The commission

Commission by VCCP London advertising agency and Cadbury to shoot their spring campaign, ‘But Actually Tasty’ 2023.

Still advertising photography for 6-sheet posters, digital out-of-home, video on-demand/broadcast video on-demand and social – displayed across the UK and Ireland.

Raisin, almond and oat portraits – macro food photography with just the right shape, texture and tooth-appeal.

Cadbury Brunch Bars food product photography – capturing the satisfying crunch, delicious and abundant ingredients and the all-important appetising Cadbury chocolate.

The creative team of my dreams:

VCCP Creative Director: Laura Muse

VCCP Creative: Tom Lee

VCCP Creative: Vicky David

VCCP Senior Producer: David Vass

What I brought to the project

Macro food photography portraits

I am in love with the details that I find on otherwise unremarkable ingredients when they are shot up close, using high resolutions and targeted lighting to bring out all their most interesting features.

There is a special skill to lighting and shooting macro photography – the scene is dramatically reduced in size, so the set up needs to reflect that. Crafting the light to gently skim these tiny subjects ensures all their texture, shape and colour is perfectly enhanced. 

Cadbury Brunch Bar product photography

The bars were captured with soft, gently warm lighting, working to highlight both their natural ingredients and the light gloss of the extremely delicious Cadbury chocolate.

Shooting from a slightly off-centre top angle, we showcased the Cadbury chocolate and other ingredients on the top, bottom and side for maximum taste appeal.

Our light brought out gorgeous colour, warmth and texture in the most important places, as well as making all ingredients readable at a glance.

Photography team

Food stylist Lucy-Ruth Hathaway, known for her highly detailed, technical approach, as well as her ability to really focus in on the elements that make a food desirable. Her eye for tiny details was perfect for crafting these macro images.

Expert chocolate model maker Paul Baker of 3D Studios, created and dressed the models for camera.

Jose Mosquera provided invaluable lighting and technical support, making sure every last detail was perfectly lit and all the tech ran smoothly.

Digi tech Giles Smith ensured that every focus-stacked image was super sharp, everything was clear for the retouchers and all the important creative was safely backed up. A whizz at knocking up scamps with the shoot images, he kept the agency and clients fully engaged by showing them our images in the final layouts and talking them through the retouching process and how the raw footage would be enhanced in post-production.

The results

Nancy Anne produces vibrant, playful imagery for advertising clients, working out of photography studios in London and Leeds. 

Nancy Anne is represented by photographic agency Swerve Represents and is also an accredited AOP member. Get in touch to discuss your project or to book Nancy Anne for a job.

Keep up to date with her latest food and drink photography projects and commissions via the News section of this website, her monthly photography newsletter or over on Instagram.