And, it starts
with the creative team. Whether your
organization is working with an outside
ad agency or handling the details
in-house, a stylist, especially when
shooting food, is an essential part of
the creative team.
Due to tighter budgets, many stylists
may take on more of a producer role
as well - filling in the gap between
in-house creative marketing teams,
culinary departments, agencies
and photographers. This type of
92 ILHA
coordinated communication effort
keeps all key players on the same page. and photographer to shoot in different
locations on property.
Top skills a stylist can bring to the
photo shoot Meet branding objectives and make
sure the shoot runs on schedule.
Central point of communication
between in-house marketing, ad
agency, photographer and culinary
team, understanding the different
needs of all key players. They make
sure the shoot runs smoothly and have
extensive culinary knowledge. Many
have trained in restaurants and have
culinary degrees and have significant
production experience. From cooking
to baking, they can take the culinary
brand to the next level for all your
print and digital media. A stylist is
often the photographer, and marketing
departments greatest asset, ultimately
making your shoot productive and
cost-efficient. Make food look delicious on camera.
A great photographer or videographer
can only shoot what is put in front
of them. They can retouch some
imperfections in post, but they can’t
make a dry steak surface look juicy and
they typically don’t style food under
the camera unless they are also a food
stylist.
Make sure that each shot looks
appetizing, delicious and is consistent
with the properties branding. Think
make-up artist and wardrobe stylist for
food.
Fine tune and test recipes for print and
help chefs craft new menu offerings.
Take the lead on coordinating a shoot.
Established stylists have years of
experience working on sets, so they
know how to organize a shoot, work
with creative talent and set the scene
to get the shots you want.
Assist chefs and the creative team
with preparing for a shoot. Create a
communication document to define
roles.
Provide creative direction and work
with art director and marketing team
to ensure images reflect the properties
branding.
Create a more polished and refined
look. Work with prop stylists or provide
props and surfaces to support the
mood and style of each look. Create a
curated look for each shot eliminating
or minimizing the need for the stylist
Key to a successful food shoot
Determine the overall objective of
the shoot and confirm the marketing
budget before hiring the creative
team?
Hire a photographer skilled at shooting
and professionally lighting food.
Hire a creative team that has a wide
range of skill in achieving different
looks.
Keep communication streamlined.
Great food shots are meticulously
planned. The textures, surfaces, accent
props and lighting will set the mood for
each dish.
Determine the shot list well in advance
of the scheduled shoot. Ask what
needs to be photographed and how the
photos will be used. Are the marketing
objectives realistic for the budget and
time frame?
The food will need to be prepared
specifically for the camera. Extra
product and garnishes will be needed to
get the shot.
Most chefs feel their work is going to
look great on camera. In some cases
that would be true, specifically if it is
highly stylized, however, often their
lack of food styling skills, knowledge of
propping, lighting will create significant
limits to what the photographer will be
able to capture.