food & drink photography + motion Apr 2015

8183 is a collaborative commercial studio that aims to make the process of creating powerful images of products and people a pleasure. With a keen eye, attention to detail, precision lighting and retouching techniques the studio helps stir emotions, tell stories and drive sales.

At 8183 Studio, the staff's ethos is as much a promise as a command. To deliver such undeniably captivating images requires not only the right focus and talents, but also the Midwest ethics of hard work and humble approachability. These elements combined make the team very easy to work with, just ask some of their clients who include Lee Jeans, Dark Horse Distillery, Ball Jar, Parisi Coffee, Wingstop and McDonald's.

The Black Box Studio, which mainly specialises in food, drinks and still life photography, originated from the collaboration between veteran photographer Stephane Verheye and the young but innovative photographer, Olivier Chenoix.  The two are a perfect mix - a professional team that always guarantees high quality images. The studio also works with Belgium's best stylists, foodstylists, modellers and stage-builders.

Clients include major advertising and most of the packaging agencies in Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Food artist and photographer Carl Warner has received worldwide fame for his award-winning foodscapes and his artistic approach to food in general.

At first glance the landscapes of food look real, and it is only on second glance that the viewer realises that the scenes are made entirely out of food. During the rare occasions when Carl isn't shooting he also speaks at events and gives lectures, where he shares his extensive knowledge of the advertising and food photography industries.

During his vast career in advertising Carl has been commissioned for both photography and video by clients like Nestlé, Moe's, Unilever, Bernard Matthews, Uncle Ben's and many more.

Carsten Eichner specialises in still and food photography and has his own fully equipped digital daylight studio in Hamburg.

He has international experience working for agencies and editorial magazines, both in the studio and on location.

Recent clients include Billa/Austria, Dr.Oetker, EDEKA, Hilcona, Unilever, WeightWatchers, Burda, BEEF, Brigitte, Der Feinschmecker and G&U Verlag.

Visit his website for more information.

David Morris Photography is a full service advertising photography studio that takes pride in its artistic approach to providing high quality food, people and product imagery to advertising agencies, design firms, and corporations. The company provides a comfortable, amenity-rich space where clients come to create images that stimulate both the creative gene and consumer attention.

The studio consists of an in-house producer, digital retoucher, marketing coordinator and support staff. While it has the experience and crew to execute large, complex commercial assignments, the company is ultimately inspired and motivated by assignments that offer visual challenges and collaborative creative freedom.

Clients include AMC Theatres, Hostess Brands, Bayer, Welch’s, Tyson Foods, Hitachi, Citgo, Ford Motor Co., McDonald’s and Sprint amongst others.

Duncan Loughrey has been shooting food for the best part of 30 years. With great technical ability, a keen eye for detail and a flair for beautiful lighting, Duncan undertakes every shoot in a friendly relaxed manner.

With many clients gained through recommendation, his experience and ability to interpret and execute the brief are highly valued.

His style is clean, simple and uncluttered.

Francesco and Nataly Majo are internationally acclaimed food and lifestyle photographers. They are married and work together as a team, having met in Italy where they both studied at the European Institute of Design in Milan.

Francesco studied photography and also later received a degree in travel journalism in London. Nataly moved from Colombia to Italy to study art direction and graphic design.

Some of their clients include House & Garden, Condè Nast Traveler UK, Elle, GQ, Sale & Pepe, Saveurs, Vogue Gioiello, Wine Enthusiast Mag, Bertolli, Buitoni, Carrefour, Knorr, Kraft Foods, McDonald's, Mondelez, Giovanni Rana, Nescafè, Perugina, Philip Morris, Sony PlayStation, Unilever, Leo Burnett, JWT, McCann Erickson, Saatchi&Saatchi, TBWA and Young & Rubicam.

They recently moved to the sunny Barcelona from Paris.

Francesco and Nataly love to travel and explore the flavours and cuisines the world has to offer.

They are represented in the UK, the USA, France, Italy, Mexico and Colombia.

Georgia Glynn Smith is one of the world’s leading food and lifestyle photographers and commercial directors. She has photographed over 70 books for some of the biggest names in food, from Mary Berry, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater to Peggy Porschen and Marcus Waring, and has also created dozens of bestsellers and award-winners for some of the newest names, including the latest 'Royal Marsden Cancer Cookbook'.

Georgia directs beautiful TV commercials and has made over 20 films for UK and international clients over the last few years. She can now be happily found at Bare Films.

Nothing gives Georgia more pleasure than being on set with a great crew. She is happy working on everything from massive 96-sheet billboard advertising to editorial and advertorial for magazines and newspapers, PR and, increasingly, directly for restaurants and brands. Her work has won many awards including the Glenfiddich Food and Drink Award for 'Best Food Photographer' and Pink Lady Documentary.

Georgia is renowned for her extraordinary graphic compositions, her warmth and supportiveness on set, her expert understanding of food and her nurturing of new emerging talent. She has an irrepressible love of good food, people, gardens and laughter and lives in Highbury, North London with Stefan Gates (her food writer/TV presenter husband), Daisy and Poppy (her two crazy daughters), and Tom and Cheeky, her two warring cats.

On location or in the studio, Greg Elms brings a winning mix of skill and camaraderie to every shoot. 

He is the real deal, a trained chef, passionate foodie, and highly sought after photographer with two decades of experience that have seen him travel the world shooting for book publishers, advertising agencies, and designers, gathering numerous awards along the way.

At ease photographing people as well as food, Greg's work has a realism and timelessness that clients love. His trusted team is able to manage and organise every aspect of major shoots.

Recent clients include Earth Hour Cookbook (WWF), Betty Crocker, Penguin Books, Invest Victoria (Victorian government), Jenny Craig, Crown Casino and Five Mile Press.

Isabella Cassini is an award-winning food and still life photographer, whose love for creating concept-based images is evident in her extensive portfolio of exciting and bold imagery. She loves exploring new ideas through skilled lighting, precision, and composition.

Cassini's infatuation with photography began when she picked up her first camera at age 14. Originally hailing from Los Angeles, she now lives and works in NY, but loves returning home on assignment as well (especially in the winters!).

In 2014, Isabella won several awards at the International Photography Awards, including 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in 'Advertising: Food', and 1st place in the overall 'Advertising' category (non-pro). She also won the Grand Prize for PDN’s food photography contest, ‘Taste’.

Award-winner Jean Cazals is internationally renowned for his natural lighting approach that is filled with graphic, moody styling. He shoots from his daylight studio based in Notting Hill, when not on location, and his clients include editorial, advertising and publishing names worldwide.

Jean has worked with all the top chefs and shot numerous campaigns and over 80 cookbooks. His experience in the field brings invaluable insight to all types of project. He is passionate about photography and food and wants to bring a strong identity to each of his clients' demands.

Visit his new website to see the full spectrum of his talent across food and life style photography. Be sure to check out his previous Production Paradise publications.

“I worked with Jean on a number of food photography projects and I recommend him highly. He has incredible attention to detail and is at the forefront of food photography and styling while staying in tune with trends within the business.” Ash Mair, MasterChef winner.

“A truly gifted photographer.” Raymond Blanc, Chef, Le Manoir Quat’Saisons.

Joe Pellegrini is a photographer, artist and all-around talent. He loves making photographs and has the soul of a true artist. He has had the good fortune to be a Chicago photographer for over 20 years. Whether it’s shooting a national ad, cookbook, or a packaging assignment, Joe uses every part of his artistic being to create the best photographs he can.

Joe has a creative edge to his work, whether it’s crafting the perfect ice cube to fit in a custom glass, or creating a hand painted background to complement the shot. Clients can always depend on him giving every job his all. He has collaborated with clients including Subway, Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s.

When Joe is not in his studio shooting photography or spending time with his family, he is most likely to be found creating wonderful works of art.

Kai Schwabe appreciates good food and drink. A passion for painting and drawing fits perfectly alongside his current photography work, and he has spent a number of years successfully shooting for leading food manufacturers and advertising agencies. His clients include Mondelez, Budweiser, Galbani, Agrarfrost, Jacobs, Kellogg's, Milka, BelVita, Nordsee, Subway, Yoplait and more, who all appreciate his professional approach to layout and briefs along with his technical expertise.

Kai's 500 m² daylight studio is located in the centre of Bremen. A master of different lighting techniques, he can quickly create a range of subtle moods according to the individual needs of each client. Working alongside a team of talented food stylists and assistants he develops high quality images that appeal to the appetite.

Featured in this Showcase, Kai gives us an insight into his latest work with the theme 'fish', attempting exposures with extravagant lighting. The fish receive concentrated attention by superposing their intense colours on dark backgrounds. His new client Nordsee was so enthused by these lighting techniques that the company adopted Kai's style for the design of a new portfolio of premium-quality fish.

Michael Berman’s food and people images comfortably coexist in two often-separate realms within photography: the journalistic, and the produced. Michael can capture real moments that look polished, and likewise can turn ideas and art direction into images that appear believable and real.

Michael is as passionate about food as he is about photography. This has inspired him to pursue food-related assignments for the past several years. But his broader set of talents lends itself to a range of potential uses for his work.

Michael has been commissioned by many New York restaurants and food shops (including Peter Luger Steakhouse, Sarge’s Delicatessen, and Provenance Meals) and national brands (including Stouffer’s Lasagna, PNC Bank, and Sprint Cellular). He is currently working on his second book, a ramen noodle cookbook, that will be released by Alpha Books (Penguin) in late 2015.

Michael Hart has over ten years’ experience as a professional photographer, specialising in food and still life.

He works mostly in London for clients including Waitrose, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s among others. As well as editorial work, he is equally comfortable working on larger-scale projects to produce books from scratch, and is happy to work to any creative brief.

With a good black book of contacts, Michael is conscientious with a fastidious approach to detail and is capable of completing projects end-to-end to an extremely high standard within tight budgets and deadlines. He is easy to work with and enjoys a good working relationship with stylists and home economists. He has his own studio with superb natural daylight, fully equipped kitchen and parking next door, overlooking a lovely green space in a great London location only minutes from two stations.

Photographers Tim Schober, Philipp Schneider and Markus Dominitzki have been working successfully in the medium of still life for many years. In February 2008 they opened their high-performance NORDSTERN Studio to handle still life and product photography for major clients.

Comparing NORDSTERN to the composition of a band, the three photographers work together for major clients as well as separately on their own solo projects, all from the new Hamburg-based digital studio.

"The NORDSTERN is a triple star system; in that way it reflects the constellation of the three photographers. Three stars become one to form the brightest star in the northern sky."

PHOTO-GRAPHICS is known as a young and creative advertising photography studio based in Linz, the capital city of upper Austria. Concentrating mainly on advertising and food photography the company also specialises in new areas including 3D and CGI.

Food photography is the company's great passion. To arrange food, different materials in terms of structure and texture, decoration, light and form contribute to an unexpected artwork. Each project is a great challange and provides huge satisfaction for the team behind PHOTO-GRAPHICS.

More pictures, info and contact details are available on the website.

Steve Ryan is a food, documentary and portrait photographer from Kilkenny, Ireland. He has shot reportage and profile pieces for the Financial Times, Selfridges, Lidl, Olive Magazine and Vice Magazine.

In 2013 Steve was ranked among the top 10 food photographers by Flavour First Magazine and was nominated for photographer of the year at the Irish Magazine Awards.

Steve is co-founder and co-editor of the London-based food magazine Root + Bone. He is based in East London.

Susan Kinast is a dedicated photographer specialising in food for nearly 30 years. She passionately composes mouth watering, eye catching images. Whether it is a 'just picked' selection from the farmer's market, a frozen pizza, or a box of crackers, all present their own unique challenges in finding beauty and bringing out the most appetizing qualities from within.

Susan's goal is to exceed the needs and objectives of her clients in all aspects of a shoot. Over the years, clients have included many top companies including Quaker, Heinz, Con Agra, Walmart, Kellogg's, McDonald's and Jimmy Johns.

T. J. Hine has been producing dynamic food and beverage images for his clients since 1984. He creates appetizing food photos, dramatic pours and splashes, elegant tabletop shots, and packaging with plenty of shelf appeal for a customer base that includes advertising agencies, consumer product companies, restaurants, food distributors, and cookbook and magazine publishers.

With an eye for detail, composition, and design, T. J. holds a Fine Arts degree from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. He also serves as director of special projects for Chicago Creative Coalition, an educational and networking organisation for communication arts professionals.

Visit his website to see more of his work and to subscribe to his blog, where he shares tips, tricks, and life’s insights.

Tom Swalens simply loves to shoot food. It’s also his way of combining two things he is passionate about, food and photography. He lives and works near Brussels but is happy to work on location. His work is often described as luminous, tangible, delicate and, of course, appetizing!

Clients include advertising agencies, publishing houses, food industry companies and large media groups. He recently worked for BBDO Belgium, Bpost (Belgian Post), Borgerhoff & Lamberigts, Carrefour Belgium, Cheeses from Switzerland, Delhaize, Galbani, Hain Celestial Group, Herta, Intermarché, LDV United, Sanoma Media Belgium, The Brand Embassy, Vlam, WalkingMen and WeightWatchers, to name but a few.

He also loves eating simple, fresh and honest food, and believes that good food not only makes us happy, but it actually contributes to making the world a better place. Tom is convinced that photography is a matter of teamwork and enjoys working with professionals who share that vision. Call or drop him a line to share an idea or set up a project.

"I wish I could say I have tasted every dish I have photographed. Sometimes there is just not enough time in the day. People may not agree on politics, taxes or even the weather, but we surely drop our differences and come together over food. Time spent at the table with others is one of the best ways to get to know them. Photography is much the same.

My work has been recognised in the creative industry’s leading publications: Art Director’s Club of New York Annual, the Communication Arts Design Annual, Print magazine’s Regional Design annual, Creative Quarterly, Photo District News, Society of Publication Design Annuals and SPOTS competition."