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Connecticut-based photographer Morgan Ione Yeager started shooting for Condé Nast’s Food Innovation Group in early 2016. Since then, she’s worked with them consistently to create innovative food content to be published in Bon Appétit Magazine and Epicurious‘ print and digital editions. Recently, the folks at Bon Appétit commissioned Morgan to photograph recipes for Easter that go above and beyond the traditional cheese plate, with Président brand cheese as the centerpiece.
The shoot was to take place in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen in One World Trade Center, NYC, with everything planned out to a T.
Producer Jessica Mazelon and Art Director Stephany Stanley led the charge, working with the folks at Président to define the vision and choose the recipes for the shoot. Together, Stephanie and Jessica created a shot list along with a detailed creative brief including the angle of each shot, style of props, lighting, and which images would have a hand model. Once this was outlined, they shared the brief with Morgan, Prop Stylist Sophie Strangio and Food Stylist Barrett Washburne. From there, Morgan had an individual call with the producers, then a conference call with everyone involved to iron out the details.
When the shoot day arrived, Morgan hit the ground running. There was a very high number of images she needed to capture for a one-day food shoot, so she had to work fast. Morgan had ten recipes to shoot total, five for the Spring and five for Fall which would be debuted later this year. Barrett, the food stylist, was in the prep kitchen working non-stop with his assistant to make sure each recipe was finished at precisely the right moment. Sophie, the prop stylist, had a detailed list of exactly which props she pulled for each shot and was busily cleaning them, organizing and swapping items out on set. Before each shot, Morgan and her assistant, tested and re-tested the lighting and angles to make sure everything was just right. After making each photo, Morgan chatted with the representatives from Président and the FIG team to make sure they were happy with the images.
I like having the client on set – receiving their feedback immediately is really helpful and keeps the shoot moving along. We had a second monitor set up mirroring my computer so everyone could watch and see the images as we worked. Overall, everything went smoothly!
Morgan knew she would need to light the photos to fit the vision of the client and art director. In this case, they wanted the pictures to feel like a “spring morning.” Morgan used a combination of natural light mixed with a strobe to create the proper balance of highlights and shadows.
Probably the most challenging aspect of the shoot was integrating hands into the photos. Even with a professional hand model, it’s always tricky to get the positioning just right. Besides paying attention to all the details of the food, lighting, light modifiers, and props, Morgan also had to direct the model on the placement of her hand, including the angle and height. Morgan also had to make sure she photographed all of the food in a timely manner.
Cheese is quite tricky to work with on photoshoots, as it “dies” on set quite fast and no longer looks as appetizing. Barret, the Food Stylist, would bring out a stand-in of each recipe so I could test angles and lighting before he brought the actual hero on set.
I always love the moment on set when you know you got the shot. All the planning and collaboration comes together and it’s a wonderful moment. It’s truly a group effort.
The team from Président was pleased with Morgan’s photos, and she’s received a lot of positive feedback from readers of Bon Appétit and Epicurious. Look for the second set of recipes to debut in the Fall on Condé Nast digital channels as well as in the November print issue of Bon Appétit.
See more of Morgan at morganionephotography.com.