Portland, Oregon-based Food/Drink photographer Dina Ávila recently teamed up with freelance food writer and longtime collaborator Ivy Manning on her new cookbook titled “Tacos A to Z: A Delicious Guide to Nontraditional Tacos.” Ivy Manning is the author of ten cookbooks, including the best-seller “Instant Pot Miracle 6 Ingredients or Less.” Her work has appeared in many publications such as Cooking Light and Bon Appétit, and she regularly contributes to lifestyle brands like Yummly, Fitbit, and Self. For her new cookbook, Ivy needed imagery to accompany her corresponding taco recipes, one for each letter of the alphabet. From their years of collaboration, Ivy was confident Dina’s approach to Food photography would be a key ingredient to the project’s success.
Dina and Ivy have known and worked with each other for many years. Back in 2016, Dina shot Ivy’s cookbook, “Easy Soups from Scratch with Quick Breads to Match” for Chronicle Books.
It happens to be my first cookbook and still one of my favorites. I cook from it all the time!
So far, Dina has captured the imagery for five cookbooks and regards them as one of her favorite types of projects to shoot. When writing “Tacos A to Z,” Ivy immediately thought of Dina’s love of bold colors and lighting style to compliment the recipes of the book, and capture the cheerful and playful spirit of tacos.
On the shoot days, there were just four people on set — Dina, Ivy, prop stylist Anne Parker, and Dina’s assistant Eric Fortier. Initially, the photographer, author, and prop stylist met to go over the recipes and various looks. However, in the end, they mostly just put it all together on set with Dina’s and Anne’s extensive prop collections.
As the recipes are super playful, we wanted the vibe to reflect that — that 70’s Taco with tator tots, for example. Between our prop collection and the fact that we both enjoy working with color, funky props and the like, we knew we could create images as unique as the recipes.
The photoshoot took place over five days, utilizing the author’s home. This was super convenient as Ivy took care of all of the food prep and cooking. Plus, her two sweet and affectionate Whippets, Astor and Remy, were on standby for snuggles at all times! Dina described the energy on set as focused, familiar, and playful.
We’re all seasoned and very skilled at what we do so the shoot went smoothly. My sets are always collaborative so we all worked together to create beautiful, colorful, and unique images.
Despite the budget restrictions of the photoshoot and lack of an actual prop budget, Dina and the prop stylist made the best of what they had on hand. Some unexpected changes also occurred with the publisher, meaning the team no longer had an art director to work with on set or to review the photos. However, this turned out to be liberating!
On set, the crew let the excitement of the recipes and the food guide them stylistically. They also played with fabric and different angles, which is a departure from your typical flat-lay Food/Drink photography. Dina expressed her love for this approach and how she incorporated this approach into her work.
I believe I learn something from every shoot. I spend a lot of time after wrapping, especially while editing, reflecting on what worked, what didn’t work, and how I might do things differently. That always contributes to me being a better, more experienced photographer.
In the end, Dina was delighted with this most recent collaboration with Ivy Manning, start to finish.
I think it all comes down to the fact that I love what I do. I’m passionate about photography, especially when it comes to food. For me, it’s a form of creative expression and play. Playing with food, color, and light to create beautiful, unique, and appetizing imagery. Also, what could be better than snuggling with dogs and getting to eat tacos every day for a week?
See more of Dina’s work on her website.
Credits
Author: Ivy Manning
Stylist: Anne Parker
Assistant: Eric Fortier
Publication: West Margin Press (Imprint of Turner Publishing Company)
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