Solaris Tea is a well-known Irish tea brand with a strong commitment to sustainability and quality — and a B Corp certification to prove it. Over a seven-month collaboration, I worked alongside their marketing agency to create recipe photography and short-form video content that brought their teas to life in a way that went well beyond a standard product shot.
I work directly with brands and alongside agencies — this was the latter. The agency handled strategy, client relationship, and briefing. Everything from there was handled by me (with the agency’s input and approval during the planning stage): translating the brief into a creative direction, building the mood board, sourcing props, styling, recreating the recipes properly, shooting, and editing. The kind of work that requires as much culinary knowledge and food science understanding as it does photography and video skills. Everything was produced in my studio.
The Challenge
Solaris Tea had a clear strategy in place: they wanted to add more recipe-based content to their social media and marketing mix, showing their teas not just as something you brew and drink, but also as ingredients in cooking and drinks. The brief covered both accessible, trend-led content (think iced matcha drinks) and more creative, alternative approaches that would bring their speciality teas to life in unexpected ways.
They came with the strategy and the recipes. They needed a food photographer and video specialist based in Ireland who could take that brief and turn it into visually strong, food-accurate, and platform-ready photography and short-form video for a brand with high standards focused on quality and sustainability.
The Solution
For each project, I received a brief from the agency and took it from there — developing the creative direction, building a mood board, selecting props, surfaces, colours, and styling approach, then getting a sign-off before the shoot. Once confirmed, I recreated every recipe in full (understanding the process, not just following instructions) and shot both food photography and video covering the complete recipe from start to finish.
The range of work across the months was incredibly varied. Some shoots were relatively straightforward, like an iced strawberry matcha (a trend-led drinks recipe built for social media reach and press features). Others required more preparation, like a traditional Irish Barmbrack made with Solaris tea for Halloween, and a water kefir recipe that involved the full fermentation process from start to finish. Every recipe was made in my studio, styled carefully, and shot to show the process as well as the finished result.
The work covered food and product photography for social media, newsletters, website, and PR use, alongside short-form recipe videos for social media. All creative direction, styling, prop sourcing, shooting, and editing were handled by me.
The Results
I wasn’t responsible for posting on their social media accounts, so the agency and client hold the full performance data.
One recipe video brought in over 200 new followers. One recipe was picked up by 10 different press outlets. The highest-performing video reached 18,000 views. The content sparked conversations both online and offline, which, for a drink brand built on the ritual and culture of tea, is exactly the kind of engagement that matters.
Beyond the digital performance, the food photography was used inside press drop boxes sent to media contacts, printed for brand events, and featured across multiple magazines in both print and online. Press features don’t happen without images editors want to publish — and having photography that was both visually strong and food-accurate made that possible.
The agency came back for a second, larger package after the first campaign. That says more than any single metric.
What the client said
“Working with Chiara was a smooth and seamless process from start to finish. She was very responsive with a quick turnaround, ensured we understood exactly what her services entailed, and gave us confidence she could meet the brief. We had plenty of choice in terms of backdrops, props, and styling elements. At every stage, Chiara was professional, accommodating, and a pleasure to work with.” Arden (Food Social)
If you’re a food or drink brand looking for photography and video that shows your product in its full potential (not just how it looks, but how it fits into your customers’ lives), I’d love to hear about what you’re working on.
A MATTER OF NOURISHMENT 