THE Chocolate Stack

When people talk about dream assignments, they may just have something like this in mind. I needed an image that screamed CHOCOLATE, and what better way to do that than to create a heroic stack of the most delectable chocolate bars and truffles I could find?

Photographing chocolate is a specialty unto itself, and a huge undertaking:

• Careful planning including sketching the scene and light testing ensures the photo shoot will run smoothly.

• Styling requires a light hand (and gloves!) to keep the chocolate as pristine as possible.

• Manipulating the light just so allows the chocolate's beauty to really shine, and adding drips, pools and drops one at a time means much less frustration in post-processing.

• Retouching each piece with care and precision ensures the chocolate looks as mouthwatering as possible. Manipulating colors so the product is true-to-life and the background makes the whole image sing requires a trained eye and deft hand.

But as satisfying as the hours spent getting the image juuuuust right can be, wrapping up is easily the best — and most delicious — part of the day.

A shout-out to each of these amazing brands, which made this image possible:

• Mast Brothers milk chocolate

• Divine Chocolate milk chocolate

• Lindt dulce de leche milk chocolate truffles

• Theo Chocolate vegan dark chocolate with sea salt

• Trader Joe’s milk chocolate with hazelnuts

• Hersey’s syrup

Have some delicacies you’d like to photograph? Get in touch — I’d love to hear from you!