When I started on my photographic journey, I never dreamt that food photography would become a passion.
But how did I get here? Well, the truth is, it initially came down to one person who decided to change jobs. To keep it short, Stuart joined Reed Publishing back in the 90s as an Art Director working for The Caterer Magazine. One day, I got the call, “Can you take a picture of a chef, Heston Blumenthal?” I wasn’t quite sure I even knew who he was at the time, well, he was late, but I stuck around and got the shot.
My career might not have experienced the meteoric rise as was the case with Heston but it was the beginning of my journey with a specialism as a food photographer. This dove-tailed perfectly with my portrait photography.
You can’t just take chef portraits and not photograph their food. To be honest, I struggled with food shots in the beginning. Then there was the revelation which I still adhere to today. It’s all about two things, the food and the lighting. These two elements cannot be exclusive to each other,
When you are photographing to simply display the food a strong clean light is essential but when you are photographing to seduce a muted soft light is better in keeping.
When I’m commissioned for food photography, the first thing I look for on the brief is what the client is seeking with their imagery. I then ensure that my approach to the shoot is aligned with my mindset, equipment and expectations.
