Photoshoots come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes I’m in a studio with a food stylist and a client team, other times I shoot from home and do everything myself, from the food prep to the post production and everything in between.

Ultimately the best results come from creative collaboration, with each individual covering a different area of expertise, which is why (if the budget allows) I would always recommend working with a food stylist alongside a photographer on a shoot. Of course, this is an investment that needs additional consideration, so I thought I’d share the 3 key benefits of working with a food stylist on your next photoshoot to help you decide what works best for you.

1. You’ll get more images

When I’m working with smaller businesses or working to a budget, I’ll generally find myself preparing and styling the food on set myself. This is a great way to cut costs if a food stylist isn’t an option, but it does also cut available time and therefore the number of assets you’ll get at the end of the shoot.

By having a food stylist on set, we’re able to split the workload - while I’m photographing a recipe, the stylist can be preparing the next one. It’s this dynamic that means I’m ultimately able to capture a lot more images per shoot, because half of the job is already taken care of. What’s more, those images are likely going to have more variety, again because there’s more time to shoot from different angles or experiment with different props and backgrounds.

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2. The food will look even better

Food stylists are the experts on all things food! Not only are they able to cook a dish to perfection and style it beautifully on a plate, they’re also clued up on all the little tips and tricks that will make your food look even more enticing in the final images. Stylists will come to a shoot with a kit full of tools, such as brushes, sprays, tack and pins, all of which are used in different ways to make sure every detail is perfect. There are lots of food styling hacks they can bring to the table too, like knowing how to stop fresh avocado from turning brown, blanching veggies so they retain their vibrant green colour, and using thickeners or clever alternatives for creating that perfect drip of maple syrup down a stack of pancakes, for example. Stylists are also incredibly detail oriented, which is great for spotting a crumb that’s out of place or a wilting salad leaf that could do with freshening up. Your food will always look its best when there’s a food stylist on set.

3. Stylists know how, when and where to buy

Perhaps the best thing about working with a food stylist is that you don’t have to panic buy all the ingredients for the shoot, only to realise once it’s too late that your local Sainsbury’s doesn’t have everything you need! Stylists give you back your time and take all of this on for you (and they also arrange getting it all to set!) They’ll know how best to keep food looking fresh before the shoot day, they’ll know when they should get things ordered to ensure everything arrives on time, and they’ll know where’s best to buy all of those things. They’ll also have a much better idea of how much they need to buy in order to achieve everything on the shot list.

So there you have it, 3 key benefits of having a food stylist join you on your next photoshoot.