For Texas Monthly’s November 2018 “Feast Around the World” feature, five of the state’s top chefs crafted festive meals with a variety of global flavors, and Jody Horton photographed everything from chocolate affogato to wild boar ribs. Jody’s in-depth coverage of the menus included spotlights on unique ingredients, the cooking process, and final table spreads.
Can you tell us more about the project and how you got involved?
I’ve been fortunate to shoot several food stories for TXMonthly including a handful of cover shoots and really love working with them. I received a call from their art director a few weeks ahead of time to block out three days for a series of spreads and a cover. Between the big shots we needed to plan on a series of pickup shots for the website as well as a few process shots that would make it into the book.
Can you expand on the idea behind the shoot and what the final images show?
The concept celebrates the rich cultural diversity of Texas and how this diversity is manifested in food. Five spreads feature a variety of traditional foods and creative mashups that mix Peruvian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, and American influences.
What were the shoots like?
For planning and shoot days we were lucky to have the whole Texas Monthly creative team here, and working with these guys is always collaborative and easy – and most of all fun. We started by assembling lots of props and painting surfaces for the concept colors they provided. After a day of editing and planning, we were ready to go. Everything moved pretty fluidly over the next three days. We were able to get the 5 spreads, the cover and shots of all of the dishes individually with time to spare.
Did you face any challenges with this project and if so, how did you overcome them?
This was a lot to get accomplished in the time we had. As usual, good planning helped us overcome this challenge. We were even able to add in a few process shots that ended up being some of my favorites- like a lamb cutting shot, opening and dressing an oyster, and supreme-ing a grapefruit.
See more of Jody’s work on her website.
Credits:
Food Stylist: Meghan Erwin
Creative Director: Emily Kimbro
Art Director: Victoria Milner
Photo Editor: Claire Hogan
Further Reading:
Read more about Jody Horton on our Published Blog.
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