Food Photography
By Rachel Davies
The lovely people from Great British Chefs put on an event about how to take great food photographs.
Who couldn’t use a little advice?
So I went along to the snazzy Google offices in Tottenham Court Road where I found plenty of food bloggers, the supremely talented Pascal Aussignac of Club Gascon, and some wonderful canapes.
Photographer David Griffen then dished out advice. He suggested getting up close to the food you’re photographing, to try to take pictures in daylight, and that reflectors are a must-buy to bounce light back onto the food.
He also advised calling a restaurant if you know you’ll be taking photos, and asking for one of their tables with the best light, which sounded like a very good idea to me.
David’s also found that chefs in professional kitchens look better in black and white. I did a test – what do you think?
We then gathered around tables to take pictures of Pascal’s food.
First up was a beautifully colourful Roquefort tart with glazed butternut squash and rocket.
And it didn’t take long before it looked like this….
A delicate Carpaccio of duck followed, served with sea urchin foam and lotus crisps.
Food photographers will tell you how hard meat is to get right – the camera plays tricks, changing the colour from bright pink to unappetising grey and back again.
Foam is also tricky to capture well. I wouldn’t say this is the best photo of the night, but I gave it a try!
Pascal cleverly followed with a Duchesse of Marmite – whipped potato and tomme fraiche, with a gorgeous Marmitey sauce and crunchy potato crisps on top.
Having been brought up on hot Marmite – a spoonful mixed into a mug of boiling water as a savoury drink, I was in my element when it came to the tasting!
And that was it!
Huge thanks to Great British Chefs, Google, David Griffen and Pascal Aussignac for a deliciously informative event.
And here’s a picture of me with the man himself….
