Professionals Make Pork Photos Look Good Enough to Eat

Does the orange dish or the lime-green dish show off the ham and cheese muffins best? Would a slice of cornbread add the right touch to the pork chili shot? All these little details may not seem important, but they can make—or break—the photos that whet consumers’ appetites for the pork recipes at TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

“Cooks who use these recipes appreciate the visuals, and that’s why we only shoot three recipes a day when we’re at the studio,” says Pamela Johnson, director of consumer communications for the Pork Checkoff. “We want to make sure all the details come together to make the food the star.”

The Pork Checkoff recently invested in new digital food photography for TheOtherWhiteMeat.com recipe database, including:

• Nutty Pork Broil
• Grilled Thai Tenderloin Cutlets
• Rotini Pork Salad with Fresh Basil
• Ham and Cheese Muffins
• Black Bean Chili
• Autumn Vegetables and Pork Chops

“We invest Checkoff dollars in food photography throughout the year so we can include new pork photos and recipes in our press kits and other promotional efforts,” Johnson says. “It’s all designed to increase pork demand.”

Cooking up the perfect shot
The pork recipe photos are shot at the Primary Image photo studio in downtown Des Moines. The Pork Checkoff teams with independent photographers, food stylists and prop stylists to create the mouthwatering shots that consumers crave.

All recipes are cooked at a kitchen on-site at the studio the day of the photo session.
“This allows us to experience the recipes and look at ways to make them easier and tastier for home cooks,” Johnson says.

When the Pork Checkoff recently shot photos of ham and cheese muffins for the Checkoff’s Pork 4 Kids (http://www.pork4kids.com/Default.aspx) Web site, the images incorporated a mix of vibrant, colorful dishes and napkins to catch kids’ interest. The four muffins were carefully positioned and rearranged (“We didn’t want them to look like dots on dice,” Johnson explains) until the final shot looked good enough to eat.

“Working with the photographer, food stylist and prop stylist allows us to find the best way to showcase the pork in each recipe,” Johnson says. “One of us sees composition, another sees color, and someone else sees the elements that add or detract from the image. We all see the pork at its best! Excellent food photos for the Checkoff’s pork recipes are all about patience and attention to details.”