Maria Sansone’s cookbook, Oh $#!% What's for Dinner is now available! This project has been a long time coming as I first started discussing it with her in 2020. I’m so grateful that I had this exciting project to carry me through the toughest times of the pandemic. My first photoshoot was masked at Maria’s home as she tested recipes. We had lots of talks about her aesthetic and what the look/feel of the cookbook would be as we built mood boards and searched for props. It evolved into a body of work that I’m so excited to share.
When Maria and I were discussing the art direction & props for her cookbook we decided to add some "fun and games" to show the family friendly element of this book. Here are some of my favorite recipe photos we created that include a little bit of the joyful chaos of family meals.
Maria and I wanted to capture these meals as they would normally look in the homes of the people who cook them. We all can’t have a neat, spotless house at all times. Sometimes, the table is going to be covered with other items that need to be pushed to the side for dinner time. These set ups for the photos perfectly capture the chaos of everyday life.
I enjoyed this project so much! If you know anyone who has always dreamed of creating a cookbook let’s contact for a brainstorming call! For this project Maria had the support of her publisher, Familius. I can chat with potential clients about self-publishing options.
We all know a child in our lives who insists on bringing their favorite toys with them to the dinner table. These dinosaurs and fun table place mat and pizza are a child’s ideal dinner scenario.
Special meals can carry special memories with us. The “Bingo Burger” is a sentimental recipe to Maria because it comes from a heart warming story from her childhood.
I was lucky enough to get to hear Maria tell the stories behind her recipes on the photoshoot and this one made me want to take a trip with her!
This pistachio-crushed Salmon might be my my favorite from the book!
This was a real moment between mom and daughter cooking that I grabbed and it’s another favorite of mine from the project.
Life is meant to be messy. Just like this Sloppy Joe recipe from the cookbook.
This was one of the first photos we took from a smaller test-shoot with our stylist and helped set the tone for the style of images for the project.
Who doesn’t love Chinese food takeout once in a while to make things easier? I love how Maria included a make-at-home version of the take-out favorite,
