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Food Styling – what is that? Yes, many people ask if this is really a job. Others think it sounds so ‘glamorous’ – ‘it can’t really be work’ they say.

Food styling has become a bit of a buzz word over the last few years… many foodies dream of creating beautiful food images for magazines, cookbooks and websites. It is a job that requires a passion for food and an eye that sees all – the camera doesn’t lie! Believe me the camera sees all, so the produce and food must be perfect.

Good food knowledge and formal food skills are also a must – the food must be expertly cooked or it won’t look ‘good enough to eat’. Food stylists train for many years and have a wide and enormous culinary skill – food looks very different once photographed and it takes skill (often many years of practice) to create this on a plate.

Our team on Kcuisne is made up of a group of 3 or 4 – depending on the size of the shoot and then there are several people behind the scenes too.

Steps to a Kcuisine food shoot

• Discussion with Peter McInnes / KitchenAid or between myself & Bianca  (the other Peter McInnes food consultant) on the style / appliance or season the recipe needs to feature in. This may have been briefed from agencies or magazines etc according to scheduled recipe features or planned product launches.
• I develope and create the recipe – double and triple testing until the result is perfect!
• The props are sourced – purchased and or leased or sometimes they are owned by me or Bianca – yes, everything including the season of the food or colour even right down to the napkin or size of a teaspoon – everything is considered.
• The day or so before the scheduled shoot – grocery shopping, equipment and props lists are completed. And all preparation is in full swing – often a cake is baked the day before the shoot- so it will cut firmly, or ice cream must be made the day before so it will ‘scoop’.
• The shooting day usually begins around 6 am with a stop off at the market for the freshest possible produce) and ends around 6pm. Mostly ‘available day light’ is used. This creates a natural feel to the shots.
• The final shots are sent from the James (the photographer) to the designer from here they are used in magazines, websites and all advertising.
• Bianca proof reads and edits the recipe putting it into the Kcusine style & format and this follows with the images.

Now the question you are possibly most wanting to know…..do the food team eat all the food at the shoot? – absolutely!

Here we have James taking a shot.

The Team discuss the look needed.

Here I am making Pastry for the next recipe.

The team is looking over the next image.

The next shot.

A working Studio!