From Food to Filmmaking, Louise Palmberg’s Unique Recipe for Career Success

“I would rather see you go to art school than go to culinary school.” Were the guiding words of director Louise Palmberg’s father after she told him of her ambition to pursue a culinary career.

“I think he was joking, but I took it incredibly literally and ended up going to art school instead… clearly, it all worked out.” Louise laughs, as she reflects on a career which has seen her make a name for herself as a specialised food and beverage photographer and director – combining her early love of food and cookery with art and creation.

Born and raised in Sweden, Louise credits her parents – both chefs – with shaping her appreciation for food. “I grew up in a restaurant,” she says, “and my main hobby is cooking – it’s my passion in life.

“I remember when I was in art school, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, and I was a bit lost at the time,” Louise continues. “When I figured out that I could combine food and photography and directing, that's when it clicked. It was very exciting. For the longest time, I didn't quite think about how I could combine my two paths in life. Once I figured that out, it became very clear that that's what I wanted to do.”

Now based in New York, Louise has collaborated with the likes of intimate, local restaurants to global brands including Starbucks, Nespresso and Captain Morgan to bring flavour to the screen. Crafting visuals that make audiences want to reach out and taste for themselves, she is adept at ensuring that everyone feels invited to take a seat at the table.

New Horizons

Louise has extended this invitation to a new market recently, joining the roster as a photographer and director at Toronto-based production company, Undivided.

There’s a lot of things that excite Louise about her new directorial home, including spending more time “up North”, away from her residence in upstate New York, introducing her Swedish sensibilities to a new market, and, in the future, hopefully landing the dream Canadian client, Tim Hortons. “I cannot wait for that day to come,” she shares.

With the backing of Undivided, Louise joins a community of craftspeople with inclusion and opportunity at its core, centred around artistry and the pursuit of the very best creative. Louise first connected with the company through partner and fellow director/photographer Nikki Ormerod, as she remembers bonding over shared values and experiences as women in a male-dominated field.

“I felt instantly connected to her in a way, especially being a photographer, director and a woman in the industry,” she explains. “It just felt like we had so much in common, and so many shared values and a sense of what's important. I thought to myself, ‘I really, really want to be friends with her, so I should probably join her roster’.”

Louise hit the ground running at Undivided, starting her time there with a spot for Crystal Light. “First job out of the gate, she nailed it,” says executive producer Barclay J. Maude. “We got to meet her in person as she came up to Toronto, I produced the spot, and it was a great experience.”

“It really drove home that these guys are fun and friendly to work with, and it’s a place where I will have a really nice time,” adds Louise.

Everyone’s Invited

Louise tackles every brief – no matter the category – with a product first approach. It helps her to envision how something might look, taste, feel, or even smell, and to emulate it most accurately on screen. “If I can get my hands on the product beforehand, I do prefer that, as I can get familiar with it and start to understand it. That applies to non food-related items as well.

“The first place to start is by asking a lot of questions,” she adds. “I’m trying to figure out where they [a brand] fits into the market, so that we can keep that in mind as we build out the shoot, whether it's photography or motion.”

This approach is exemplified in a recent campaign for toothbrush brand Quip. The shoot took place in Colombia, and its success was largely down to Louise’s curiosity and intrigue around the brand itself. “It was so fascinating to get to sit down with the product manager and talk about the specs and details of this product. That guy knows everything about it and has devoted years of his life to developing it. Hearing about all of those little features and finding ways to visualise those was really exciting.”

Above all, Louise wants audiences to feel welcome, infusing a sense of hospitality inspired by her time spent in the restaurant industry into her work. To do this, she believes in the power of authenticity, whereby to really sell a product, everyone involved in making a commercial should truly know the product too.

“I have a huge pet peeve for commercials where it’s clear that the talent doesn’t know how to handle a knife,” she explains. Therefore, for every food and beverage production, Louise taps into her wealth of knowledge to ensure that the presentation and handling of a product is as accurate as it can be. After all, “you wouldn’t use a serrated steak knife for cutting a citrus!”

“At the end of the day,” Louise adds, “I mostly want the viewer to have a sweet time watching.”

Louise’s work strikes a balance between technical and relatable, merging impressive camera techniques with moments of realism. “I love working on projects that combine the two, and I find the end results often to be quite successful. As a viewer, I think it's fun to watch a commercial that is a good mix of technical ‘wow’ shots, such as slow motion, macro or Phantom work, together with some authentic and relatable lifestyle work.”

Paying attention to all five senses, Louise wants audiences to imagine not only what a product might taste like, but also what it could feel, smell or sound like. She achieves this by visualising each property of the product, and finding ways to scatter that throughout the commercial. “I’ll think about that when I am writing or rewriting scripts, or floating ideas by my creative partners,” she notes.

Whilst careful sound design decisions help to create an audible impression of a product on-screen, Louise is equally intentional in her choices of lighting and colour, making selections that complement the textures and unique properties of each product. “I tend to find myself in more of the on-location, warm lighting, saturated scenes that are inspired by ‘real’ lighting. I find myself leaning more to naturalistic, familiar environments.”

Looking ahead, Louise is eager to immerse herself within Undivided’s close-knit family and the wider production community. “I’m looking forward to working with some really nice people, from the crew, to the agencies and clients.

“Directing can often feel a bit lonely in certain situations, and in my experience with production companies, the more it feels like family, the more I’ll enjoy it. So, I think I’ll do well here with Undivided.”