Behind the Scenes at a Great America Photoshoot

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Behind the Scenes of our Funnel Cake Photoshoot

Jenae Mims Photo Jenae Mims |
April 11, 2019

Last week, the California’s Great America marketing team stepped away from their desks and spent a day working in the park’s newest eatery, French Quarter Funnel Cakes & Churros for a very sweet photo shoot. With help from a few friends of the park, food photographer Ashley Lima and stylist Margaux Keres, we were able to capture the magic of this new location and the sweet treats that are served here.

With a rotating selection of toppings and flavors that are available to guests each day, there are endless funnel cakes that can be created—so this project took a lot of helping hands, time and patience. But doing a photoshoot of funnel cakes all day is just as fun as you might imagine! That’s why we are taking you behind the scenes at the park to let you in on what this professional funnel cake and churro photoshoot was like!

Ashley and Margaux created a mini studio inside French Quarter Funnel Cakes & Churros and provided all of the props, backdrops and equipment. The key to creating the best food photography is to find lighting that complements the food—we chose to shoot near the windows, where natural light pours into the store.

Our goal was to make sure that every shot was beautiful, and that it accurately represents what guests will be served when they order their funnel cake or churro treat. One of the obstacles when working with funnel cakes is making sure that the ice cream doesn’t melt before getting the perfect shot. Erick Ponce, the park's executive chef, was on hand to make sure each item was picture perfect. Just for the shoot, he fried fresh funnel cakes and let them cool before any potentially melty toppings were added. Once cooled, the ice cream and other toppings were added, and Ashley immediately photographed the treats in order to beat the clock.

Margaux carefully styled the funnel cakes against various backdrops for each shot. Between shots, the duo reviewed their images on a laptop to make sure they were capturing the perfect angle.

Eight hours (and many, many funnel cakes) later, the shoot was complete. You’ll see our new funnel cake photos released on our social media channels in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out! Make sure you come to the park to enjoy your own funnel cake or churro -- and don’t forget to take your own sweet pictures before you eat it!