12 Days Of Christmas, Day 4

Welcome back to my 12 Days of looking back at 2018. I hope you’re all having a super delicious and relaxing Christmas break. Today I’m heading back to shooting for Art Culinaire Magazine with the awesome Phil Howard at his London restaurant, Elystan Street.

Me & Phil Go Way Back. Kind of…

At the beginning of my food photography, back when I wasn’t sure if it was the direction I would go in. Deb showed me a couple of cookbooks from The Square, where chef Phil Howard used to be head chef. It was artistry on a plate. This is what I’d been looking for. Something with real personality and excitement.

At that moment I decided the food photography I was going to aim at was this next level food. What I was seeing on the plates were the supermodels of the culinary world. The very best ingredients treated to ultimate care, creating visually stunning food.

Kitchen Antics

If you’ve been here before and read a couple of blogs about restaurants, you’ll know how much I love to get in the engine room of a restaurant, the kitchen, and capture a few energised moments.

It turned out that I would once again be gifted by a moment I particularly love. The contrast of Phil Howard, calmly at the stove while two of his chefs are in a moment of urgency. Art Culinaire liked this shot too and it’s used for the inside cover, a double spread of issue 128. I can’t tell you how wide my smile was when I opened up my copy to see this image, bold as brass.

Dreams Can Come True

Ever since those images in The Square Cookbooks I’d wanted to work with Phil Howard. I had no idea how or if that would happen. You can’t make people hire you but you can keep the idea in your mind and work towards the goal. Each day you must be more of the person who would shoot at the highest level and with persistence, it’ll come true.

See you back here for day 5 of my 12 Days of Christmas.

JT