Who's Who on Our Photography Team?

Behind every great photo is an even greater team that helped bring it all together. On our team, there isn’t one role that is more important than the others, but rather it’s the strength of the team that brings it all together. In this blog, you’ll learn more about each role on our photography team and what they need to best bring each shoot to life.

 Photographer

We all know the Photographer is the one taking the photos on set. Another way to think about this is that the Photographer is responsible for bringing all the elements of the other roles together. This includes planning the shoot in the pre-pro stage, overseeing the framework for the sets, making sure the client approves of the creative direction and, of course, taking the photos. 

The pre-production (or pre-pro for short) stage is crucial in making sure the Photographer has everything they need from the client for the upcoming shoot. During the pre-pro process, the client and photography team will discuss the types of content to capture (stills, gif, b-roll, etc), scheduling details (what you want shot on what day, when the product comes in), and a detailed shot list divided by shoot days. It’s also helpful for the client to share lots of “go-bys” so we have a visual understanding of what they’re looking for. We want to make sure the content we make for each client is in line with their brand, and “go-bys” & a detailed shot list help tremendously with this. The Photographer can then plan the items in the scene they need to highlight, the lighting setup for hard or soft shadows, and the angles they will need to photograph the scene. The more info a client gives, the better the shoot will be and the better the photos.

Assistant Photographer

The Assistant Photographer helps the Photographer with anything they need on set. This most often includes the manual labor of moving the lighting and cameras around, as well as keeping the batteries charged. They even help move sets around if we are switching between sets entirely. At times, the Assistant Photographer may be a second shooter - photographing side angles while the Photographer captures the main scene. While the Assistant doesn’t need anything from the client directly, their success is directly related to the Photographer: the better the Photographer is equipped with details from the client, the better they will be able to explain the scene needs to their Assistant.

Food Stylist

The Food Stylist prepares the food we shoot. They work with several other members of the photo team and the client to fully understand the look they are going for in the scene. Just like the Photographer, the Food Stylist needs “go-bys” to understand the style the client wants the food prepared in, as well as information on where the photos are going to live (on packaging, social media, website, etc). Part of this is going over preferences on the details of the appearance of the food, like grill marks on bread or char marks on veggies. It is also important for them to learn from the client if there is any info about how the food cooks, and if there are any major changes in color or texture they should take note of. From there, they can work with the client to create a grocery list. Not every client decides to use a food stylist, but we can’t stress enough that we strongly recommend it. Having a Food Stylist ensures that the food will be prepared on time, photographed beautifully, and last the length of the shoot.

Assistant Food Stylist

Many Food Stylists will have an Assistant Food Stylist that helps them prepare before the shoot and on-set. Their Assistant often shops for the groceries and they prep everything for the Food Stylist, in the same way a sous chef prepares the ingredients for a chef. This includes tasks like cutting fruits and vegetables and making sure they are “charged”: a preparation technique where herbs are placed in water and the lettuce on ice to ensure they look fresh (and don’t wilt) prior to the scene. The Assistant also prepares the props used in the scene, and arranges the tools and spray bottles for the Food Stylist to use during the shoot. Just like the Photo Assistant, the Assistant Food Stylist doesn’t need anything directly from the client, but when the Food Stylist knows what to do, they can better inform their assistant.

Prop Stylist

The Prop Stylist selects all the non-food elements of the scene, from surfaces to backgrounds, plates to trays, and all the colors and textures involved. Just like the Photographer, the Prop Stylist needs to know the look and feel the client is going for. Is the brand’s style classic or modern? Do they prefer muted tones or bright? Having a strong brand style helps here because it informs the kinds of patterns and colors used in the scene. They also need to know the camera angle in case they need to put an object in the back of the scene to hide the edge of the table from the camera.

 Recipe Developer

The Recipe Developer works with the client and the Food Stylist to make a recipe that speaks to the brand’s consumer. Depending on the brand, this can be a dish that can be easily made with 5 ingredients, or much more involved. Most of the recipe developer’s work is done prior to the shoot, but they may be on set if they are also the Food Stylist for the shoot.

Art Director

The Art Director makes most of the decisions on set when it comes to approving a shot and moving onto the next. They work with each member of the team to coordinate the timing of the kitchen while also making sure the Prop Stylist and the photo studio have everything they need. The Art Director has the client in mind during the shoot, keeping the team on track. They will ask questions like “Does the set look like the client was hoping? Is this the correct angle? Is the plate choice right?” They will also need to be in contact with a member of the client team on-set or virtually who can approve changes and make decisions. This is so important, because if the food sits on set under the hot lights for too long, it will “die” and lose its form.

Shoot Coordinator/ In-house Producer

The Shoot Coordinator, sometimes known as the In-house Producer, makes sure everything to be scheduled is in place leading up to the shoot day. This includes making sure all members of the team know the style of the photography the client is looking for, hiring the assistants, ordering breakfast, lunch and snacks, and organizing the schedule for the day. They usually are not on set because all their focus is in the pre-shoot preparation.  

Talent

The term “Talent” refers to anyone who is going to be featured in the shot. This can be a pair of hands, face, half body, or full body in the frame. In order to best help the Shoot Coordinator book the Talent, it’s helpful when our clients know their market and demographic so they can choose talent that best reflects the audience they are speaking to. Talent needs to be scheduled as far in advance as possible.

Carpenter

Wonder who constructs our custom scenes for our food shoots? We partner with a Carpenter who builds the set for the shoot. They source and construct any sets that the client wants to use, including elements like walls or windows. In order to build the set, they communicate with the client to be sure of the size of the set, the intricacy of the details, and how things need to be finished. (Colors and wood types can be decided at this stage.) Here at Food Photo Studio, we have a lot of indoor and outdoor sets in our library that can be easily painted if our clients are looking for a classic style.