Food Styling Archives - Dash and Splash

July 29, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Steak and Fries Food Styling – The HelloFresh Australia and New Zealand TV ad

HelloFresh Recipes — *Behind the scenes: Food Styling for the latest HelloFresh ad*

Whether you've tried it or not, you've certainly heard of HelloFresh. This meal-kit company has taken the world by storm. Founded in Germany ten years ago, HelloFresh now boasts operations across the world - from the United Stated to Australia. I was recently hired by Pink Banana Studios as a food stylist for the latest TV ad. If you've ever wanted to look behind the scenes at a commercial, this is your chance!

Food styling for the latest HelloFresh ad: The creative brief

The brief was to shoot a 30 second spot, highlighting the ease of using HelloFresh. In particular, the spot shows the entire process: from placing your order to serving the meal.

As a result, there were four set ups:

The living room
The pack shot area
The kitchen
The dining table

Food Styling HelloFresh — *From left to right: The living room, the pack shot area, and the kitchen*

The food styling brief

Since HelloFresh targets people with no professional cooking experience, the styling on their recipe cards is minimal. It should look like what anyone can achieve in their kitchen!

In the same way, the styling brief was to match the recipe card as closely as possible. The recipe I was recreating was the Fillet Steak & Fries with Lemony Greens & Béarnaise Sauce.

On the recipe card, the dish was clearly split between three equal parts:

The sliced fillet steak with the béarnaise sauce
The fries
The lemony greens

I therefore kept the styling minimal and maintained the same structure to the plate.

Little touches everywhere

Equally important was to convey the idea of freshness with the styling for this shoot. We therefore added fresh fruit and veggies that matched the brand colours, as well as drinks and a salad on the table.

In order to make sure they looked fresh, I sprayed them with a mixture of water and glycerine.

Food Stylist HelloFresh — *So fresh and inviting. Can you spot the use of the brand colours?*

Shooting a food commercial

Have you ever wondered if there's a kitchen in studios? The answer is often no! For this reason, I created a makeshift kitchen area on set in order to cook the food. I brought an air fryer and a portable induction plate, as well as all my kitchen essentials. And then I cooked the same dish again and again for different takes!

The HelloFresh Explainer ad

You've read about it, you've peeked behind the scenes. You can now watch the ad below!

The nitty gritty

The shoot took place in a London studio over a day. The ad has been released in Australia and New Zealand.

Director: Ben Spilling

Production Manger: Cait Lyn Adamson

Account Director: Emma Masding

Food Stylist: Naf Castanas

Production Assistant/ Art Director: Verity Kett

DOP: Anthony Lucas

Gaffer: Jasper Clarkson

Spark: Jon Prentice

Camera Assistant: Nicolas Stylianou

Sound Recordist: Andrei Leskovski

Cast : Jeffin Kunjumon

Production Agency: Pink Banana Studios

Stay in touch

I hope you've enjoyed this behind the scenes look. I'd love to know whatell me what you think below!

If you want to see more of my recent food styling work, check out my shoot with Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation. You can also read at my post about sourcing food styling props on a budget - it's really useful if you're just starting out.

For more of my work, have a look at my portfolio or my previous shoots at Chuku's in Tottenham, SlowBurn London, or at The Haberdashery in Stoke Newington.

Lastly, don’t forget! You can always connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

Published by Naf Castanas in Behind the Scenes, Food Photography, Food Styling, London Brand Photography

Tags: Behind the Scenes, Food Photography, Food Styling, London Food Photography, London Meal Kit

June 11, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Food Styling with The Little Plantation – A Whole Lot of Tofu

Styling with The Little Plantation April London Blog-8 — *Food styling with Kimberly of The Little Plantation & Leili of The Secret Flavours*

Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation needs no introduction. She's an incredible food photographer, food stylist and educator who has elevated plant based food through her singular, moody aesthetic. I joined her and Leiliane Valadares of The Secret Flavours on a recent shoot for Tofuture to assist with food styling.

The Food Photography & Styling Brief

As a brand, Tofuture is best known for its unique tofu press. On the website, you'll also find a wide array of tofu-based recipes. Kimberly's brief included styling and photography for seven recipes in her signature style. Moreover, all images had to be shot in both landscape and portrait orientation. As an assistant stylist, I helped Leili prepare different recipes, prepare garnishes and also assist Kimberly in getting the shots she needed.

Marinated Tofu cooked in London — *Behind the scenes: A tofu-based mess*

Food Styling with The Little Plantation and The Secret Flavours

Leili and I studied the recipes then discussed with Kimberly to decide on the order in which we would tackle the recipes. We then split the recipes to make sure Kimberly had a steady flow of dishes to shoot before we lost the light at 4pm. The recipes we had to tackle were:

Tofu Chocolate Mousse
Caramelised Onion Quiche
Tofu Mushroom Paté
Vegan Cornish Pasties
Smoky Sweet Marinade, which we used on tofu BBQ "kebabs"
Crispy Tofu Nuggets, which we used on a tofu burrito
Teriyaki Marinade, which we used in a tofu noodle bowl

Kimberly shared her mood board and vision, and also answered any questions we had about the styling of specific dishes. The three of us worked together to meet the brief.

Styling Vegan Food with The Little Plantation — *In the studio: Styled tofu recipes*

As the day progressed, I also assisted in the studio placing garnishes where Kimberly needed them, as well as lending my hands for some of the shots. You might know my love of photos with hands in them; that's a love that Kimberly shares!

*Gorgeous photography by Kimberly Espinel of The Little Plantation for Tofuture: My hands in action!*

You can find the recipes and Kimberly's stunning shots here: mousse, tofu nuggets, Cornish pasties, paté, quiche, smoky marinade.

The nitty gritty

This shoot lasted seven hours, with a lunch break. We styled seven dishes, including one dessert. The shoot took place at Kimberly's studio in South London.

If you want to get into food styling but are not sure how to start your prop collection, have a look at my previous post about sourcing food styling props on a budget.

If you want to see more of my work, have a look at my portfolio or my previous shoots at SlowBurn London, The Haberdashery in Stoke Newington and for London Honey Company.

Lastly, don't forget! You can always connect with me on Instagram.

Published by Naf Castanas in Behind the Scenes, Food and Drinks, Food Photography, Food Styling

Tags: Behind the Scenes, Food Photography, Food Styling, London Food Photography

May 19, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Food Styling on a Budget – Where to Buy the Best Props in London

*Plant Based Food Styling. Lentil Soup Styled by Naf Castanas*

Look, I get it! Buying props can be so expensive. My love of ceramics has set me back several hundred pounds. I believe that investing into quality pieces that you can use for a long time will transform your photography. But you can also build your collection and up your food styling on a budget by getting some amazing props in London for less.
Below are some tips for the cost-conscious food stylist.

1. Look for food styling props in homeware stores in your area

My first stop when looking for props is to look in my neighbourhood. I can't tell you the number of times I've found something on dedicated food styling sites for £20 only to buy it for under £5 near my home.

Case in point, these wooden utensils from Prep in Stoke Newington. You can see the wooden honey dipper in use in this shoot.

Food Styling Props London Food Photographer — *Wooden Food Styling Props*

2. Visit your local arts and crafts store

Are you crafty? I am not! And still, I never leave my local arts and crafts store empty-handed. I buy foam boards to use as cheap backdrops, as well as muslin and cheesecloth to use in my shots. These are by far the cheapest props you can buy and will really elevate your food styling.

Greek Moussaka Food Styling — *White muslin in action*

Italian Food Aesthetic — *White muslin in action*

3. Visit charity shops

There are countless charity and second hand shops in London. While I'm never sure what I'll find, I love to explore. Based on my collection, these are great places to shop for glasses. They're usually sold in bundles and will only set you back a few pounds.

Drinks Photographer London — *Glassware from charity shops*

4. Visit vintage markets

I generally love vintage and flea markets - I love buying anything second hand, really! They're also a treasure trove for food styling props. My favourite place to shop is Camden Passage in Angel. It's an amazing place to get glassware as well as cutlery, and small bits and bobs.

Restaurant Content Creation — *Cutlery and props bought at Camden Passage*

5. eBay is your best friend

eBay does not get enough credit! You can find anything and everything - from the really high end to the most affordable. It's a great place to look for plates and cutlery. I'm not talking ceramics; personally, I've never found any ceramics I really wanted to invest in on eBay. Instead, it's where I look for vintage pieces that have a bit of character. Like the ones pictured here.

Food Styling Props on a Budget — *Food styling props sourced on eBay*

I genuinely buy most of my cutlery on eBay. While prop shops will charge you about £5-10 for one knife, I've gotten 40-piece collections for as little as £7. Granted, they're not always amazing, but you'd be surprised what you can find.

Food Photography Studio London — *eBay cutlery used in different shoots*

Food Photographer and Stylist — *eBay cutlery used in different shoots*

6. H&M for linens

As a general rule, I avoid fast fashion brands. But I swoon whenever I look at the H&M Home linen collection. I have a few of their linen tablecloths and napkins and I use them all the time; not only in my studio shoots, but also when I shoot on location.

Restaurant Content Creation London — *H&M linens shot in London studio*

Food Stylist London — *H&M linens shot in London studio*

Food and Drink Photographer London. Shot by A Dash & A Splash at The Haberdashery in Stoke Newington

Restaurant Photography London — Food and Drink Photographer London. Shot by A Dash & A Splash at The Haberdashery in Stoke Newington

7. Etsy

Who doesn't love Etsy? There's so much to pick from, but I like to scour the website for bundles. If you're lucky, you can get eBay prices on Etsy. You can also filter for sellers located in the UK, keeping the shipping costs to a minimum.

Creative Drinks Photography — *Food styling props bought on Etsy*

8. IKEA and Big Supermarkets

When in doubt, head to big shops like IKEA or any big chain supermarket! This is not where I would get most of my props but I do get a few, simple pieces from there. I tend to layer those plates and use them together with more interesting ones.

Cheese Toastie Styling — Dinnerware from Sainsbury's

Peanut Butter Udon Noodles Styling — Dinnerware from Sainsbury's

And there you have it! These are some of my money-saving tips for building your food styling prop collection. In you want to see these props in use, you can check my work. Did you find these tips useful?

Let me know what you think below or connect with me on Instagram.

Published by Naf Castanas in Food Photography, Food Styling

Tags: Food Photography, Food Styling, Food Styling Props, London Food Photography

April 8, 2021 — Comments are off for this post.

Pasta Meal Kit – Scarpetta Pasta

Patrick and Uberto grew up in Italy. After moving to London, they started Scarpetta Pasta to replicate the Italian experience of sharing food. They now boast three locations, which are truly beloved. This year, they launched their wonderful Pasta Meal Kit.

Scarpetta's Pasta Meal Kit

In 2020, Scarpetta Pasta launched their Pasta Meal Kits, with pasta made fresh every day. If you're craving pasta, all you need to do is visit their website, order your box or start a subscription and BOOM! Pasta is on its way.

I had the chance to taste and shoot some of the vegetarian options. There's so much to chose from; I had the Pici Cacio e Pepe, the Conchiglie Gorgonzola & Walnuts, and the Pesto & Mozzarella Gnocchi. There's also a selection of starters and desserts, so you can have a full meal delivered - from start to finish.

The Scarpetta Meal Kit Experience

I love this box for so many reasons. It’s easy to make and requires no cooking skills. That means that it’s accessible to literally anyone. You’ll get the sauces - which you need to reheat, the fresh pasta - which you need to boil as per the directions, and the individual garnishes for each of your dishes. For me, the garnishes are what take this kit from good to great. You get restaurant quality food in the comfort of your home.

Pasta Photography

On a personal note, it’s always such a treat to shoot pasta. It comes in all shapes and sizes, and there are endless possibilities. Pasta is also so photogenic just on its own, which makes macro shots so appealing. Lastly, it’s a food that requires specific finishing touches – like grated cheese and maybe herbs like basil – and I love to capture those.

As a photographer, I’ll never say no to shooting more pasta.