THEME
I was initially unsure of the theme I wanted to follow for this supplement, though after realising that I am shooting for just one segment/story within this fictional magazine, I can already narrow down my options, while also being able to shoot a variety of images for it. I was thinking about shooting something Christmassy, and it was mentioned in passing about shooting a peice on Festive Food for One.
I reckin this theme could work very well because of the time of year, with the deadline falling close to Christmas itself. And with over 1 million elderly people spending Christmas alone last year, it seems like an increasingly relevant subject.
Further from my inital research, and after speaking with a lecturer, I now know I need to look for and delegate the right home economist (to provide the food) and food stylist (to style and lay-out the food).
A quick search lead me to find two agenceis which specialise in food photographers; HERS and RARE.
Both of these seem like very professional looking agencies, and judging by the clients a lot of the stylists have styled for (including Burger King, KFC and Robinsons), probably very pricy.
Further from this, I was advised that the best place to look for home economists is catering colleges, and another quick search lead me to find absolutely loads.
I plan on contacting South Thames College, West London College, Lambeth College, and Westminster Kingsway College. If none of these are available then I have plenty of alternatives within the city to choose from should I need to.
BUDGETING
It only came to mind today that I would have to pay my home economist and/or food stylist, so I will need to plan a budget and decide to cover. Again, I have a lot of options here, but I am open to negotiations depending on what the colleges and stylists demand. I wish to spend no more than £75 ideally (to cover materials), but I understand that I will likely have to pay for transport, though I will likely pay a flat rate of transport up to £10.
If it proves too much to have both a home economist and a food stylist, I will likely end up using my studio manager/assistant to play that role as well, but that is a decision for a later date.
Ryan Trower 