Behind the scenes of a pour shot

Why is this man wearing three aprons? Because it’s pour-shot day in the photo studio. 
 
Pour shots are gorgeous because they’re dynamic. The food flies! The shapes and patterns it forms during the pour are impossible to predict—graceful curves, bubbly splatters. That’s what makes a pour shot so fun. And so messy. Because unless you’re really lucky, the first pour won’t yield the final image. You may have to pour again, and again, and again. 

Here’s Designer Chase Turbeville getting ready for splashdown. (Another fun element in this kind of shoot: you get to break out of your mold, serving as food stylist, key grip, prop master, and stuntman all at once.) The white paper board (AKA “the set”) is standing in a kiddie pool to help catch any olive-y overflow. That’s standard practice for this kind of shot. The latex gloves on the table legs, however, are a brilliant improvisation. Why go to all this trouble to avoid mopping if you’re just going to set a table with oil-soaked feet back on the floor?
 
 

And here’s a sample of the final image you’ll be seeing in an upcoming issue.