Executive Editor of Santa Barbara Magazine, Gina Tolleson approached Lisa Corson and Ojai-based chef Ariane Aumont of Le Picnic about cooking up a New Year’s Eve dinner to run as a feature story in their Taste section. Gina initially found the duo on Instagram through their collaborative Kakigorio shoot. She immediately knew they would be the perfect team for her New Year’s Eve Shoot.
The magazine wanted to highlight Ariane and her Japanese-influenced menu while maintaining an authentic SoCal feel to the dinner. Originally for talent, they planned to use a few chic couples to pose as the dinner guests. Moving from an intimate bar to the expansive Black Walnut Ranch, her dinner party seamlessly expanded with the venue. Lisa discovered that the stunning ranch not only provided a scenic backdrop but also allowed her to expand the original scope of the project to showcase the property.
From there Lisa also worked out a shot list, factoring in the rough page count. Centered on Ariane, Lisa skillfully blended portraits, food shots, and scenic views of the ranch. Thus, this ensured a complete visual narrative alongside the dinner story. Ariane handled all of the food styling and props. Together the duo worked out ways to flesh out the setup within their budget.
While the team made sure to keep the editors involved throughout the planning process, the two were given free reigns to create the story as they envisioned it.
I pictured this as a narrative, taking the reader through the evening from the dinner setup to the stroke of midnight when guests gathered outside with sparklers to ring in the new year.
I loved the scope of this project. It brought together all of the genres I like to shoot – landscapes, food, portraits, lifestyle, interiors. Ariane’s food presentation is beautiful and unique, so that was fun to work with. And having a large, wonderfully stylish group of people to direct brought so much life to the shots.
The team at Santa Barbara Magazine loved the photos. Lisa shared the opening spread as a teaser on Instagram, and it received many great responses. Additionally, she sent out an email campaign featuring the photographs, which also received a positive reception. Keep your eyes open to see what this duo cooks up next.
See more of Lisa’s work on her website.
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