Teri Campbell, food photographer and owner of Teri Studios: No matter what else they shoot, most photographers will tell you that they don't shoot food, and I was no exception. Then early in my career, while I was working at Proctor & Gamble, I was given an assignment to shoot food -- I didn't have a choice! But the big difference was that they had hired a food stylist to work with me. A food stylist is someone who knows how to make food look beautiful for the camera. That changed everything.

I found that I really enjoyed shooting food, and as my career progressed I ended up working for a food photographer in Chicago, gaining more experience. Then when I decided to open up my own studio years later, I looked around and estimated there were almost 40 commercial photographers in town, but only about five of them shot food -- even if I was the worst one, I would be one of five and not one of 40!

Cincy Chic: What techniques do you use to make the food look that much more appetizing?

Campbell: First I have to say, it's not fair when people compare the photograph on the menu to the way the food looks on their plate. When you are eating food, not only do you see it -- you smell it, you taste it, you touch it, you might even hear it (if it's sizzling). When I show you a picture, I only have your eyes and I have to describe that WHOLE experience!

That being said, we often do things to make the food look its best, none of them immoral -- things like only cooking the hamburger on the edges, so it is still rare inside. This keeps the meat from turning dark too quickly on the set. Or sorting through hundreds of buns to find the most beautiful one. Often it's just the choice of lighting and/or location.

Cincy Chic: How have you learned and how do you continue to learn food photography techniques?

Campbell: After high school I attended the Ohio Institute of Photography in Dayton, then I was fortunate enough to get a position at P&G. (School gave me knowledge, but P&G gave me the real-world application of that knowledge.) I also assisted lots of different photographers before I went out on my own. Today most of my learning comes from conferences like the one I just spoke at in Boston a few weeks ago -- the International Conference on Food Styling and Photography -- and from constantly looking at images of food, whether it's in the grocery store or in food related publications.

Cincy Chic: What is a typical photo shoot like? Does the food get its own dressing room?

Campbell: (Not a dressing room, but we do have a rather large kitchen). A typical shoot begins with the food stylist and his or her assistant sorting through product. If we were shooting a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit for a package, as an example, we wouldn't just buy one at the grocery store and stick it in the microwave. We would ask for all of the items separately. That way you can find just the perfect biscuit instead of using the smashed one in the box.

While the stylist is preparing the food, I am setting up the set and working on lighting. On average, we can shoot three to five shots per day, depending on how complex each shot is. We fuss over lots of small things that most people don't notice, at least not consciously.

Cincy Chic: You have a list of well-known clients, including Wal-Mart, Bob Evans, Pringles and Smuckers. What client has posed the greatest challenge, photography wise, and how did you master the shot any way?

Campbell: It was a shot for United Dairy Farmers. The layout showed milk pouring into a field of milk and splashing. Problem is, you couldn't really capture the type of splash they wanted by just pouring the milk into more milk. So we did three different shots and merged them in post.

The first was the pour, easy enough. The second was the splash - not so easy, we tried dropping ice cubes into a glass of milk to create the right splash, but it just didn't have enough volume. So we opted instead for an oversized container, one that was about 5 inches across and just happened to be metal. That turned out to be a good thing when we decided to use metal weights instead of ice cubes. The metal weights gave us the look we wanted in the splash. Then in the same container, we used an eyedropper to create ripples on the surface.

Scott, who works for me as a digital artist did an amazing job bringing all three images together in Photoshop. Problem solved.

Cincy Chic: What do you love most about your job?

Campbell: The leftovers! Actually, the best part is the people I get to work with and the friends I've made.

Cincy Chic: When your job's done, how do you like to have fun?

Campbell: Mostly it's just spending time with my family.

Cincy Chic: What's your favorite thing about Cincinnati?

Campbell: It's home. It's where I grew up, and because of that, it will always be special. But if I had to name one thing, it would be Skyline Chili. (OK, that's a shameless plug for one of my clients, but I do love the stuff.)

PHOTO CREDITS

Teri Studios

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