Say Cheese!

Despite dropping temperatures, there’s one thing I can always look forward to come the winter months – the summer brainstorming for the LSG Sky Chef’s annual calendar is finally being translated into real photos. When my co-worker stopped by with a design plan for one of the pictures, I was eager to get a look. I asked her how the scribble would later be translated into the real thing in the studio, and she invited me to come along and see for myself.

When we got to the studio, the food stylist was already in the kitchen preparing the food for the photo. He emphasized how important it was to select only the best quality products – the picture can only look as fresh as the ingredients really are. Thisgoes for all of the components that come together on the plate – and there were quite a lot. From the centrepiece to the fine sauces and drops of oil – everything is important for pulling the image together.

Moving from the kitchen to the studio, I recognized the scribble on the bulletin board and watched it come to life before my eyes. The food stylist carefully arranged the ingredients on the plate, handling them as daintily as possible and spritzing them with water to keep it looking fresh. While no time can be wasted as the food only looks fresh for so long, it’s important that everything is just right.

I moved back to make room for the photographer, agency crew and food stylist who were all working together to create the best shot. After the lights were arranged and the backdrop adjusted, the images were taken and pulled up on the computer to be edited and finalized. When the image was done after half a days work, I looked at it with a new appreciation for even the smallest details, and was excited to see which month in the calendar it would be in the coming year.