food & drink photography + motion Sep 2016

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 recent clients including Dairy Queen, Noodle’s and Company, Boulevard Brewery, Tom’s Town Distillery, Ball Jar, AMC, Russell Stover and McDonald’s.

Black Box is a commercial photography studio, unique in its human scale and its tailor-made approach to food and product still life shoots.

"It’s all about the big picture. Choosing to shoot your commercials in Black Box Studio means freeing your ideas from limitations. Just imagine having a theatre at your disposal with all the equipment and technicians needed to stage your visions. This is Black Box: a space where inventive technology interplays with inspiration, where products transform into exquisite images and where customers get transformed into an audience.

A true understanding and passion for lighting - this is our thing! At Black Box we give particular emphasis on the quality of lighting in order to create an absolutely perfect atmosphere that tells your story and makes your products look exquisite. This is what we do, but don’t take our word for it, take a look at some of our work."

Brent Herrig specialises in food and cocktail photography with clients ranging from advertising to editorial. He is based in New York City and the Midwest, with experience in video, editorial, publishing, advertising, packaging and more.

Brent's photography goes beyond just food, he also loves showing the bigger picture. Where does the food come from, who are the makers or growers, getting to see in the kitchen and who the chefs and bartenders are. These are all parts of what Brent calls his "Culinary Lifestyle".

Brent loves to collaborate with both clients and agencies to from great concepts and to make the process of the photo shoot as easy as possible.

Visit the website or contact him directly to talk about your next project.

Cherry Li is a food photographer and food video director. In 2006, immediately after receiving her BFA in photography from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, Cherry moved to Paris to chase her love of food.

In 2012, Cherry's passion for experiencing the depth of every Chinese cuisine propelled her to move to Beijing. She now divides her time between her studios in Beijing and Hong Kong, and travelling through (mostly) Asia on assignment.

Over a long career Christian Mushenko has shot for many of the world’s largest brands, working in Australia, Asia, Europe and the USA.

He most recently worked on the 'Create Your Taste' rebranding for McDonald’s Australia. “I am a big fan of authenticity and realism,” says Christian. His natural approach to styling and lighting appeals to the audience on a more organic human level that gets truly mouths watering.

He has received international awards in advertising as well as photography and still gets a little excited if the light is "just right" and about capturing that moment of real connection. He has a very distinctive style that is alive and vibrant with an eye for beauty and humanity, coupled with a wealth of experience.

Christina Schmidhofer is a commercial photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area, specialising in still life, food and lifestyle. Her portfolio, includes photography and motion and extends to clientele such as Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Safeway, Restoration Hardware, and Walmart among many others.

Her work has appeared in a host of well-known publications including House Beautiful, Better Homes and Gardens, Sunset Magazine and more.

Christina’s San Francisco Mission district 3000 sq. ft. studio has an abundance of natural light but is fully equipped for studio lighting. She brings creativity and passion to her craft whether shooting on location or in the studio.

Along with years of experience, Christina brings a high standard of professionalism, genuine sensibility, and uplifting humour to every project. Her gallery of work, including a well-curated recipe collection with accompanying video portfolio, can be viewed at her website.

Clinton Hussey is an award-winning commercial photographer specialising in conceptual, food, still life and, recently, motion. Since 1995, he has been creating distinctive editorial and advertising imagery for brand and magazine clients in his hometown of Vancouver and abroad.

Originally a design student at Vancouver’s Emily Carr College of Art & Design, Clinton stumbled into photography at first accidentally, and then with conviction as he fell for its demanding mix of creativity and technical grasp - an intense relationship he recognised from watching his father, a musician, repair his instruments with surgical skill.

Though not a musician himself, Clinton has earned both Grammy and Juno nominations for his album cover designs; his photography has won multiple National Magazine Awards, as well honours from Lotus, Applied Arts, D&AD, City & Regional Magazine Association, the Printing Industry of America, Communication Arts, PDN/Nikon, and many others.

Today, Clinton is expanding into video, creating ad campaigns for clients such as Method, Sun-Rype, and the Children of the Street Society. When he’s not making pictures, he’s building things and spending time on the ocean and in the mountains with his wife, Amanda - also a photographer - and their two children.

Darina Kopcok is a freelance photographer and stylist based in Vancouver. With a Master of Fine Arts degree, Darina draws on her fine art training to create evocative images with a distinct sense of mood and place.

Over the years she has developed a recognisable style consisting of saturated colours and high contrast, creating stunning images that evoke the emotions.

Darina finds inspiration in a variety of sources, from the textures of nature to the light in the paintings of the Old Masters, but is most drawn to the chiaroscuro technique of creating heavy shadows and using light to draw the viewer's eye to the significant elements within the frame.

Drina Cabral is an award-winning food photographer who is able to bring together a harmonious relationship between art & design. Her work in the realm of conceptual food photography explores a dimension of food that engages dialogue, art and thought.

Her attention to lighting and clever artistic composition, has set Drina apart from others in her field, and has aided in a wide client folio comprising of large hotel brands such as The Atlantis at the Palm- Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Nobu, The Ritz Carlton JBR, Jean Georges ‘JG’; world labels such as Godiva Arabia, Wendy's, KFC, Seara, McDonalds; and numerous other home grown restaurants.

Her accolades include a category award in the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2015; in addition to her image of ‘Red Pears’ shot in the manner of a renaissance painting showcased in the July 2015 digital exhibition at ‘The Louvre’, in Paris, as part of the Exposure Award Exhibit.

Visit her website to see further examples of her work.

Duncan Loughrey has been shooting food for the best part of 30 years.

A keen eye for detail, great technical ability and a knack for beautiful lighting have helped build a loyal list of clients over the years.

Happy to shoot in the studio or on location, Duncan undertakes every shoot in a friendly, relaxed manner.

Visit Duncan’s website to view more of his work.

Just when you thought Gareth Morgans’ food and lifestyle photographs couldn’t get any yummier! Gareth has been continuing his work with M&S, whilst also teaming up with Accor Jamboree and their delicious burgers, as well as Badger Beer, Singha, Slimming World and Waitrose.

Summer may be coming to an end but as you can see Gareth’s images combine drinks paired with the perfect dishes, giving inspiration and vitality to brands we see on the shelves.

Gareth’s photos have the power to make you hungry for the next instalment, whilst also showing you how creative you can be with food and drink, he simply understands food. Take a look here to see what else he has in store.

Georgie Clarke is a food, lifestyle and portrait photographer based in London.

Georgie’s food and portrait photography can be found in the new cook book ‘Feeding Friends’ from celebrity duo Terry Edwards and George Craig, published by Hodder & Stoughton. Other commissions include a Spanish wine story for Waitrose, lifestyle videos for Boden clothing, video camera work for cold press juice brand Juiceman, and most recently, further work with the Waitrose Drinks team.

Georgie is passionate about collaborating with her clients and their creative teams to bring individual stories to life through unique and vivid still and moving images.

Visit her website for more info.

With over 15 years of experience in liquids photography and a strong ability to solve problems, Giorgio Cravero moves himself between traditional techniques and experimentation, always trying to push boundaries while keeping in mind the budget.

His passion for light and his constant attention to detail and quality make him a perfect partner for any project.

Based in Italy, award-winning Cravero and his team are able to manage both local and international projects. He has already earned the trust of many international clients. In the last year he has worked with Constellation Brands, Diageo and Martini & Rossi, among others.

Please check the interview with Giorgio about his photographic journey on the Production Paradise blog.

In the last few months, Graham Precey has been shooting food for advertising, PR and packaging agencies on brands such as Bonne Maman, Baxters, Kenwood, Hovis and Jacobs.

He has also been shooting cocktails and beer on video and stills shoots for World Duty Free and Budweiser Budvar UK.

Featured in this Spotlight are some of these recent images and videos.

2016 has been another crazy busy year for Jones, Chef Andre, and re-toucher Matt; shooting full Christmas campaigns for both Bidvest and Creed Foodservice, as well as Bidvest’s Summer brochure, an Autumn campaign for Creed, and numerous brochures for new product ranges alongside. Andre has also been hard at work developing new recipes for a range of gluten free manufacturing clients.

The team also completed four brand launches for Kerry Foods and two for Dawn Meats, encompassing over 60 products in total, plus four cookery books and various projects for regular foodservice and retail clients.

"All of our cooking, shooting and retouching is done in the studio, so you’ll never catch it empty, we have a unique set-up which boasts a commercial standard kitchen, walk in freezers, an Aladdin’s cave style prop store and a well-equipped set building workshop."

Visit Jones' website and Instagram for a closer look.

Jens Johnson is a NY – CT based photographer with over 27 years of experience. He has produced award winning food & beverage images for a loyal list of clients. They come to him for his lighting expertise and technical ability to bring their ideas to light.

In the last few years Jens has added motion to his skill set. He has really enjoyed the transition to shooting and directing video projects for various clients. To view some of this new work and his food & beverage reel, please visit his website.

Jens built out a state of the art studio with only the best top of the line equipment. It features a comfortable client area, a fully stocked prop room and a beautifully designed kitchen with food stylists in mind.

Contact Jens with your project and see what he can create for you. Follow Jens on Instagram to see what he’s working on.

Jeremy Baile shoots drinks and liquids. He has the ability to take a brief and create images that sell brands. He has decades of experience which he draws upon to bring the best out of each piece of work.

He owns a three story 7000 sq. ft. studio in North Acton that is fully equipped for both still and motion, including a drive-in infinity cove. He also shoots on location in the UK and abroad. Over the last four years he has been working with Diageo producing cocktail images for worldwide use, focusing on creating beautiful enticing images.

Joakim Blockstrom is based in London where he has been photographing food, still life, design and portraits for over 20 years. Undoubtedly Swedish in his approach, he works tirelessly to light and craft the images his clients require, collaborating closely with stylists and chefs to produce outstanding results.

Joakim shoots both in his studio in Acton and on location for clients such as Turkish Airlines, English Cheesecake Company, Grace Hotels, Suchef, FT and Port magazine among others.

He loves working in the restaurant environment and often takes a mobile studio with him to photograph in the kitchens of culinary masters such as Ollie Dabbous, Barrafina, ANGLO Farringdon and Marcus Wareing, to name a few.

He also produced the award-winning 'Dabbous the Cook Book', published by Bloomsbury, and this year shot 'A Cocktail Cook Book' by Oskar Kinberg, published by Frances-Lincoln.

He also tries to play drums and golf.

Karen Thomas is a passionate London-based food and still life photographer. Her interest in food precedes her 16 year career as a photographer and also keeps her busy in her own kitchen when she’s not shooting.

From editorial to advertising, Karen has worked with some of the biggest names in food including M&S, Waitrose, McDonald's and Nestlé. A photograph is nothing if the light isn’t right and Karen loves to work with both daylight and studio lighting in order to create atmospheric and beautiful work.

The images Karen is showcasing are from this year's beautiful M&S Christmas press pack. Karen recently shot the new Sushi Daily posters for Waitrose as well as new cheese brochures. Now it’s back to Christmas, but with Waitrose this time, after which Karen starts an exciting new book project.

Kris Kirkham is a London-based photographer specialising in food and drinks photography for editorial, advertising and packaging.

Kris has worked in the food photography industry for the past nine years. Before that he worked as a chef for 15 years, training alongside some of the most prominent chefs in Canada. “Food always has and always will be an integral part of my life, I have a deep love and understanding of it," he says.

His clients include Nando’s UK, Lidl UK, Heathrow Airport, Waitrose, M&S, Kindred Agency, Hodder and Stoughton and Quadrille Publishing, among many others.

Visit his website for more information.

Based in Copenhagen, Lars Ranek (born in 1963) has been a professional advertising and commercial photographer since 1989. He established his own company Lars Ranek A/S in 1992 and is now an independent photographer specialising in food and interior photography.

Among his clients he counts several publishing companies and magazines such as Magazine Gastro, Euroman, Mad og Bolig, Pleasure magazine, Marie Claire (France), Australian Vogue, House and Gardens, Wallpaper, Quadrille publising, Eilersen funiture, Falsled kro, Skøna Hem (Sweden) and Skodsborg spa.

Based in Vienna, Lukas Kirchgasser is an outgoing, passionate food and drink photographer who also works internationally.

His love of food, his eye right down to the last detail and his working precision make him the perfect partner for food and drink projects that should look like practically nothing else on the market. His expert technical control of lighting and creative composition ideas allow him to provide conceptual advice to his clients to bring out mouth-watering food pictures and mind-blowing images of beverages and diverse liquids.  

Lukas is currently working on creative food photography projects for Michelin starred chefs and top restaurants. There are still additional projects for food & drink photography, advertising campaigns and interior and exterior shots, which are worth exploring on his website.

"My name is Paritha Wannawanit, but my nickname is Pang. I am a food and drinks photographer living in San Francisco, one of the most food centric cities in the world. I was born and raised in Thailand. Every year I visit my beloved country and surrounding region. Thailand’s beautiful countryside and vibrant, colourful cities inspired me to become a photographer.

I love shooting fine foods as much as I enjoy eating them! Fine dining and street food both have an equal place in my heart (and tummy), though I must say that I lean toward street food when given a choice. I love to play with colour contrasts and am inclined toward a “messy” photographic style. I also run a food blog, 'circahappy'; it’s my corner of the internet where I cook, style, shoot with my own props, and just have fun being creative.

My work has been published in Saveur and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. My photos also won 3rd place and ‘highly commended’ from the 2016 Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year awards - the world’s leading celebration of the art of food photography and film."

Patricia Niven brings warmth and authenticity to her food photography. She creates painterly and textural images, which are contemporary, fresh and mouth-wateringly delicious.

A native Australian, Patricia is now based in London where she photographs both in her studio as well as on location. She enjoys capturing people as they take pleasure in growing, cooking and eating quality foods.

Patricia takes a creative approach to any commission, as well as bringing technical proficiency. Her natural energy and spark ensure a fun and successful shoot, every time.

Clients include Old El Paso, Rude Health, BBH London, FT Magazine, Saltyard Books, Hardie Grant and Hachette.

This month sees the launch of two new books shot by Peter Cassidy - in-keeping with the trend of all things Scandinavian, 'Fika & Hygge' by Bronte Aurell (published by Ryland Peters), and closer to home 'Rib Ticklers and Chou-ins' by Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell (published by Kyle Books).

Peter has spent the summer between shooting a book with James Martin on location in France and the UK with Mitch Turner, MBE.

Peter is an experienced food and lifestyle photographer based in London who shoots advertising, packaging and editorial commissions both in the studio and on location.

His clients include Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Asda, Dairy Crest, Baxter's, Tilda Bloomsbury, Quadrille Publishing, Kyle books, RPS. He has shot for Harrod's Magazine, Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Red, Food&Travel, Good Food, Olive, Delicious and Jamie Magazine.

See his previous Production Paradise features for more images.

Operating out of his Amsterdam studio, Sigurd Kranendonk specialises in food, drink and still life photography.

Food photography has changed a lot over the last few years, and the emphasis now is on fresh ingredients shot in a natural way using both daylight, flashlight or a mix of the two.

Working closely with his clients and teams, in his studio or on location, Sigurd creates beautifully composed and unique photos.

Rick Souders, owner of Souders Studios, has been shooting food and drinks for some of the world’s most well-known brands. Rick is an honors graduate of the Art Center College of Design and has been a part of many award-winning ads, campaigns and cookbooks. Souders Studios is celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

Rick is known as the “Mile High Food and Beverage Guy.” His use of light, colour, texture and select focus helps create the very distinct taste and brand appeal for his many national and international clientele. Souders Studios is based at the edge of the Rockies in Golden, Colorado.

Facilities include a commercial kitchen, two studios, five client lounges and three prop storage areas. Souders Studios has helped transform many food and beverage brands into visual icons. Square Pixels is its award-winning retouching and digital compositing studio.

Visit the website, email Rick directly, or call 303-384-3128 for more information.

Stephen Conroy has been creating fresh and natural images for all media recently - books, PR, point of sale and films.

His lighting and attention to detail means he is sought after for both video and stills work.

Through Heatwave Pictures he has been directing branded content. Stephen’s films are always positive - promoting strong imagery often alongside tongue-in-cheek stories.

Check Stephen's recent interview on the Production Paradise blog.

Steve Ryan is a London-based food and portrait photographer with over 10 years' experience.

Originally from Kilkenny, Ireland, Steve has been fortunate to be commissioned by some of the most innovative food and media brands in the world, including Jamie Oliver, Diageo, Channel 4, Peroni, Movember Foundation, Vice, The Telegraph and The Guardian.

Steve co-founded Root+Bone in 2013, a quarterly magazine exploring London’s food and drink culture, where he is contributing editor.