Behind
the mouthwatering photographs of glistening garlic shrimp and steaming
baked
lasagna on the pages of Rachael Ray’s latest cookbook is a team of
behind-the-scenes artists responsible for everything from the precise
preparation and placement of the food on the plate to the artfully
arranged
props setting the mood for each photograph.
One
of
those artists is Ivone Moutela, a New York City photographer and prop
stylist who earned both business administration and photography degrees
from
UNF before heading to the big city to further her career.
A
former photographer for UNF’s Marketing and Publications Department,
Moutela
moved to Newark, N.J., in 2006 and began assisting photographers in the
city,
including her cousin Armando Rafael. She quickly earned a reputation as a
hard
worker with a can-do attitude and obvious talent, leading to some pretty
impressive solo photography jobs.
“My
first
big job was for Elle magazine, to shoot a still-life promotional ad for
Armani,” Moutela said. “It was the first time I had the chance to be the
actual
photographer during a big photo shoot, and it was pretty amazing to see
my work
printed in Elle.”
Moutela
also traveled to Mexico to shoot photos for Orbas, an international
architectural magazine, and to Palm Springs, Calif., to assist
photographers
shooting for South Coast Plaza. “The shoot in Palm Springs was quite an
experience,” she said. “We were in the middle of the desert and it was
so cold
and windy, yet we were shooting this Cartier diamond necklace that was
glowing
in the wind. The whole time I was thinking ‘So this is how they do it!’”
Through
her
assignments as a commercial photographer, Moutela learned that her real
passion lies in fine-art photography, which allows her much more
creative
freedom. To pay for her “spare-time” passion, though, she continues to
work
primarily as a prop stylist for magazines like Food & Wine, Everyday
with
Rachael Ray, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Country Living and
Prevention.
As
a prop stylist, she sets up the scene for the photographer, purchasing
or
renting just the right tablecloth, silverware, plate, furniture or other
props
to create the desired look for the shoot. She’s styled cookbook photos
for
Rachael Ray, Emeril Lagasse, Giada de Laurentiis and Machiko Chiba — and
was
thrilled to have recently met Jerry Seinfeld while on the set styling
Jessica
Seinfeld’s latest cookbook.
Moutela’s
passion
lies in an alternative black-and-white photography process called lith
printing, producing photos exhibiting a grainy effect, dark shadows and
soft
highlights. “The appeal of it to me is that the images look like vintage
photos
— and I love spending time in the darkroom creating one-of-a-kind
pieces.”
It’s
this type of work that got Moutela noticed at UNF in 2004. Photo
professor Dominick
Martorelli was one of several who convinced Moutela to follow her
passion and
study photography. “Ivone was such a gifted and poetic photographer and
I’m not
at all surprised that she’s grown as much as she has,” he
said. “I’m so pleased for her that my heart is jumping for delight at
her
wonderful success.”
Moutela’s
artwork
has recently appeared in solo shows at the C.R.E.A. Gallery, 33 Street
Gallery, SCP Gallery and MOMPOU Tapas Bar & Lounge, all in Newark,
and at
O’Donnell’s Pub in Harrison, N.J. Her work has also been accepted for
the
Brooklyn Renegade Art Fair in June. To see some of her work, go to
www.ivonemoutela.com.
