I came across the wonderful challenge of shooting food while working in the Caribbean, doing a shoot at the half Moon Hotel in Jamaica, and from there on, whenever the chance presented itself to shoot a restaurant, I was there.
What I enjoy shooting most is where the food comes from, the birth and environment and its potential uses, and from this make a reportage feature. (see coconuts in the slide show above). I also enjoy discovering bars, cafes and restaurants with unusual dishes and different ideas on food combining.
Shooting food is an exercise in still life photography and the lighting is subtle and exact. The fascination of studying form and bringing it to life adds an interesting dimension to food photography but equally capturing a melting ice cream or a falling cake involves the speed of a press photographer, which is my background.
I prefer to shoot using natural light with some reflectors, which enables me to do food shoots in a restaurant without creating too much disturbance.
Things can and do go wrong in photography, especially in the days of film where there was no second chance, and you can think you have covered every possible angle for error and then still get it wrong.
The little girl eating the chocolate cake for example was for a book shoot on healthy diets for children and the point was that the odd treat was OK. I spent hours on the hand position, where the fork was, the type of plate, the right amount of mess on the child’s face, the look on the face and on and on. I was very pleased with the result only to have it rejected because the size of the cake was too large and therefore not healthy enough…Fine!
Having worked abroad, mainly in the Caribbean, I have come back to live in Dulwich, the place I grew up in and would love to continue my food photography right here in and around Dulwich as it offers a marvellous variety of restaurants, great shops (one that even sells coconut oil) and wonderful menus in the pubs.
Roberta Parkin is a local photographer.
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