Sweet Meat by German photographer, Jasmin Schuller, is a series of beautifully shot desserts. These puds aren’t suitable for vegetarians though as they’re completely made from meat - that’s right, raw meat gussied up to look like heavenly desserts. Not that every carnivore would want to eat these either, but you have to admit they do look gastronomically pleasing. We chatted to Jasmin about her inspiration for this project and how her dog managed to benefit from it a lot.    

So where did the inspiration for Sweet Meat come from?

First of all I like sweets and I also fancy a good steak. Wouldn’t it be nice to have it all in one? That was mostly the inspiration for the series. I didn’t imagine Sweet Meat to taste good, but my aim was to make ‘em look compellingly delicious.

Do you have a sweet tooth, what's your favourite meat-free dessert?

I love carrot cake.

Do you feel that food is often portrayed in a way that deceives us, in adverts for example?

It’s not a big secret that digital image editing can be delusive, especially in advertising. On the other hand, it’s part of the staging, which I see as an important stylistic device, whether for digital or analogue productions.

How were the meaty desserts created? How long did the images take to set up?

Each one was to be handled in different ways, but I’m not going to reveal my secrets. The tartlet was the easiest to create. If I had to pick, that one’s my favourite shot.

With all the raw meat and animal fluid on set, was it a difficult project to shoot in terms of comfort levels?

Every set is challenging in its special demands. That’s what I love about my job.

Did anything have to be manipulated in post-production?

No. [winks]

What was the most difficult item to work into a dessert?

The sweet cream. It melted really fast through the studio lights.

A lot of meat/animal products are used in desserts and other foods anyway, such as gelatin and rennet which many don’t realize. Is there a deeper message in your work to highlight this? What do you want people to feel when they view this series?

The hunting days are over and gone for good. Today you identify yourself with the choices you make at the market, also concerning food. To eat consciously and healthily is not only important but also getting fashionable. It’s a strange progress if you think about it. So what will you do? It’s getting harder every day to act responsibly to the environment, the disadvantaged people in the global process and also yourself.  

What happened to the desserts afterwards?

It was my dog’s birthday.

You’ve done a variety of editorial, fashion and portrait photography, what kind of projects do you prefer working on?

Every part of my work is special to me. Through the various projects, I also get to know different people. I like variety a lot, in my work as well as in my life.

What projects are you working on now? Any plans to turn fruit into fish dishes?

Currently I’m working on several projects. I’m especially looking forward to a shoot a lookbook for Zerum. It’s going to be staged at the mountains and is about fair-trade shirts. A new project of my own is also in the making, so we will see.

For more of Jasmin's work visit her website here.