FOOD & DRINK PHOTOGRAPHY + MOTION Oct 2014

Al MacDonald is a food and advertising photographer conveniently located near Chicago's O'Hare airport. For over 35 years he has been commissioned by leading food companies and restaurants from several countries. Al and his current business partner, Renee, have created an impressive body of work for the food industry. They have extensive experience in producing photos for frozen food retail packaging as well as B2B advertising, recipe illustration and foodservice applications.

His 5400 sq. ft. studio facility has a comfortable client lounge and an extensive prop room. The large fully equipped kitchen has KitchenAid Pro series appliances along with additional commercial refrigeration and freezers. Al uses a large format Sinar digital system which produces files capable of enlargement for point of sale posters as well as trade show booth displays and outdoor boards.

Originally from the Midwest, Angela Aurelio is a San Francisco Bay area food and lifestyle photographer who creates mouth-watering and visually stunning images one shutter click at a time.

With an understanding for client needs and a passion for the visual arts, Angela has an ability to bring stories to life and to create imagery that sells. Whether shooting in studio or on location for editorial, packaging or advertising, Angela works all around the Bay area and beyond.

At the beginning of autumn, the Bluestudios' theme for their latest editorial food-shooting was "Spicy and Hot - Asian Spirit."

Bluestudios photographer Dieter Sieg, along with food stylist Renate Neetix and photo assistant Aron Kumar, has managed to create the perfect shot to make the viewers’ mouths water and make them want to take a bite. Dieter’s light matches Renate’s styling perfectly, and the shots they create are so realistic and they are able to capture the best representation of the food at their prime. Anyone who sees their photos would feel the need to smell the different spices and to sit down at the covered table.

Caramel Pictures is a well established production company with offices in Amsterdam, London, Miami and Mumbai. Caramel's main facilities in Amsterdam are the largest private studios in Holland, with three fully equipped production stages, a water tank, cameras, lighting, and full post-production suites. It is specialised in tabletop work of all types, particularly food and liquids. The company's experienced and dedicated team, combined with cutting-edge world class technology create commercials of stunning beauty and originality.

Clients include Lindt International, Werthers, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, KFC, Parler, L’Oréal and Unilever.

Visit the website for more information.

Having stumbled on the idea of making landscapes out of food just over ten years ago,  ‘Foodscapes’ have now brought Carl Warner worldwide acclaim, as his very own unique and individual art form. Carl has worked as a photographer in the advertising business for 25 years.

This has led not only to many commissions for international clients such as Nestle, Unilever and General Mills, but also to a publishing deal with Abrams Books which saw the launch of his first book ‘Carl Warner’s Food Landscapes’ in November 2010. Carl has become an Art Director in his own right, and brings his creativity to all his work.

His work has been used in children’s hospitals, childhood obesity clinics, by nutritionists and many other good causes to promote better eating habits in both children and adults.

Carsten Eichner specialises in still and food photography and has his own fully equipped digital daylight studio in Hamburg. He has international experience working for agencies and editorial magazines, both in the studio and on location.

Recent clients include Billa/Austria, Dr.Oetker, EDEKA, Hilcona, Unilever, WeightWatchers, Burda, BEEF, Brigitte, Der Feinschmecker and G&U Verlag.

Visit his website for more information.

Debby Lewis-Harrison's food photography is skilfully composed and infused with a feminine touch. Her love for experimenting with colour and pattern brings a certain warmth and playfulness to her imagery.

With prior extensive experience as an art director and stylist, Debby enjoys all aspects of image creation. She has a keen eye for detail and a fresh “hands-on” approach to photography. She loves “to start with an empty table top and finish with a beautiful image.”

Her recent clients include Hovis, Birds Eye, Weetabix and Waltrose.

Duncan Loughrey has been shooting food for the best part of 30 years. With great technical ability, a keen eye for detail and a flair for beautiful lighting, Duncan undertakes every shoot in a friendly, relaxed manner.

With many clients gained through recommendation, his experience and ability to interpret and execute the brief are highly valued.

His style is clean, simple and uncluttered.

Gareth Morgans' take on food and lifestyle photography is fresh, bright, and vibrant with a contemporary edge. With a feeling of authenticity, care, and true attention to detail, he knows how to bring food to life by creating images that are beautiful, captivating, and also mouth-wateringly tantalising.

Some of his recent work this year has included packaging for Birds Eye (JKR), M&S Homeware and Party Food ranges, Costa’s summer/Christmas 2014 advertising campaigns (Karmarama), Muller (VCCP Blue), Westfield (Portas Agency) and editorials for Jamie Oliver, Waitrose and Red magazines.

Gareth is represented by Vue.

Greyimage is a photography production house in Bahrain, established by professional photographer George Mathew. The company specialises in food, advertising, fashion, editorial, architecture and still life.

In co-operation with a trusted network of food and fashion stylists, model coordinators and photo retouchers, Greyimage provides services in Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and India, managing every aspect of a shoot.

"A quest for challenges and passion for photography makes us enjoy creating every image."

Award-winning Jason Lowe has photographed for some of the finest food producers and most inspirational cookery writers.

Jason's entire food philosophy is based around how food is produced and it’s journey to our plates.

When he is not shooting delicious recipes for Mark Hix's regular column in The Independent on Saturday, Jason can be found exploring the world; his project ‘Nordic Cookery’ captures the relationship between the Icelandic landscape, people and their edible culture.

He has received two Glenfiddich Awards for his food photography, and featured in many publications worldwide including Food and Travel, Food Illustrated and Saveur. His advertising clients include Birds Eye, Marks and Spencer, Pizza Hut and Sainsbury's.

Jean Cazals has been the forefront in food photography for many years with numerous international awards including ‘Best Food Photographer’ in 2012.

His expertise in food and styling has always been a plus for his long list of clients, whether in design, advertising and books publishing worldwide.

Based in his Central London studio, Jean is also happy to shoot wherever the job takes him. For Jean, the final image and client satisfaction is his main concern and he will deploy his visual knowledge to achieve it. He has developed a relationship with all the major chefs and restaurants and they let him handle any situation from food, interiors, and portraits.

Please visit his website which will soon be re-launched. Make sure to check out previous Production Paradise publications as well.

Jean is represented in London, Paris, Milan and Dubai.

Julie Benedetto is a long-established, food and still life photographer. Her unique natural style shows through with her appreciation of how light interacts with her subjects.

Having studied and worked with many established directors, photographers, and stylists, she has an appreciable understanding of how to accomplish an art director’s vision. Pouring her heart into her work through her lens, she exhibits her aesthetic style, providing a harmonious view into a world that asks to be appreciated

Kai Schwabe's 500 m² daylight studio is located in the centre of Bremen. A master of different lighting techniques, he can quickly create a range of subtle moods according to the individual needs of each client. Working alongside a team of talented food stylists and assistants, Kai develops high quality images that appeal to the appetite.

Featured in this spotlight a recently produced variety of culinary autumn impressions.

Curently he works for cpb, London and Dragon Rouge, Paris.

Karen has had an exciting time working on the new look for M&S food. M&S’s Adventures in Imagination TV commercial was launched in the beginning of September and Karen worked on the  stills for this campaign. Karen’s ads were printed in Metro and Evening Standard and her posters can be seen in M&S store windows and in store.

The new campaign by McDonalds entitled My Burger will soon launch, and Karen's images will adorn the windows of McDonalds around the country.

Karen has also been working on the M&S Christmas Press Pack, Decor/POS and will soon be starting work on the Christmas advertising with RKCR/Y&R.

Leonid Vinogradov’s food photography captures exquisite dishes in the most realistic way.

Leonid’s passion for photography came to him during his time working at a branding agency as a CG designer and 3D artist. He was often faced with projects where it was necessary to present the food in the most favourable light to the consumer. Leonid worked in a team with food stylist Igor Bielonog, and this cooperation has continued to be an inspiration for them now as they work jointly on their projects.

Igor Bielonog is also a chef, so each dish is prepared with carefully selected and certified ingredients where attention to detail is second to none.

In addition to food photography, Leonid and Igor are addicted to traveling, which provides their inspiration to make their projects unique.

The team is currently successfully working with restaurants, advertising agencies, magazines and many other clients.

Mark has worked on all sorts of subject matters over his 20-year career and there’s nothing he prefers more than liquor and food. Many years ago, a top art buyer told him that when she found great images of liquor, she could be confident that she had found a photographer who could shoot pretty much anything very well. He has followed and built his career on this piece of advice and has been fortunate enough to work on most of the major liquor brands in the process.

Liquor clients led him to beer, wine and food clients so he recently moved into a new Tribeca studio with natural light and a full, well-equipped kitchen.

Growing up in England, he admits that he had a lot to learn about food but loves to tell how it has been a hugely enjoyable process. He has an awesome team of similarly experienced prop, drink and food stylists for the successful completion of any project.

Mark Zawila is a highly respected advertising photographer specialising in food, drink and still life imagery whose work has been used both in the UK and abroad. He is friendly and easy-going to work with but has an extremely professional attitude and obsessive attention to detail.

Mark works from his studio situated in the stunning Hampshire countryside, located only 30 minutes from London.

Michael has just enjoyed creating pictures for the renowned German cookbook publisher Christian Verlag that shows excerpts from his 2014 cookbook Das Burger-Buch: Einfach 'n Bissen besser (Simply ´n bite better!), that has been released just in time for the Frankfurt Book Fair. Tino Kalning and Ann Raab did the food styling for this project.

Michael also works for leading advertising agencies such as Leo Burnett, Ogilvy & Mather, Publicis and international companies such as Lufthansa Sky Chefs and Nestlé, among others.

Both his professional work and his personal projects showcase Michael’s joy and skill in creative and experimental photography. His explicit attention to detail and enthusiasm for the perfect light gives him a true photographer’s eye.

Michael shoots in his own studio or on location with close cooperation from a well-rehearsed team of stylists and food stylists. He is also a member of Germany’s professional organization for photographers and DOPs, BFF.

Beyond Frankfurt, Michael is very well connected to rental studios in Munich, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Berlin.

Nuno Correia has worked in photography since 1990 but over the last 14 years has become a recognised expert in advertising. With the production of his book in New York and across the US in 2009 by Martha Stewart publisher Clarkson Potter (Random House), his work has become known overseas.

In Portugal Nuno is currently working for large agencies including TBWA, Publicis, Havas, McCann, Y&R, Lowe, Duda, BAR, Partners, JWT and others. His campaigns include McDonald's - international copyrights in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Malta and Morocco - and a lot of packaging work in Portugal and Spain.

Since March 2013, Nuno has partened with Pedro Ferreira da Costa to create
Slowstudio, sharing the seat as DoP and Director. Slowstudio is a film production company based out of a 530 m² studio, fully equipped with high-speed cameras, lenses and motion control robots to perform with excellency its speciality tabletop films.

“The baking juggernaut cannot be stopped!”

Peter Cassidy recently shot these images for Paul Hollywood's "Great British bakes", published this month by Bloomsbury Publishing.

For outdoor types, here are some images from "Game" by Phil Vickery.

Peter Cassidy is an experienced food and lifestyle photographer based in London. He shoots advertising, packaging and editorial commissions both in the studio and on location.

Peter received a "Food and Drink Photographer of the Year" award in April.

His clients include Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Dairy Crest, Baxter's, Tilda Bloomsbury, Quadrille Publishing, Kyle Books and RPS. He has shot for Harrods Magazine, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, Red, Food and Travel, Good Food, Olive, Delicious and Jamie Magazine.

See his previous Production Paradise publications for more images.

Joan Roig, an advertising photographer, and Neus Portell, food and prop stylist founded Roig & Portell - a studio specialised in food, product and packaging photography -  in Barcelona in 1986.

Offering creative and high quality photographs to the best national and international clients, the pair has been recognised with a number of renowned awards, including Lux, Bestpack, El Sol, Innoval and Pentawards. They also give seminars, workshops and conferences.

In 2006, professional retoucher Sergi Segarra joined the Roig & Portell team, providing excellent post-production services.

Latest projects include brands such as Affinity, Rana, Codorniu, Dr Oetker, Coca-Cola, Eroski, Nestlé, Gallina Blanca, Calvo, and Sara Lee among others.

"Premium packaging shots and perfect price-performance ratio - that’s what you get when you’re working with Tjaard M. Spiering."

The Dutch-born photographer has been based in his studio in Hamburg since the early 90s, but he also produces on multiple sites across Germany or, if asked, abroad. His professional work focuses on food and still life photography. With an eye for detail and atmospherics, Tjaard masters photographic challenges with intuition and sensitivity. His background in graphic design permits him to use his experience to turn clients' ideas into perfect pictures.

Recent clients include Mövenpick, Nestlé Germany, Schwartauer Werke Germany, Penny Germany, Findus Switzerland, Aurora Germany, Nestlé Turkey, Boss Greece, and Gelato Latin America and Brazil.

Stephen Conroy is delighted to announce the release of his new App called "Food Photo UK." This app is available for free in the App Store and Google Play. The "Food Photo UK" app offers multiple ways to stay up-to-date with an established food photographer and his work with many of the world's leading brands. You can click here to download the app for free.

Meanwhile, Stephen has been busy photographing many family favourites - from chocolates to pizza and to lasagne, consistently giving his clients the best results possible.

Steve Ryan is a food, documentary and portrait photographer from Kilkenny, Ireland.

In 2013 he was ranked among the top 10 food photographers by Flavour First magazine and was nominated for photographer of the year at the Irish Magazine Awards.

He has shot features for The Financial Times, Selfridges, Lidl, Olive Magazine and Vice Magazine. Steve is a co-founder and co-editor of the London based food magazine Root + Bone.

With more than 20 years of experience, Sue Atkinson’s invaluable expertise is hard to come by. Sue shoots both ads and editorials from her quirky Fitzrovia studio. Her creative, clean style and her technical skills add to any client brief, whether it’s for quirky close ups of McDonald’s or beautiful naturally lit images. 

Her most recent notable campaigns include McCains, McDonald’s, Knorr, Little Dish and Marks & Spencer.

Tom discovered photography with his father. The magic moments when he observed his father in the darkroom fixing images on paper were when his passion for photography was born.

While following photography courses at the NARAFI Institute in Brussels, he worked as a student in restaurant kitchens. This is how he discovered his second passion and would shape his future profession: photography and gastronomy.

For more than 15 years, Tom collaborates with advertising agencies, women’s and lifestyle magazines and publishing companies. He worked with great chefs, photographed for numerous award-winning cookbooks and worked for the three major Belgian retail companies.

Over the years he has worked with some top brands and agencies - here are just a few: BBDO, LDV United, GBLCOM, The Brand Embassy, Walking Men, De Persgroep, Sanoma Magazine, sQills, Colruyt Group, Delhaize, Carrefour, Lannoo, Borgerhoff & Lamberigts.

Tom’s specialty is to bring food to life so each photo exhales the aromas and makes your mouth water.