Muse Photography Awards | behind the food + bev photography that won
earlier this year, we got the amazing news that we won not one, not two, but *three* Muse Food Photography Awards for photoshoots at some of our favorite local spots. with two silvers + one gold, we’re in full celebration mode, basking in the glow from the reflective gold body of our highly dramatic award (we love her).
each shoot was different + occurred under unique circumstances, but all three led to gorgeous + delicious photos. don’t take our word for it, trust the experts at Muse. here’s a closer look at the behind the scenes of the shoots that won.
The Wallingford Dram’s Hot Toddy
this was an emergency photoshoot. just Meg + her camera heading downstairs the day after being told the stakes. Down East Magazine wanted to feature The Dram in their next release. the only catch was they wanted to feature a *hot* beverage from the bar, not a chilled cocktail or interior shot.
at the time, they had no professional photos of a hot drink. that’s when they called Meg. they made a hot toddy for her to photograph + she used both the steam from the drink itself + extra steam from a kettle to get the hazy look in the final images.
Meg went into The Dram when it was closed to get the shots, allowing her to move freely throughout the space, finding the perfect backgrounds + lighting. what was originally a quick, targeted shoot that only needed to yield one gorgeous pic ended up generating some of the best photos we’ve ever gotten at The Dram.
pressure makes a diamond, right? or in this case, a gold award-winning set of pics.
Salty Spirits
our shoot at Salty Spirits was on a cold January day, right after they opened for the very first time. Meg went to the shoot alone + needed help from Deb (owner + proprietor) to move the food around because she couldn’t touch it for fear of getting sick (she has celiac + the kitchen isn’t gf).
Meg also tried to catch herself photographing the food like I (Kaitlyn) normally do, but unfortunately ended up with a video of mostly just her butt, rather than the more interesting “how she got the shot” footage she was hoping for.
Meg photographed the new oyster bar’s menu + drinks, plus she got some ambiance shots of the interior space. the star of the show for Meg (as someone who doesn’t eat seafood) was the beautiful seasonal salad, full of depth + color.
Anju Noodle Bar
our silver award-winning photoshoot at anju happened in early march, with christmas decorations still up. we like to extend the holiday cheer here in Maine. it certainly still felt cold enough to be December. Meg + I took half the photos while Anju was closed + the other half at a bumpin’ lunch hour.
a popular spot for lunch in the Foreside, Anju went from empty (before they opened) to full (right after they unlocked the door) in minutes. as with all our other shoots at Anju, we photographed their whole menu with me acting as a model + assistant.
we got some delicious shots of food items (noods + more), ambiance shots once they opened, and styled product shots of canned cocktails + sauces.
each photoshoot was special in its own way + all three led to delicious, gorgeous, moody pictures that we love. we’re glad that Muse loved them too, but more importantly that the establishments themselves loved them just as much (or more). it just proves that our theory about good relationships leading to better work is correct.
wanna do some good work with us? get in touch here to chat.
