The collaboration between the Master in Gastronomic Photography and the chef Andrea Dopico reaches its final stage

One of the main projects of the 2020-2021 academic year is the one that joins the students of the Master in Gastronomic and Advertising Photography with the chef Andrea Dopico and her company andiNC., the first 100% digital Spanish bakery.

Our students have already submitted their proposals and, before knowing all the results, we have talked with the student Nora Abushadi to give us more details of this collaboration:

- First of all, explain to us what the project that Andrea proposed to you consists of.

A big part of the photographer's work comes from a clear objective: to visually communicate a message. The brief that Andrea presented to us consisted of finding innovative ways to show the different product lines offered by andiNC. for use in social networks and in the online store on the official website.

Andrea wanted us to understand the natural look, dedication and detail she puts into each product. To show the quality without losing sight of the visual treatment of the branding. Her main goal was to have refreshing content, and that's where we started.

- How did the whole work process develop?

Before meeting with Andrea for the brief, professor Cassandra Stuyt gave us several tips: what and how to ask the client, how to think with the brand in mind, etc. Her classes were not only about image retouching, but also about the tools we needed to do any project going forward. Many of the aspects that Cassandra taught us came from her own learning and professional experience, and that helped us to develop the whole creative process.

After Andrea's brief, each student presented a pitch of his/her ideas for the brand. The interesting thing was to see how each of us interpreted and proposed different solutions for andiNC.'s products. The presentation consisted of a mix between a moodboard of references and a strategic part that supported the motive and development of each idea through a series of images.

Hearing that Andrea really liked the variety of concepts encouraged us to start pre-production. Cassandra explained to us the paperwork we needed to prepare to make sure we didn't forget anything. From a photoshoot list with a summary of all the materials, props and composition details for each image, to instructions on how to use tools such as Capture One and ColorChecker to make the photos look professional.

The students have worked with the professor Cassandra Stuyt

- What does your proposal consist of? What did you want to show with it?

After analyzing the brand, I noticed that a better understanding of the content of the products was missing. One of the details that Andrea mentioned during the brief process was her search for the best ingredients to obtain 100% natural quality products. We learned this directly from her, but the consumer can't know this at first glance.

To solve the problem I deconstructed each type of granola by separating and visually representing the original flavor blends created by Andrea. The goal is to make the ingredients visible and recognizable in their natural and original form.

- How do you feel after these months of work?

This has been my first gastronomic project in the sense of collaborating with a professional pastry chef and working with her original products (which are currently available on the market). I would definitely say that I am proud to have been part of the project because of the experience and the learning environment.

Nora has deconstructed each type of granola

- What has it been like collaborating with Andrea?

I have enjoyed working on Andrea's project for many reasons. The main one is that she has trusted us to visualize her brand through our images, getting involved in the creative process and taking part in the implementation. She gave us a brief and assigned each product to the person she considered most suitable after pitch presentations.

It has been a great learning experience because she has always been open and we have been able to interact and talk with her to go deeper into different concepts. All this has encouraged me to participate enthusiastically in the andiNC. project and work on it as if it was my own.

- And finally, what do you think about the fact that LCI Barcelona offers students the opportunity to work on real projects?

The idea that the School invites real clients to work with us is an incredible learning experience, as we can assimilate a project from start to finish. From the tactical point of figuring out what's missing visually and how to communicate it to the art direction and image treatment, along with the pre-production and post-production processes.

Our professors guide us all along the way, teaching us not only what is most necessary, but also other important aspects such as problem and unexpected situations solving so that, when we are working, we have the essential know-how.

Cover image: Project by Nora Abushadi for andiNC.