Just last week, I got the proof for the latest Paleo book that I have been working on for about 9 months with Lizzy from Primal Junction and considering we had less than a week to get edits back to the publisher, I wasn’t going to be too picky about the images with the time constraints.
However, there was one dish’s images that were, plainly, horrendous. As I stared at the pictures, I couldn’t believe that I had taken them – they were that bad.
I’d never want to own up to the fact that I’ve come so far in my photography and managed to produce that? Clearly, I wasn’t in a creative state at that point.
They had to go!
So I emailed the publisher and let them know that I would have a new set of images to them over the weekend, so they had them first thing Monday morning.
In addition to this, Lizzy had asked me to write the Forward for the new book! What an honour.
So I banged something out which I was really happy with, that connected the Paleo diet to my philosophy on photography and food (I guess you will have to just wait until it is released to see where I managed to be inspirational or be completely miss the mark).
As I wrote something concise, short and sweet, the designers needed some imagery to accompany the text.
I decided that I would use the reshoot of a Paleo Mousse to take some portraits (of yours truly).
With Matt out of town on business, I was left to my own devices.
Yes, I have a self-timer on my camera, but it’s the angle and focus that I struggle with by myself.
I did manage to get 5 images I was happy with so, I decided to call and focus on shooting the mousse.
Before I got into shooting the dish for the book, I decided to capture some mousse portraiture as I like to call it.
I love the minimalist, bright and airy look to food photography and I find I don’t often get to shoot it.
Maybe I don’t attract those sorts of commissions, or maybe that just isn’t the fashion in food at the moment.
Or maybe I have lost the knack for highly stylised imagery?
Whatever the reason, I do enjoy being able to do this for myself and at the risk of rambling on, I am hoping to turn this into more of a photography blog, rather than a food blog.
I love to cook and I love food, but I don’t think I have the knack to create recipes.
I’m too stubborn to follow them and too impatient to recipe test a new ideas!
And because you have scrolled this far, you get to see my self-portrait – lucky you. (I never like looking directly at the camera apparently).
Jo
Stunning!!!! I so hear you on the minimalist look – I got totally carried away creating scenes when I first started and now some my best images have almost no props and lots of light, bright negative space. Beautiful self portrait babe!
Rachel Jane
Oh, so pleased to hear that a fellow professional feels the same way! There truly is something to be said about bright negative space. Glad you like the self portrait.
keith gooderham
Great set of images, I assume from the Tags that it is all shot under natural light – if so it is amazingly diffuse and shadow free did that just reflect the weather at the time or did you use a diffuser screen?
Rachel Jane
Thanks Keith! It sure is shot with natural light. My favourite kind of light. Through my North facing window. I had this set up about 2 metres from the window so it wasn’t too harsh and I had a very large white foam core on the other side which reduced the shadows. I also reduce them a little further in post. If I recall correctly, it was actually a very bright sunny day, so being further from the window helped!