There's a particular kind of silence in the studio at 6.45am. The kettle's just clicked off, the lights are warming up, and there's a long trestle table covered in foil trays that need to look like the best thing anyone's ever eaten for Christmas dinner. That's the start of a Mash Direct shoot.

If you've ever wondered what actually goes into getting a full Christmas range on camera and how it doesn't all go hideously wrong - here's the diary.

The brief lands about three weeks before the shoot

Mash Direct sent through their range list, a mood board of the Christmas aesthetic they wanted, and a tight delivery date. We hopped on a planning call, agreed on a visual through-line (warm, generous, family table Christmas - not styled minimalist Christmas), and I built a one page shot list with timings.

That planning call is the bit nobody sees, and it's the bit that makes the day work. By shoot day, every dish has a surface, a prop combo and a rough sequence. We're not deciding on the day, we're executing.

The night before: prep is everything

I get to the studio the evening before with a trolley of props and a very strong coffee. Surfaces get dusted, backdrops get changed, the prop library gets raided. I lay out a styling "station" per dish (board, cloth, prop cluster, garnish bowl) so each setup is a single swap rather than a re-build.

For Mash Direct, the range included roast potatoes, glazed parsnips, red cabbage, a showstopper vegetable crumble and a few new SKUs. Each one needed its own moment.

7am: lights on, first setup

The rig is simple. One large softbox as key, a rim light from camera left to lift the food off the background, and a bounce card on the right to keep shadows soft. Natural light is gorgeous, but for a commercial range shoot you need consistency across every image.

First up: the hero dish. We always shoot the hero first, when the studio is fresh and my eyes are sharp.

Styling: where the magic happens

I can't take the credit for the styling, that's all Karyn Booth. While I'm focused on the camera, lighting and making sure every technical detail is right, Karyn is cooking, prepping and styling every dish that comes into the studio. We work together on the final look of each shot, but without a good food stylist, the photography simply wouldn't work.

The 3pm slump is real

Around 3pm the brain starts to drift, the back aches, and the sandwiches I optimistically brought at 7am are looking very appealing. This is where the prep pays off. By 3pm, the shot list has been worked through methodically and the harder jobs are already in the bag.

The last dish: 6.30pm, one frame left

The last frame of the three day shoot was the breakfast cabbage hash, styled with a fork resting on a linen napkin, salt and pepper shakers and a half filled glass. Done.

What Katie (Mash Direct) said afterwards

"This is the second time I've worked with Sharon, and it definitely won't be the last! From the initial planning calls right through to the shoot, she is a dream to work with. We couldn't be happier with the final shots for our Christmas campaign, every image is so well thought out, and her attention to detail is incredible!"

— Katie Carson, Mash Direct

That's the bit I don't get tired of.

If you're planning a seasonal range, a product launch, or a rebrand and you'd like to talk through a shoot day at Still Hungry Studio, get in touch. I also share a free 7 page Food Photography Brief that helps you get your thinking straight before we even have that first call.

How I Shot a Full Christmas Food Range in Three Days