"LOVE" and "Defuse your food" advertising shoots

Over the last couple of years I have started shooting more advertising work. It is very different to shooting editorial where the brief is relatively open. To explain further: with editorial the exact props I use and what angle I shoot at is largely decided on the day by me with the help of the others present (a combination of stylist, home economist, art director, cookery editor etc.). With advertising the visuals, i.e. the props, layout of food and angle, are already 90% locked down and it is then my job to meet these precise expectations of the client...and ideally exceed them!

Below is the work I have done for GSK on their "LOVE" and "Defuse your food" campaigns, quite different to my usual style I think you will agree.

Baby shower sugartastic spread

Client: TBC
 A very good friend of mine asked me to throw a baby shower for her a few months ago. Kate and I made a joint effort out of it and it all looked so pretty we decided it would be a shame not to take a picture of the spread. The shoot would make a good story for a magazine and has not been used anywhere yet, so do get in touch if you know a good outlet for it. Also, myself and Kate are hugely inspired by our shoot and would love to cater another baby shower, so get in touch if you are interested. Here not only the shots, but also a list of Kate's sweet baby inspired creations.

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Belle Isle Cookery School

Client: Belle Isle Cookery School
A job in Ireland for a cookery school produced these moody images, which are my favourite dark shots in my career so far. The natural light was great but the combination of the colour of the food and the kitchen surface produced these painterly shots. I have to say a big thank you to my food stylist for these shots as she pointed out the background and suggested we use it. Thanks Kate!

All images © Charlotte Tolhurst

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Dark and dangerous coffee treats

The last month I have been shooting nearly every day and it has allowed me to try out some new ideas. One such shoot was with the help of Kate Wesson and her gorgeous prop styling. It really helped create the painterly effect we were striving for. The shots below are from our recipe shoot for Douwe Egberts coffee. The dangerous bit was trying not to eat too much... at which I utterly failed, the coffee ice cream being my downfall as it is made with condensed milk, a real childhood favourite of mine.

Photo © Charlotte Tolhurst

Flash vs. Daylight shooting

Just before Christmas I shot a pasta story for Women's Weekly and Coeur De Lion cheese recipes for Richmond Towers PR agency. For the former I shoot with flash in a small room adjoined to the kitchen in the IPC building (named by everyone as "the cupboard"). For the latter I shoot at a daylight location. I thought it would be interesting to show an image from each shoot to show the subtle difference between flash and daylight. To be honest I am now pretty happy shooting flash and at this time of year it is a necessity when we lose daylight around 3-4pm. If given a choice however...I still prefer the subtleties of shooting in daylight as I know I can always rely on daylight to make things look just lovely. Whereas with flash, it is particularly important to have gorgeous props to achieve a beautifully natural image.

Photo © Charlotte Tolhurst

Photo © Charlotte Tolhurst