Honest Food

We’re not short of quality local food here in Co. Cork, and you don’t have to look to hard to find it either. There are plenty of farmer’s markets about and local supermarkets do stock local products and produce.

Just before Easter I was commissioned to shoot a series of pictures for a supermarket chain of one of their local franchise holders visiting some of the producers in the area whose products he stocked – one a baker, the other a dairy farmer. The brief was to show a nice, relaxed and natural interaction between the franchisee (John Hurley) and his suppliers.

We met up at Jack Cuthbert’s bakery on a business park on the outskirts of Midleton, Co. Cork, and decided together with Jack that we’d get a picture with loaves coming fresh out of an oven on a huge tray. There was no possibility of relying solely on the natural (strip) lighting in the cavernous bakery, so I set up a single off-camera flash to light John and Jack (and Jack’s son, also Jack) as they talked over the loaves. In fact, I suggested they talk rugby and they completely lost themselves in the conversation.

Jack, Jack and John – Cutherbert’s Bakery, Midleton, Co. Cork
(c) Roger Overall 2008

From the bakery, John and I traveled in convoy to Arsallagh Farm, where Jane Murphy makes renowned goats cheese – so renowned that chef’s as high up the culinary pecking order as Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsey source cheese for their restaurants here.

The lighting set up was pretty similar to the one at the bakery. A single off-camera flash lit John and Jane as they discussed cheese over a freshly produced vat. I was also quite keen to get a shot with the pair of them and a goat, so we also spent some time in the barn where the goats live.

John and Jane – Ardsallagh Farm, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork
(c) Roger Overall 2008

John, Jane and Billy – Ardsallagh Farm, Carrigtwohill, Co. Cork
(c) Roger Overall 2008

The Story of a Shoot

Here’s an image that I recently shot for tea producer Barry’s Tea here in Cork.

You can read about the assignment on my commercial photography blog Photographic Narrative, just click on the link.

Barry’s Tea Fruit Infusions 3
(c) Roger Overall 2008

Colourless Food

Food is one of those subjects that is rarely given the black and white treatment.

After all, much of the sell in food photography is the colour.

You betcha.

So here are a couple of B/W food images shot for a client here in Cork last year.

The absence of colour isn’t a problem. Firstly, the B/W helps underpin the traditional artisan feel that the client wanted. Secondly, your brain more or less fills in the missing colour information of its own accord.

Chopping
(c) Roger Overall 2007

Awaiting Filling
(c) Roger Overall 2007