I’ve had a very turbulent relationship with food photography over the years, simply because I allowed someone to talk me out of it, believing that I couldn’t shoot shit and whatever I did was wrong. Well. I get to have the last laugh on this one. I’m back with a vengeance and determined as hell to prove to myself that I can overcome the negativity.
As I munched away at my breakfast this morning, sulking over my coffee gone cold, I stared into my fruit bowl and decided that it was a pretty decent combination of blueberries, apples, and lychee. Not only was it packed with vitamins, but it tasted and looked interesting as well, especially once I added the rosemary and geranium. So I decided now was a good a time as any to resurrect an old flame – zen food photography.
Each season offers an opportunity to mess around with colours and textures because there is so much to use in your own backyard. I pottered around the kitchen and started with the basic spices, salt and pepper. Even if you have nothing else to season the food with, the basic salt and pepper must exist in every household!
Over the next few months I will be experimenting more with other basic ingredients, which also has lovely textures to play around with. This is definitely the one time I get to smile at my parents wherever they are, and tell them smugly that I am playing with my food again.
Once a month I replenish my garlic jar with about half a kilo of minced garlic, add rock salt, peppercorns, and equal portions of olive oil and vegetable oil. I keep this gorgeous anti-vampire mixture in a mason jar and just scoop out whatever I need for sautéing. This is a habit I picked up in India many years ago and it has been very convenient. Since copious amounts of garlic were already strewn around the kitchen, I decided I might as well make the most of it.
Yes, new beginnings and being challenged are fuel to creativity. I am bouncing back from a truckload of negativity and finally ignoring the virulent voices inside my head that have held me back all these years. I absolutely love the minimalistic look for food, and will shy away from anything that requires dangling or tossing food into the air. My approach is simple: keep the number of items to a bare minimum and waltz around with negative space.
FrogDiva Thoughts 