About

About Kelly Neil

Hi, I’m Kelly.

Welcome to my little corner of the Internet, where I share my food styling and photography, recipes inspired by my home province of Nova Scotia, and easy seasonal recipes for home bakers and cooks.

What You’ll Find on Kellyneil.com

My recipes range from classic East Coast fare like Nova Scotia seafood chowder and Nova Scotia blueberry grunt to simple family meals like pesto gnocchi. My favorite things to make are sweet treats like blueberry cake donuts, Biscoff ice cream, and brown sugar shortbread cookies. Start here!

Nova Scotia Recipes
A green rectangle dish of sausage goulash with servings removed and plated around the baking dish.
Weeknight Meals
Swirled dulce leche fills the whole frame.
Kitchen Basics
Rainbow sprinkles cookies lined up on a light blueish green surface.
Desserts

Food Photography, Styling, and Writing

I started kellyneil.com to showcase my food photography. Over time, it has evolved into a full-time career, and I currently create content for myself and my clients. I do all of my prop sourcing, shopping, and styling, as well as my food prep and styling. Here are a few brands I’ve worked with:

Baked Collective

Baked Collective is a collaborative project by three Canadian recipe developers, food photographers, and stylists. I’m a founder of the collective.

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Cavendish Farms

I’ve been photographing content for Cavendish Farms’ retail products and restaurant food service division since February 2020.

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A slab of salmon on a cedar board with some pieces flaked off.

Cedar Bay Salmon

I developed a series of diverse recipes for Cedar Bay Salmon to be featured on their website and various social media channels.

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Loblaws / President’s Choice

I’ve partnered with Loblaws / President’s Choice since 2017. I’ve attended events in Toronto, created content for various campaigns, and I often appear on live morning television to promote PC products.

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Top-down view of three slices of pie in a tin.

Lee Valley

I created a series of tutorial-style content for Lee Valley, including articles called How To Make The Perfect Apple Pie, Turkey Tips, and How To Bake The Perfect Cake.

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A small meringue topped with stewed rhubarb and lilac blossoms.

The Chronicle Herald

For three years, I was a food columnist for The Chronicle Herald. During this time, I wrote and photographed four unique bi-weekly columns—The Nanny Project, In Season, The Menu Board, and The List.

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My studio space is inside my home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. With easy access to my kitchen, plus a large collection of surfaces, props, and linens on hand, it works well for me. I have hosted many clients in this space; however, I also use text threads to send images to clients for approval. I sometimes shoot on location; however, this occurs on a project-by-project basis.

Sponsored content (recipes and posts explicitly created for clients and brands that compensate me financially) is always indicated as such.

Some Places I’ve Been Featured

Global News Morning Halifax • Nimbus Publishing • The Coast • Food Bloggers of Canada • Lee Valley • Canada Beef • CTV Atlantic • President’s Choice • Cedar Bay Salmon • Cavendish Farms • Taste of Nova Scotia • Thai Kitchen

Testimonials

Working with Kelly was awe-inspiring!

Anyone who needs food photography done should contact her right now. It will be the best decision you have made this year!
Jennifer Laughlin
Owner, Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet

I can’t recommend Kelly enough.

The quality of her work is exceptional, but beyond that, she is a dream to work with. Specifically, I was impressed by her ability to ask the right questions, understand exactly what the client wanted, and execute the process herself. She went above and beyond what I expected, and I would work with her again in a heartbeat.
Andrew Breen
Outshine Online Marketing

Kelly’s a true triple threat!

Kelly fully grasped the intent and character of my recipes and portrayed them beautifully through her work. An outstanding culinary professional, an excellent professional photographer, and a lovely person to have around the kitchen.
Elisabeth Bailey
Author of Maritime Fresh

Let’s Work Together

I would love to discuss your needs, objectives, and brand identity to determine the project’s scope.

We can collaborate to generate ideas and concepts for your visual content, or I can work independently and send ideas to you.

I envision unique and delicious recipes aligning with your brand and target audience. You choose your favorite recipes, and I will test and write them.

Let me help you develop visual concepts and shot lists for your photography and/or videography.

I have a curated collection of props, including dishes, bakeware, linens, backgrounds, and more. I can also source props and design sets that complement your product to enhance your overall aesthetic.

I do all of my food styling for my photography. I’m an expert in knowing exactly how to make your product look its best for the camera.

I use top-of-the-line professional gear and software to capture high-quality, engaging photos showcasing your product or recipes.

I can produce, direct, shoot, and edit short-form or long-form videos for social media that tell a story to create an emotional connection with your audience.

I will edit/retouch your photos to ensure they meet your expectations and maintain a consistent brand aesthetic.

I offer writing services specifically for food bloggers. This can include any or all of the following, depending on your needs:

  • Keyword planning and research
  • Competitive analysis
  • SEO
  • Writing style adaptation (to match your brand’s voice)
  • Editing and proofreading
  • Formatting posts in WordPress
  • Regular updates and revisions.

I can write custom captions for your visuals tailored to your various social media platforms, audiences, and brand voice.

I will deliver the completed content to you in a timely manner and make any necessary revisions based on your feedback. As a general rule, most of my clients require little to no revisions; however, for some commercial work, it is needed.

Get in Touch

My email is [email protected]. Please note, I am a solo entrepreneur with a young family; I sometimes fall behind with my email inbox. I generally respond to emails in 1 to 2 business days. You can also subscribe to my weekly email list for updates, recipes, and more:

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