Whenever we write about a food photography assignment, the images sent along not only make me hungry, they put me in a good mood. The lighting tends to be bright, the dishes always look amazing, and the stomach inevitably begins to rumble. Nick Bumgardner is one of those food photographers whose work whets the appetite, especially in this case. His most recent collaboration with Tennessee Home & Farm centered around the greatest food group known to humans: bacon.
I have been working with this publisher for about 3-4 years. We usually do a few shoots a year. This time they reached out to me with the idea to shoot four recipes that were themed around bacon. So of course, I was on board because of BACON!
The client was super happy with the work it ran in their magazine, social media pages, and on their website.
The commission gave Nick a chance to work with another Nick, a stylist with the last name Castro. Though the shoot took less than a day, it was more than enough time for Nick B to marvel at the preparedness and skill of Nick C.
This was my first time working with Nick. We exchanged a few e-mails before the shoot so that we were on the same page creatively. He was recommended for the shoot by the client and is an amazing stylist to work with. One of the things that set him apart as a stylist is that he has been formally trained as a chef.
The toughest dish to shoot was the Bacon Chimichurri Skirt Steak. With large cuts of meat like skirt steak, it can be hard to get really good framing. But I think we were successfully able to make it work.
My favorite dish to shoot was the Creamy Bacon Split Pea Soup. I like how the orange color of the soup works against the blue background.
Shoots like this give the photographers who complete them a chance to experiment with new dishes, which Nick certainly did. The Nashville resident has made the Maple and Candied Bacon Cream Puffs as well as that aforementioned Skirt Steak. But his biggest takeaway from the assignment was getting the chance to work with Nick Castro, who went from someone Nick Bumgardner didn’t know to a valued teammate.
Always be willing to work with new crew members. This was my first job working with our stylist, and he has become an important part of my team. He is an amazing stylist and an excellent chef.
Credits:
Stylist: Nick Castro
Check out more of Nick’s work at nickbumgardnerphoto.com.
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