Behind the scenes of a food photography shoot with Judd Pilossof

above photo: Judd Pilossof

I had the great fortune to sit in on a food photography shoot of one of my favorite photographers, Judd Pilossof. How did I fall into such a windfall? Judd is teaches a one-week still life photography class at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine that I have signed up for this summer. It is so rare to find a class taught by someone whose work and aesthetic one admires. I couldn’t believe my luck stumbling upon his listing (well, I didn’t exactly stumble, I’ve been looking and looking for just the right class for a long time)! I emailed Judd to ask some questions about the class, and in the course of our emails asked if he wouldn’t mind if I watched one of his shoots. Coincidentally, Judd’s studio is about 10 blocks from my apartment. About a week later, he emailed to say he had a three-day shoot scheduled for a food product company’s publication, and I was welcome to come and observe one of the days.

above photos: Judd Pilossof

It was a terrific experience to be a fly on the wall during a shoot. There were about 15 people bustling around his studio: five clients helping to guide and approve the shots, ~5 people on the photography team working on lighting, backdrops, shooting and manning the tethered computers, ~2 food stylists preparing and prepping the food, and ~2 stylists dealing with props. Each shot was perfectly planned out. The ultimate publication was storyboarded and posted on a wall in the studio. The areas for copy both within and around an image were mapped out and each individual shot was sketched in its appropriate place. The photography and styling team had a list of products, food items and props for each shot. Some of the props came from the client, some from prop rental companies. As sets were broken down, the styling team swooped in with the next batch of props and set up the next shot. There were three simultaneous camera/sets at any one time and an unimaginable 15 shots were scheduled for each day.

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Scenes from the Shoot

1) Storyboard for the lobster shot
2) The mighty Hasselblad
3) The very beginning of the lobster shot
4) A blue sky backdrop is tried
5) The backdrop is switched to a plain white cloth (later covered with a solid blue cloth, and back-lit). The food “stand-ins” arrive.
6) Scene from behind the camera

7) The real stars arrive and are prepped: lobster, grilled corn, potato salad and lobster bisque
8) The final shot on the computer

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Some of the shots were product silhouettes and were accomplished reasonably quickly. Others were environmental shots with more elaborate sets and tricky lighting schemes and were worked on for several hours. During this time, food “stand ins” were put on set until the actual food was dropped in closer to the final shots. The entire operation was amazingly efficient. Everyone knew his/her role and buzzed around executing the shots like a perfectly choreographed silent ballet. The food arrived perfectly prepared for the shot and the team tweaked and garnished it on set. Lighting was adjusted, backdrops were experimented with and props were shifted but it all happened very quietly and decisively. The kitchen was a mad scene of cooking but was very serious and calm – so serious, in fact, it was clear an interloper would not be welcome, so I only occasionally dropped in to check out the proceedings. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked beautiful, and it fascinated me to watch the lighting and set changes that ultimately created incredible, production-ready images (never heard a single “we’ll fix that in post-production”: everything was perfected in camera). I wish I could share more of the images from the day.

above photos: Judd Pilossof

All of this only made me more excited for the summer class. Judd was extremely generous, taking time to talk and explain things throughout the day. There was tons of equipment on set that I have no idea how to use, and would love to know more about. There were also many techniques that I know about but don’t currently do: namely studio lighting (a major one), strategic use of black cards to absorb light and more scientific use of white cards to bounce light. I picked up all sorts of neat little tricks that I can’t wait to experiment with. Judd has an incredible talent for making even studio-lit shots look natural and soft. His shots look so luscious, rich and tactile – if I can just pick up a little fairy dust this summer, I will be delighted.

For more information on the Maine Media Workshops and Judd’s class, see here. To see Judd’s portfolio, see here.

above photo: Judd Pilossof