Food Photographer for The Whole30 Cookbook by Melissa Hartwig Urban
Key Takeaways
- •Brent Herrig photographed all 150 recipes in The Whole30 Cookbook across 7 production days (1 prelight, 6 shoot days) for publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- •Publisher's Weekly described Herrig as a "veteran food and cocktail photographer" in its review of the book.
- •The Whole30 Cookbook became a national bestseller, with photography that matched the clean, ingredient-forward identity of the Whole30 brand.
150 recipes photographed across 7 production days (1 prelight, 6 shoot days) for Melissa Hartwig Urban's bestselling Whole30 Cookbook, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Publisher's Weekly named Brent Herrig a 'veteran food and cocktail photographer' in its review.
Visual Highlights
What Shipped
- 150 High-Res Stills
- Full cookbook photography: 150 recipes, cover, chapter openers, and ingredient detail shots
Designed For
- Global Campaign Usage
- Social Media (Paid & Organic)
- Point of Sale / OOH
The Creative Goal
The Brief
Photograph every recipe in The Whole30 Cookbook with clean, appetizing images that reflect the brand's real-food philosophy. Each dish had to look achievable for home cooks, not aspirational or over-styled.
Visual Rules
- Lighting: Natural, clean light that emphasizes ingredient color and texture.
- Styling: Realistic plating that readers can replicate at home.
- Surfaces: Varied but cohesive, maintaining visual thread across 150 setups.
- Restraint: No heavy styling tricks. Let the food speak.
Production Approach
Pre-Production
- • Recipe-by-recipe shot list planning for 150 setups
- • Surface and prop library curation for visual consistency
- • Food stylist coordination for daily recipe batching
Shoot Day
- • Approximately 25 recipes photographed per day across 6 shoot days, with 1 dedicated prelight day
- • Efficient setup rotation to maintain pace without compromising quality
- • Close collaboration with food stylist for plating accuracy
Post-Production
- • Color grading for consistent tone across all 150 images
- • Publisher delivery in multiple formats for print production
- • Cover and chapter opener final retouching
What This Enables
Cookbook-Scale Production
150 recipes shot across 6 shooting days proves a photographer can handle volume without sacrificing quality.
Publisher-Ready Delivery
Images met Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's print production standards on the first pass.
Brand-Aligned Photography
Every image reinforced the Whole30 identity: clean, real, and built for home cooks.
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