After helping her with a shoot for Edible Vineyard, food author Sarah Waldman approached Massachusetts-based photographer Elizabeth Cecil about taking pictures for her upcoming book. Since Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed working with Sarah on their first project, she was more than happy to accept the offer. The concept behind Sarah’s book was to give readers an authentic peek into her family and real-life plans for making dinner work. The book focuses on seasonal meals, Sarah’s family, life on a small island, as well as dinner recipes for guest families each season. Elizabeth’s task was to make pictures that matched this feeling.
To plan for the book, Sarah and Elizabeth met with the publishers at Roost Books to discuss their overall approach. They shared inspiration and ideas with Creative Director, Daniel Urban, and Editor, Jen Urban-Brown to outline the entire book. During this process, Sarah and Elizabeth sketched out a plan for the book and served as stylists, gathering props for each recipe and shot. Once shooting began, the pair was able to fine-tune the book’s outline based on what they came up with.
The book was shot in a season, so we had time in between each round of shoots to assess what we had done and what we still needed to make the book feel complete, cohesive and authentic to Sarah’s cooking and home life.
Because Sarah has two small children, Elizabeth needed to work around their school/childcare schedules for the recipe shots. Since the main theme of the book was to highlight family in day-to-day cooking, Elizabeth incorporated the kids naturally into the photos, having them help in the kitchen, eat meals and just be a family.
Sarah and I quickly learned how to work together so the shoots were very natural and fun even though we packed a lot into each session.
To achieve an airy, light-drenched look, Elizabeth primarily used natural light. When the situation required it, she used bounce cards and reflectors to fill in shadowed areas. Because she only shot real food, Elizabeth didn’t use anything artificial like glue or hairspray which sometimes appears in commercial food shoots. This meant Elizabeth had to work fast, accounting for the fact that food can expire quickly. She also needed to be adaptable and quick on her feet in case something went wrong.
A lot of photography is problem-solving, so when something doesn’t feel right or isn’t working, I change up the situation. When in doubt, move things around, disassemble and reassemble the scene.
All of the guest menus in the book were shot on location in the guest family’s home. Elizabeth remembers when one of those shots was scheduled during a rainstorm. Being foodies, the pair turned lemons into lemonade. Instead of calling it a day, they decided to use the rain to their advantage.
Our hosts geared up in rain boots, picked veggies in the wet, muddy garden, mom and daughter shuttling food between rain drops and then set up dinner on the porch with an umbrella. We made some beautiful pictures that day, despite the weather.
Left: Picking veggies in the rain // Right: Slow Cooker Black Bean Tacos
After finishing all the shooting, Elizabeth, Sarah, Daniel, and Jen worked closely together to shape the palette and overall feel of the book. Elizabeth was pleased to have been included in the book’s creation from start to finish and thinks the collaboration was a crucial component in communicating Sarah’s style into the book.
As Elizabeth expected, it was a real treat tasting all the delicious food she photographed. The lemon blackberry custard dessert was one of her favorites! What Elizabeth didn’t expect was how inspiring and pleasant it was to getting know Sarah and her family so well.
She’s incredibly knowledgeable about healthy food, passionate about her lifestyle and an excellent parent.
Left: Fresh Tomatoes // Right: Sarah’s Lemon-Blackberry Custard
The book has received glowing reviews. Elizabeth credits its success to great recipes and how authentic people find her photography.
Elizabeth and Sarah are getting the book out into the world and people’s kitchens. You can see a list of upcoming promotional events here as well as updates on Sarah and Elizabeth’s Instagram accounts. The pair also hopes to do another book together in the future. Since this cookbook focuses on dinners, a follow-up might be breakfasts and lunches.
See more of Elizabeth’s work on her website.
Further Reading
Read more about Elizabeth Cecil.
Read more about Food/Drink photography.
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