It’s always interesting to see how something was created.
In this case, the good people at the global photography site, Feature Shoot, rounded up some photographers through OFFSET to spill the beans about how we worked through a challenging shoot.
For me, I knew hands down, it would be anything to do with ice cream. The interesting side note, though, was not so much the ‘how I did it’ version, but that the ‘it happened at all’ version – because of keeping my eyes open to what was developing in front of me, and not what was on my shot list.
My share:
This particular image was part of a larger campaign of individual flavors of sorbets, gelatos, and tartufos for Madisono’s Gelato, and happened serendipitously.
My client didn’t want a commercial/packaging look in the images, and after hiring me based on the “feel” of my images and styling, asked that I attempt the styling myself.
I was up for the challenge, and after a little online research on shooting/styling ice cream, I felt prepared.
I wanted the shots to vary from more perfectly scooped to less perfectly scooped stages, so I created a variety of scoops with each flavor in order to have choices.
I kept those scoops on a parchment-lined sheet pan, placed in my freezer. What was most interesting, and ultimately the highlight of the shoot, was that, at one point, I looked at the collection that was growing on my board and realized I loved what was happening organically.
At the end of the shoot, I brought this collection of ‘kept’ scooped flavors out onto my set (lit by natural window light) and created a few shots in various stages of frozen and melting – this particular one being my most favorite.
*Being able to recognize that something visually wonderful is “developing” is a skill that should be as valued as the technical aspects of photography.
To read what the other photographers had to share about their most challenging shots, go HERE.
