She Comes In Colors

F

ood photography. Oh no, not me. I do a little, but I’m no food photographer. Most of the pictures I make are part of some other project or assignment. Let’s say the assignment was something about travel, maybe to a specific city or region.

I try to photograph everything that I see that is interesting even if it isn’t planned to be part of the final package. Many times it’s some sort of food. Not being a real food photographer I usually try to deconstruct whatever the food happens to be. If the meal is something about dinner, I might photograph the raw product before it’s cooked into food.

I try to make the picture and the work making it as simple as I can, using mostly natural light with maybe a reflector. In general, I’m pretty much a very simple photographer. I use what I see on site. I typically wait for transformative light. You know, the ends of the day. Golden hour. Blue hour.

So, making food pictures is sort of a noontime thing.

There was a short period of time when I was asked to show my food portfolio. I’d cobble to something together that approximated a kind of portfolio. I’d do my best to sell my work and myself.

I never got the job.

Ever.

I had once last call. I kind of said the hell with it, and added food pictures to a very good travel portfolio. I wasn’t going to get the job, right?

Wrong.

Apparently, the travel work set the context for my food work. I got the job. I made pictures the way I normally do. I got another food job. And, another.

I learned something. The most important thing.

Be yourself.