Top 3 photos of 2018

As 2018 is coming to a close I thought it would be nice to choose my top 3 images of the year. Photography for restaurant marketing campaigns and social requires a great understanding of many different styles and techniques to be sure you capture the clients vision. This can be anything from portraits to interiors and still life to action shots. Restaurants are notoriously difficult to photograph thanks to lighting and being in a working machine. To create effective restaurant marketing you need imagery, so someone has to do it! Without further ado and in no particular order here are my top three photos of the year.

Gujarati Rasoi – Diwali Celebrations

I am a sucker for the detail, which meant that it took a very long time to capture this image. Everyone loves a flat lay and to me this is a great example of its importance when you want to showcase a feast or more than one dish. Exposure was key when it came to taking this photo as I needed everything to be in focus. The window was directly behind the chairs which meant there was a fairly dense shadow on the right-hand side of the table. To counter this, I held a reflector and bounced the light back onto the table to fill the shadows. When taking photos for restaurant marketing purposes, especially if they are for a press you want everything to be evenly lit and in focus. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of this image.

Rok – Matt Young

I love shooting portraits, sometimes you need to tell the story of the person behind the food in order to fully understand the restaurant and their ethos. This is Matt Young from Rok, a fantastic chef from a fantastic restaurant. I took this photo on our first ever shoot together and the lighting was perfect. There was only one window and it was in the roof which gave the room such a lovely glow and some really interesting shadows.

Galvin At Windows – Flaming cocktails with Tiago

It has taken a lot of practice to be able to achieve an image like this. The introduction of a flash to my cocktail photography changed everything and this is a prime example of why it is so important to be using one. For me a cocktail photo is about trying to capture something in motion and I knew I had to find a way to fill the frame with light and flames. Along with a flash the key to this image was understanding shutter speed. A super-fast shutter combined with a powerful flash and a fair amount of patience.