My food stylist Kristina Wolter and I planned an outdoor, rustic food shoot to add more lifestyle food photography images to our portfolios. Thankfully, Kristina is friends with Dorsey Barger of HausBar Farms who was so gracious to let us shoot at their farm. HausBar Farms is a unique gem in East Austin, an urban farm dedicated to humane and Eco-friendly food growing practices and teaching the community about sustainability. This place is truly magical. Abundant rows of vegetables, plants, and flowers grow in the sun-soaked garden. We visited during poppy season; bright red, cheerful poppies punctuate the rows of plants, and we were inspired to include these edible flowers in our food photography. Chickens scratch and peck freely all over the farm area. Rabbits have their own section to bounce around munching on vegetables from the garden. There are even two miniature donkeys who greet you when you arrive (they are basically like big, calm dogs who love to get scratched behind their ears). It’s an amazing little piece of heaven-on-earth.
Our vision for the shoot was a plein air dining scene of a garden-fresh salad. We imagined a rustic farm table, set by a lady who had just finished picking vegetables and greens fresh from her garden. Working outside of a food photography studio is definitely uncommon for me, so thankfully I had assistance from my friend Rachelle King of Blinded by the Bite to hold reflectors and scrims while I shot in the evening sun. Kristina picked greens, vegetables, and edible flowers fresh from the garden and artfully arranged them into a salad. We were thrilled with how the photo shoot, food and prop styling turned out.
HausBar Farms was such an amazing setting for this shoot and we are truly grateful to Dorsey and her partner for welcoming us to shoot there. Kristina and I can’t wait to return for another photo shoot. Check out their website for more information on day camps for kids and gardening workshops offered.
