Styling & Photography

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CHECK OUT MY FOOD STYLING & PHOTOGRAPHY PORTFOLIO ONLINE AT: http://kristenhess.com

Kristen specializes in food styling; food photography; and recipe development for clients and brands in the restaurant, food and beverage industry. She also does culinary lifestyle, events and tabletop photography and styling and writes/shoots about culinary stars, events, restaurants and food industry news for Downtown Magazine NY and The NY State Restaurant Association.

Her client experience includes: Stoli Vodka, California Olive Ranch, Kraft Foods, Jill Lotenberg (The Food Group, Sandra Lee Magazine) Nespresso, Buitoni, Colavita, KitchenAid, Gary Null Power Foods, Harper Collins, Stonesong Press, Agencia International, Mina Harissa, Challenge Butter, Good Food Ireland, The National Pork Board, eDiningNews.com, Miditto.com and TavernDirect.com.

Kristen has also styled and shot two cookbooks – one for Harper Collins (Pinkalicious Cupcake Cookbook) and another Vegan/Vegetarian Cookbook with over 200 recipes for Gary Null Whole Foods in NYC.

>>For more information and pricing on styling and photography services and image licensing inquiries, please email kristen@theartfulgourmet.com or call 917.613.5990.

>>Kristen also does private food styling and photography lessons in New York City, and does menu planning and catering for small private and corporate events – please reach out for more details and pricing.

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{Private Food Styling & Photography Classes!}

I am now teaching private and small group food styling and photography classes! In a recent 2 day 8-hour class, I taught a student (Kat Lopez) who came all the way over from the Phillippines to learn the art of food styling and food photography, held at a  photography studio up in Harlem (Studio 129), with the assistance of food stylist Laurie Knoop.

We went over the basic tools, tips and techniques of styling different types of foods (desserts, proteins, salads, soups, pasta) and discussed how to plate food creatively and make a beautiful dish ready for the camera. We also discussed props, color theory, composition and visual techniques in styling the set.

Photography basics were also covered: Exposure, Composition, Lighting (Natural and Studio Strobe Lighting), Lenses, Shooting Angles, Color, White Balance and digital post-processing and cataloging (Lightroom and Photoshop). Lastly we discussed how to create an online portfolio and market yourself as a food blogger, food stylist or food photographer – whichever path you choose, with tips on breaking into the food media industry, building a successful business and finding your own personal style to set you apart from the rest.

Here are the shots I did of the lovely dishes we prepared and styled for the class! Please contact Kristen at 917.613.5990 or email at kristen(at)theartfulgourmet(dot com) for more information on private classes.

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{New Logo!}

I just designed this new logo for my food styling and photography business recently. I wanted it to be fun and whimsical, yet creative and professional at the same time. Stay tuned for other new projects I am working on for my business, and check out my website at http://kristenhess.com for updates to my styling and photography portfolio from time to time!

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{Recent Photo Shoots}

Sandra Lee Hero Shot for March issue

WOW. Just had the opportunity to shoot Sandra Lee at her house in Westchester for a series of magazine articles in her Sandra Lee magazine with my photographer friend Jill Lotenberg. We shot 15 different photos of Sandra in beautiful settings around her home and kitchen, with gorgeous food and cocktails for her holiday and entertainment-themed magazine spreads with recipes being featured in 2013 and 2014. The shots came out amazing, and this was such a cool opportunity to meet Sandra and the rest of her team in person. The shot above is currently in the March 2013 issue out on newsstands..stay tuned for more as they are published!

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{Published! New Food Photography for Gary Null Power Foods Cookbook – Hot off the Press!}

Yay! The time has finally arrived – the cookbook I shot and styled for Gary Null Power Foods arrived on my doorstep yesterday, HOT off the press!

I styled and shot this cookbook last August-September and it was a 6-week process with plenty of long days and nights, cooking, styling and shooting, with lots of laughter and intensity, for Gary Null’s new cookbook titled Anti-Arthritis, Anti-Inflammation Cookbook: Healing through Natural Foods. The cookbook has over 270 recipes that are Vegan, Vegetarian and Raw Food based with the premise of promoting a healthy diet and preventing and reversing arthritis, diabetes, cancer and inflammation through healthy eating and power foods.

I worked with Gary and his editorial team throughout the process to interpret the recipes into appealing, fresh and healthy imagery for the book. I also collaborated side by side with two amazing Chefs; Wes Wobles and William Shear, day and night (literally!) to turn the recipes into beautifully plated works of art which were styled meticulously in the kitchen and by myself on set to create the perfect final shot.

I’m very proud to have been the stylist and photographer on this awesome project and part of this dynamic project team that made the cookbook come to life in such a short time – it turned out beautifully with full color photos, a clean design and a comprehensive healthy eating program that might turn any meat-loving carnivore into a Vegan or Vegetarian just yet! The recipes are simple and easy to prepare with raw ingredients like grains, fruits, vegetables and non-meat proteins flavored with plenty of fresh herbs and seasonings. There are recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, Salads, Soups and Desserts plus plenty of sauces and dips along with healthy appetizers. Gary also explains the nutritional aspects to a Vegan and Vegetarian Raw food diet with an eating plan spelled out and easy to follow.

Light, healthy and fresh is the name of the game in this awesome cookbook, and it’s arrived just in time for Spring to lighten up your diet!

>>READ THE FULL STORY AND SEE MORE PHOTOS OF THE BOOK HERE

>>Purchase a copy of the book online

>>View gallery of some of my fav photos I shot for the book

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Another cool project I just finished is a Pinkalicious Cupcake Cookbook for a children’s author Victoria Kahn with Harper Collins Publishers and Stonesong Press. The book won’t be releasing until Fall 2013, so stay tuned for a sneak peek of the gorgeous and creative cupcake scenes and recipes we created for this amazing children’s cookbook!

I have taken many Food Styling and Photography classes at ICE, International Center of Photography, and online, and have learned some advanced techniques in food styling, photography and culinary video to develop my style.  I’ve studied with some of the best food stylists and photographers in the industry: Beatrice Peltre, Lara Ferroni, Ron Goldman, Aaron Constant, Jamie Tiampo, Lisa Golden-Schroeder, James Peterson and Laurie Knoop.

James Peterson, a food photographer extraordinaire and Laurie Knoop, a professional Food Stylist, held a 5-week portfolio intensive at Studio 212 and Jim’s studio in Brooklyn last year and it was an amazing class focusing on both styling and photography. We focused on different lighting techniques; natural light, hot lights and strobes. We shot desserts, beverages, breakfast, snacks, advertising and packaging food shots, still lives, ingredients and shots based on our interests. Jim and Laurie are amazing instructors and packed in a multitude of information in five all-day weekend classes. They encourage us to be creative and innovative, building on the techniques we learned and tips on working as a professional in the industry – working with clients, working on set, being prepared, etc. Loved this class and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about styling and photography at a more advanced level and to build your portfolio — thanks Jim and Laurie!

See my online portfolio for photos from the class

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I also studied food styling through an intensive online course with Lisa Golden Schroeder of Foodesigns.com and learned more advanced styling techniques focusing on in-depth training for specific food shots and scenarios: steaks, salads, chicken, beverages, burgers and sandwiches. There are so many ways of doing food styling but until you actually cook, style and shoot on set, that’s where you really learn what works and what doesn’t. Lisa’s online class comes with video demos, an online gallery for sharing work with peers, an online Q&A session and a full set of online learning materials and articles for reference. Great class that I highly recommend to anyone interested in going into food styling as a professional.

View photos from the class

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In a recent class at Haven’s Kitchen in NYC, I studied food styling and photography in a small class with Beatrice Peltre, the author of popular food blog La Tartine Gourmande. We cooked, styled and shot together and made beautiful food, photos and laughed. Such an amazing inspiration Bea is to me and was my favorite food styling and photography class by far!

Here is a link to the story about the class and a link to all the beautiful photos I styled and shot in the class.

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{Making Food Beautiful for the Camera – ABC News Interviews Kristen Hess}

Watch the video as Lauren Glassberg from ABC News interviews Kristen, instructors and students on their experience at the Food Styling and Photography course at The Institute of Culinary Education in NYC.

CLICK THE VIDEO OR LINK TO VIEW | READ THE FULL STORY HERE

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Food Styling & Photography is my first love and something I discovered while taking a series of cooking classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC. I signed up for an intensive workshop taught by Jamie Tiampo, owner of seeFood media, James Peterson, chef, food photographer and cookbook author of Meat, and Laurie Knoop, a NYC professional food stylist at Studio 129. We mastered the basics of food styling from prepping food to styling props and experimented with digital photography, lighting and editing. Each day we experimented with different styling, photography and lighting techniques, and chose our own food photography subjects by picking fresh ingredients from the Union Square Market. We cooked and prepared our food, styled our props and dishes and shot them in different lights, angles and environments. Check out the video on ABCNews.com for a behind the scenes look at the class and the interview with Lauren Glassberg from ABC News.

View my photos from the class.

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See more of my food styling and photography portfolio at http://kristenhess.com

For more information and pricing for my food styling and photography services and image licensing inquiries, please email kristen@theartfulgourmet.com or call 917.613.5990.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

All photos on this website are the property of and copyrighted © 2010-2013 Kristen Hess Styling & Photography and The Artful Gourmet, All Rights Reserved. Please do not share or use any photography, copy or content without my expressed permission and without proper credit to me with a link to my website and original post. Thanks!