PORTFOLIOS??

We all snap away taking lovely shots but however ‘nice’ they are, we have to listen to what other people think.

When I flew to Vejle, Denmark, all expenses paid for 5 days as one one of the two British exhibitors I felt I knew my market pretty well and generally liked what I saw on my website. Let’s face it, it’s not everyday I’m collected in a top of the range Porche by a 26 year Danish girl!!

However, during the exhibition & demonstrations, chatting away to photographers & art buyers from around the world, not only did i see and enjoy different styles of food photography but one Dutch art buyer’s comment really stayed with me. She liked one food photographers folio but was also highly critical of his work. She said it was ‘beautiful but isn’t food all about sharing and he didn’t have any human element in any photo?’ I can still remember her bewildered face as we waited for our planes to take us all home.

During my flight home, inspired by brash photos from NY and other wonderful images from around the globe, I thought, ‘I have a beautiful folio with high res post production BUT I need to add the interaction with people’.

Food is about sharing, it can be beautiful but shared with friends and family. My wife isn’t a foodie, although she appreciates a good meal out, she prefers talking to friends.

I have now introduced people in the folio and really enjoyed shooting them, both in sharing the food and also in the preparation.

ARTISAN BAKERS

On the banks of the Serchio river, in the Garfagnana mountains is a small artisan bakery, that has been feeding the local Tuscans since the end of WW11.

Brothers Emmanuelle & Giovanni, great grand children of the original bakers only use chestnut , spelt or potato flour to bake their loaves.

The oven, like many in Tuscan bakeries and trattorias is fired using local chestnut or olive wood. The bread, pastries and Friday night pizzas wouldn’t taste the same without it.

Using crystal clear water from the river, which is full of trout, the bread is totally organic and bought daily by the locals

Simple margherita pizzas with capers are cooked every Friday evening

The proof is in the pudding.

From Hugh’s current Trattoria book project - any publishers who would like to be involved I would love to discuss this with you.

MIRASOLE, BOLOGNA - WORLD'S BEST OSTERIA

I have done several shoots in the wonderful city of Bologna, the ‘Belly of Italy’, but none better than at the Mirasole, a short train journey from the city centre.

Bologna is famous for Mortadella, Lasagne, Bolognaise and also for snails, plus many other dishes. Parma,is the home of Parmesan & Procuitto is also very close

I love all the plates dishes and wacky ice bucket.

The Osteria del Mirasole, San Giovanni in Persiceto, Bologna

Tortellini with Mirasole cream

Classic lasagne with nettle lasagne sheets, chicken liver Bolognaise cooked for 8 hours

The grill

Veal chop with Parma ham with Parmesan cream

Florentine bistecca

The Bar, Mirasole

Rose, Lambrusco

CHRISTMAS AT 35C

Why do our Christmas shoots happen when the temperatures are in the 35C - 37C?

Today we are shooting a selection of Christmas still lives as we swelter under the burning sun, decorating a 20ft tree.

I remember when I was an assistant we shot a Christmas campaign for a Bank and hired a manor house for the shoot during a hot July. We had a huge log fire for the wintery effect. Presumably the chimney hadn’t been swept because as we were packing up the car after the shoot we could see smoke billowing from the outside of the chimney. We mentioned it to our boss who said ‘ Jump in the car and leave’. He left in his Aston, the other assistant and me drove off in the hired van. Ten minutes away, we met the fire brigade coming the other way!! We felt guilty but our boss didn’t!!

KEW GARDEN COOK BOOK - published this week

Diana Henry’s Buratta & Pumpkin salad, one of the delicious vegetarian recipes

NEW AWARDS

PINK LADY Cream of the Crop winners & Wine - people

(also a winner in the US Colour Awards & AOP )

Leafy shadows and sun ripened vegetables

Chefs, pre diner drinks at Chateau Bagnol, Lyon

PINK LADY FOOD PHOTO AWARDS 22

I still can’t tell you which of the 3 pictures are in the Finals of the Pink Lady Awards. Over 80,000 images were entered with 3 of my images in the final 50-60 images. There were some superb photos submitted from all over the world.

Later in April I can publish which 3 have got through?

MORE AWARD SUCCESS

I am not allowed to tell you about success in the Pink Lady Awards apart from 3 images have been Shortlisted but I have 3 winners in the Color Awards USA 2022.

The three winners are Ripe Bananas, Buratta winning for the 3rd time and Chefs for the 3rd time.

Ripe Bananas.

Buratta

Chefs, Chateau de Bagnols, Lyon, France.

STILL LIFE - THE HUMBLE BANANA

Still life may be considered a weird subject but one that is fascinating. It allows you to make an everyday object extraordinary.

Surfaces, outlines and shapes, reflections are often crucial to making the photo interesting. Often there’s a fine line between an image being wonderful or boring.

An example can be clearly seen with my award winning Whippet photo. We all know what they look like but can you show it in a slightly different way with a slight twist or from a different angle? Do you need to see the head?

I shoot more and more ingredients and the skills learned from being a still life photographer enable me to make a simple ingredient more interesting. The most everyday object can be beautiful.

OFM - NEW PROJECT

In my eyes, photography is not just about taking the picture, it’s just as important to arrange all the components, the correct food & props stylist so everyone is working and pulling in the same direction with the right props, backgrounds & foods.

I love briefing out the props and backgrounds so the stylist can go out and do her magic. Without good props our work is very tough.

On a lovely OFM brief with River Cafe Chef, Joe Trivelli I could put my skills into practice. The recipes were wonderful and I thoroughly recommended them for Easter.

Smoked haddock, samphire, sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, lemon peel, garlic drenched in olive oil.

I love this simple execution, i tried it looser, with cutlery, more bread but the oval plate was so good, with amazing food, it just didn’t need it.

Shaved asparagus, a hint of anchovy with eggy pasta.

The simplest pastas are often the best; I love this surface

Mussel & tomato soup served on a friselle to absorb all the juices; friselle are similar to a bagel and originate from Puglia.

The pork is browned off before putting in the oven for a slow roast with stuffed artichoke hearts.

Sliced stuffed pork plated with the delicious artichoke hearts. I really like this shot, there’s beauty in the messiness. These shots can look very contrived but I think this works. (there are some awful supermarket alternatives out at the moment, which is a shame as they never looked so bad).

The lamb & potato casserole soaked in red wine with capers & bay. I worried about this shot, it not only tasted wonderful but looked amazing too. Relieved and happy.

I try not to add cutlery unnecessarily, but I think the spoon works?

All the dishes tasted so good, so cook the recipes in the Easter Observer Food Monthly..

Thanks to my wonderfully organised assistant, Tom Teesdale, food stylist Rosie Mackean (& assistant Holly) & Tamsin Weston who always brings great props & surfaces. Everyone did such a great job, thank you.

MORE DELICIOUS READY MEALS

Ready meals used to be a ‘Dirty” word and predicted to disappear in 2010 but now with more and more food delivered to our doors post covid, they really are returning stronger than ever.

My Local Kitchen recipes are written by chef Garry Hollihead who has won 3 Michelin *** around the globe and head chef at the Embassy Club during the Brit Pop days

Japanese fiery broth

Sri Lankan coconut fish curry

Pistachio flat breads

Banana, rum and raisin bread with salted caramel

GETTIN' DIRTY WITH IT

I have been shooting a lovely project for the Kew Garden Cookbook with two lovely ladies from Kew, Gina & Lydia and Jenny Linford a food book author on over 20 cook books, many of which we have in our kitchens.

I have been shooting mainly in London but several ingredients were shot at home use my flagstones around the house and stables.

I always like looking at the humble background of how a shot was taken, the old bits of wood holding backgrounds up etc. In this case the pumpkins stood up perfectly balanced by themselves and were still there the following day despite the gales, before being wheel-barrowed off to our lane annual charity for Cancer Research.

Our little winding country lane in Sussex grows about 350-500 pumpkins and about 200 chillies every year with all proceeds going to Cancer Research. We all have friends and family who have lost lives to cancer so it’s nice being able to give back.

PROVENANCE

Italian produce is so good, wonderful sun-ripened fruit and vegetables that just need a drizzle of oil or stacciatella served with the sweet tomatoes.

Basket of mixed Italian tomatoes and aubergines

Served slice with stracciatella & olive oil

Marcelo’s fine crop of aubergine

Ivana’s farm fresh eggs

HUMBLE ONION BHAJI

One of my favourite ever foods to eat is the humble onion bhaji and no one cooks it better than head chef Sham at the https://newicktandoori.com

So many Indian restaurants cook a horribly floury version but at the Newick Tandoori, they’re wonderfully crisp and packed full of flavour with a sweetened dipping sauce. Amazing, you’ll have to try them…

Best ever mouthful of food, a real contender

GOLDEN HOUR

I love the golden softness of the sunlight light during ‘golden hour’. It’s magical…

Tuscan cactus

HOMEGROWN VEG

We all love going out to restaurants but often they’re using the wonderful produce we grow at home. A sun ripened, home grown tomato is hard to beat.

Just add a sprinkle of rock salt and a drizzle of oil or roast at 200C for 5minutes and then reduce the heat to 120C for 5 hours, grind some black pepper & throw in some garlic.

NEWICK TANDOORI

Every restaurant needs an owner and chef who’s excited by what they cook and serve.

At the Newick, a tandoori frequented by celebs Piers Morgan, Sky News Adam Bolton and various BBC presenters to name a few, the owner chef Sham loves creating in the kitchen and brings out various wonderful creations whether it’s Pink Prawn Biryani or Tandoori Partridge.

We had a wonderful day shooting slow cooked beef curry cooked in milk and pink prawn biryani, plus a host of other dishes , restaurant and portraits.

We went home feeling exceedingly full!!

Chef & proprietor Sham Haque

Slow cooked beef shin in milk.

Pink prawn biryani

Tandoori sea bass with a special tomato sauce

BACON NAAN DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME - DISHOOM

What a way to start the day with Dishoom.

A freshly rolled & cooked naan bread, free range crispy bacon. yoghurt, sweet chilli jam & coriander.

MY LOCAL KITCHEN - READY MEALS

My Local Kitchen serves up Fish, Meat & Vegetarian ready meals prepared by Michelin* chef Garry Hollihead.

Hugh shot several dishes in a Soho Hotel during lockdown in a very quiet West End.

Each section had an introductory shot showing the provenance of the ingredient.

Persian saffron chicken

Lamb shank pie

Beef short ribs

Michelin starred chef at three different restaurants, Garry Hollihead

Cauliflower ingredient shot

Keen’s cheddar soufflé

Vegan pepper couscous

Tofu

WHEN THE GOING GET'S TOUGH, THE TOUGH KEEP GOING...

The Pink Lady Food awards goes from strength to strength with over 10,000 entries from all over the world. It’s becoming very competitive with no respect given to well known photographers from London.

I note there was only one other photographer who i see as a competitor to myself in the finalist list. This proves it is very tough. The overall winner will always be a steamy type of shot as most judges are UK based and these scenes from hot foreign countries always look very appealing (& new). A shot of someone picking a cabbage in Suffolk may struggle against rice pickers in Bali??