It took me three hours to get set up for the shoot. Three hours of careful preparation to be ready for her. Only to have her walk in and let me shoot for a mere four minutes and thirteen seconds. I know the precise time because among my preparations was planning, down to the minute, the different themes and backdrops we were going to use. But as soon as she came it that was all out the window. Despite this I was able to capture some amazing images. And the reason for that was something she said to me the minute she walked through the doors.
People like to take photos of their food—I get it. But a pic of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich isn’t exactly on the same level as lobster thermidor. Trust me, I was a chef for 12 years (which is how I began taking photos of food in the first place) and can tell you that not only what the photo is of, but also how it is plated, makes a big difference in the quality of the image. With that in mind I began dreaming up what the most exotic food image might be. At first I was thinking blowfish (or fugu in Japanese), but then I saw the ugly critter and changed my mind.