INTERVIEW WITH LARA HÜSLER,
RECIPE CREATOR, FOOD STYLIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER

WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR CURRENT PROFESSION?
I have enjoyed cooking and had a passion for good food since my youth. Even as a teenager, I experimented a lot in my parents’ kitchen, constantly trying out new things.

My journey to my current profession as a food photographer began around eight years ago. In 2014, whilst training to become a pharmaceutical assistant, I started photographing food – purely as a hobby at the time. My passion to create new recipes and serve delicious food has given me an opportunity to give my creativity free rein. When I trained as a diet coach and gut health adviser, my interest in a healthy and sustainable diet grew. I became increasingly interested in inspiring and motivating others to follow a healthy diet. In many hours behind the camera, I have honed my knowledge of optimal lighting, styling tips etc. The first customer orders followed in 2020, which gave me the opportunity to gain a foothold in the industry. Since then, I have been involved in some wonderful projects and last year fulfilled a long-awaited wish by going freelance, which I am very happy about and quite proud. :)

Good, healthy food is so much fun and easier to make than many think. It is anything but boring! I love variety and culinary delights. For me, it is not only about the composition of the recipes and making the dishes look visually appetising, but about the dining experience itself. A pleasant, relaxed atmosphere is essential.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WORKING DAY LOOK LIKE?
That depends very much on what’s on my schedule. What many don’t realise is that, as a food photographer, I don’t spend eight hours a day cooking or behind the camera. As a freelancer, I enjoy the privilege of being able to manage my time to suit me. I start with a rough annual and quarterly plan, then always do a weekly plan at the start of a new week. Depending on how many projects I have on, I can easily work over ten hours a day and on weekends. I do, however, make sure to treat myself to a little more free time during the week.

My day-to-day work includes:

• Photo shoots (planning, preparation + organisation, cooking, food styling, photography, image editing)
• Customer acquisition, customer care, mails, meetings
• Website, online presence, marketing
• Continuous personal development
• Administration (accounting, planning, etc. )

In advance of a photo shoot, I get the food together the day before to make sure that I have everything I need at hand. I then spend a few hours in my own little studio preparing the food and taking the perfect food photo. From the idea to the finished recipe, including photos, it will often take around four hours.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CREATING RECIPES?
Before I can create a new recipe, there are a few points to be clarified. If, for example, I am creating a recipe for a customer, I first have to find out what the customer is expecting.

• What kind of recipe do they want? (e.g. a light spring recipe, healthy alternative to Christmas biscuits etc.)
• What is the main ingredient of the dish?
• What other ingredients will I include?
• How will I cook the food to make it as appealing as possible? (pan, oven, grill etc.)

If the customer’s wish is clear, I start work on the idea and composition of the recipe. I keep tinkering until the proportions, the taste and the consistency are right, and I have a successful finished product. It is important to me that the recipe and the ingredients align with my values. My philosophy of a sustainable, healthy and enjoyable diet and lifestyle is second only to customer satisfaction.

WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION?
Exercise is really important to me. Ideally outdoors in nature! In addition to work, I love getting active. Just like with food, I like a lot of variety. From yoga to the gym to bouldering; a little bit of everything. The best inspirations usually come to me during a morning walk or jogging. It helps clear my head to make space new ideas.

In my free time, I also like to travel to new countries and discover cuisine from all over the world. I was particularly impressed by Moroccan and Indian food. So I am certainly inspired by other cultures.

I also love to browse through other food photos, blogs, magazines, etc., which can also provide a lot of inspiration.

WHAT WOULD BE AN EXTRAORDINARY RECIPE FOR YOU?
That’s a good question! I’m not really focused on making recipes as crazy or as difficult as possible; it’s more about passion and innovation. So I particularly like modifying conventional recipes to create new tastes. For example, an Asian curry using Swiss ingredients becomes a spicy apple and beetroot curry for example. I definitely like a lot of colour with plenty of fresh vegetables and high-quality basic foodstuffs, and for a dish to be prepared with love. That’s what makes a recipe extraordinary for me.