Asparagus for European Food Magazine “ Falstaff ” © Thomas Schauer
energy . I always prefer day-light . My approach is simple : not a lot of equipment . I mostly work with one light and then reflect it . If I have too many lights , when something changes I would have to adjust all the lights . There ’ s no time for that with food . You must be very quick .
We ’ ve all survived a few disasters in our work , can you share your worst moment in photographing food ?
For a commercial shoot , I had a stylist not up to the task and I had to take over the styling . Being someone who loves to cook , that was easy for me . Selecting the team carefully is important . We have to have people we trust ; stylists , make up . Teamwork is essential since we ’ re working so tight . The clients trust us so we have to have a team we trust .
What ’ s next ? What upcoming projects are you looking forward to ?
Pastry Chef Dominique Anesl , “ Secret Recipes ” due out in fall 2014 .
What / whom / where haven ’ t you photographed but would love to ?
The Mekong river flowing through six different countries . I want to see how they work with same ingredients in the different countries and cultures , then go to the capitals to see how the restaurant chefs treat the same ingredients .
What was your most difficult assignment shooting food & why ?
Bring on the challenge , easy is boring . I did an ad for a bungee jumping company . I had to jump with my camera .
Loved it . No fear . Who are other food photographers you admire & why ?
They aren ’ t food photographers . Irving Penn , Edward Weston for his black and white peppers , Horst for his lighting .
What ’ s your favorite lighting ( strobes , led ) for shooting food & why ?
Depends on the project . I prefer natural lighting . I have no one typical approach . I don ’ t want to get stuck with one approach or equipment .
What camera do you use & why ?
Analog Hasselblad 555ELD with digital phase one IQ180 No 2 camera : SINAR large format analog , for more precise adjustment of the focus . Here too , I use an analog camera with a digital phase one attachment , anywhere from 1-500 .
How many exposures do you usually take for one set-up & how often is the set-up changed for one shot ?
One single asparagus in a fish bowl took us almost two days . Clearly , there was no chef involved . I ’ m NOT big on digital retouching . I try to capture what we need to on camera , not add it after .
What special effects do you use ( ex . steam ) & how do you achieve them ?
As little as possible . I shoot the real thing . Natural .