Musée Magazine Issue No. 7 Vol. 1 - Energy | Page 7

tuce wilts. That’s why you always like the first image best.
Everything is fresher. We shot Dan Barber’s “vegetable
fence” a thousand times, but it was always the first shot
that was the best. The resulting photo looks deceptively
simple, but you’d be surprised the amount of effort it took.

What’s the most sensual food or dish you’ve ever photographed?
An heirloom tomato. Just the tomato, that’s it, a pure product of nature. This particular one had very sexy, bulging yet
restrained curves, perfect imperfections and it was shot in
natural lighting.

Do you think specifically about what you’re trying to
evoke when it comes to specific shots?
Early on it was hard to come up with the picture. I would
have an image in my mind, but not the skills or right
equipment to capture it, or I couldn’t connect the dots.
Over the years, I’ve learned how to express what I see in
my mind’s eye, like a chef developing their palate or technique. Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to
perfect your skills. I’ve been at it for 27 years now. There
are challenges like capturing the moment when a soup is
getting poured in a bowl. How do you capture that energy?
You don’t want to show an empty bowl or a full bowl, but
a bowl being filled.

We’re not talking about pictures of cracker jacks, but
very beautiful food prepared by talented craftsmen.
Would you be just as willing to do a commercial shoot
for a fast food chain, as for a sophisticated book or an
editorial spread on a Michelin starred restaurant? How

would you approach it differently?
We do a lot of advertising in the United States. It’s a very
different approach from the cookbooks. And again, it’s different in Europe from here in the U.S. We shot a jar of
condiments for Uncle Ben’s Rice. The styling is limiting
because you can’t distract from the product, so it came
down to the lighting. But I like the challenge of making
something ordinary look special. There are two approaches
to shooting advertising jobs. An agency may choose you
especially for your own style, or the client may have a very
specific vision that you must respect.

Is it harder to shoot food you personally don’t care for?
I love food, but I’m not picky. I try everything. And when
you shoot, making everything look good is just a matter
of being professional. Stews are hard to shoot. Too little
liquid and it doesn’t look yummy, too much sauce and you
can’t see the individual ingredients. But I love challenge

Do your food photography sessions make you hungry?
What do you crave, especially at this time of year, as we
head into summer?
No, shoots don’t make me hungry. Like how shooting
nudes doesn’t make me …. Right now I crave chanterelles.
We used to collect them in the countryside and make them
with scrambled eggs and fresh herbs.

Are you willing to share some tricks of the trade that you
believe sets you apart and makes your work stand out?
These are just tools. The key is in the lighting and the

Tomato for European client Neuburger ©Thomas Schauer