A Lesson From 7th Avenue

Throughout my creative career, which has varied from rummaging around dusty fabric stores snagging swatches on 7th avenue in the heart of New York to testing recipes for my cookbook, one thing that has been the constant thread throughout is that storytelling matters. Not only through the written word but visually as well. In my final year of design school, we had to design a complete ready-to-wear collection and construct one of the looks for our capstone collection. (It was a lot of work, to put it mildly!) Before we even started the designing and sketching process, the professor wrote on the board, “What story do you want to tell?” We were puzzled for a minute as it seemed rather too conceptual, but as we delved further into the meaning of that question, it became the constant light we would refer back to in the designing process. Each look had to be cohesive yet reflect the overarching theme, detail, emotion… It gave me a point of reference when I felt creatively tapped out. Little did I know while sitting on that cold stool with a blank sketchbook in class that this pivotal question would come full circle again - albeit shooting a rhubarb tart, not a lace-bustier!

This rather conceptual creative process was the foundation for switching gears to photography. Before beginning any product shoot or recipe, ask yourself that same question, “What story do you want to tell?” Regarding marketing your work and attracting new clients, Ariana Huffington aptly put it, "People think in stories, not statistics, and marketers need to be master storytellers.”

So while preparing to share your content (whether it is used for a marketing campaign or not), consider these five key shots I use for a cohesive and beautiful visual story for a brand, recipe, or product. In addition, I write down “the story” in a sentence or two and map out the color palette. Incorporating these elements will sharpen your visual voice and your photographic eye and attract new partnerships and clients that align with you. I try to stick to this formula for any journal post (when I have the time, admittedly!) with a recipe or a brand partnership. Over time it will become second nature to you, making your creative process more efficient and intentional.

Isn’t that what we’re all after? Below you’ll see an example through a recent spring story I created. Here’s to you sharing your story! x

1. Atmospheric

This type of shot establishes the mood and feeling of your story. It may not even include your main subject, but it is the essence of the feeling you want to evoke. It could be a lush garden with sunlight streaming through the foliage or the dusty pink sky at sunset. This shot sets the tone for your entire story.

For this roasted rhubarb tart, I wanted to create a light, springy, birds chirping type of feel. My mulberry tree is full of berries right so it felt like the perfect spot for a cheery spring scene with the dappled sunlight streaming through the leaves.

2. Ingredients

For a recipe, gather all of your ingredients and style and shoot them reflecting the story you want to tell. I like to include several related props and make it as much of a lived-in scene as possible, without looking too perfect or styled. It feels more authentic when the viewer can picture these in a specific time and place.

Rather than showcasing all the tart ingredients, I focused on just a few interesting select few that didn’t make the shot feel too crowded or heavy. I also too into consideration the size, color, and heights and layered the composition within the frame.

3. Process

This shot brings and engages the viewer into the scene. I treat it like an invitation, as if someone was sitting nearby, watching me on make or cook the dish. There’s no right way to show the process, but lean into the story you are trying to tell. The more life you can add to the scene, the better - be it your hands, someone else’s, a child, or a pet (Winslow is my go-to!)

For this shot, I wasn’t loving the highlights and reflection of the sunshine on the jam and the metal tart tin wasn’t very visual appealing either. Rather than focusing on a more obvious or blatant shot, I wanted to create a more suggestive angle with the spoon in the background and the pretty jam jar in focus. (This particularly works if the scene of making or cooking the dish isn’t attractive.) It’s subtle yet clear, as if I just stepped away for a moment. And Winslow was off-duty!

4. Finished Dish

I like to shoot the finished dish styled in two ways, both unserved and served, simply because there is no going back once you cut it into a pie, for example! I like to style the scene as I initially planned, then mess it up as I go along as if it’s a snapshot in the middle of a meal or whatever your story is. You’ll find that the best images are the last (at least for me, they are!) Capture several different angles as you work, such as a close-up and wide-angle, so you have a variety of options to choose from. I find that the dish reveals its best angle in time while you play and try different styling. Also, I like to include as much “life” or lived-in elements as I can, like point #3.

Since the tart is dusted with powdered sugar, I found that the more colorful props I added, they detracted from the delicate and spring feel of the tart. Instead, I focused on a close up rather than the tart as a whole. It feels captures the dainty, airy essence of the overall story. Less is more in case (in my opinion!)

5. Time & Place

Lastly, similar to the first atmospheric shot, I like to capture the entire scene and surrounding area if it helps relay your story. It rounds out your story and cements the story in a time and place. This could also be the tablescape that features your main dish, but think of it as a wider perspective to finish your story.

To finish this cheery, spring story, I styled the tart in a picnic setting that still had the similar color palette I carried throughout with a few new suggestive elements like the bubbles, basket, daffodils, and book. It sets the tart in a time in place for the viewer to imagine: someone enjoying a beautiful sunny spring weekend relaxing on a grassy lawn, watching the garden slowing coming back to life with new blooms…