How to tell a story using food photography
Portfolio update January 2023 - shot by London food photographer Samantha Couzens
This photoshoot started with a very specific image in mind, inspired by a photography workshop I did with branding photographer Ami Robertson. I wanted to capture blurred movement in an attempt to convey a slow, quiet, and calming story of the process of baking bread, and the images that follow are the embodiment of that.
Okay, let’s tell a story…
I'd been wanting to experiment with blurred movement for a while after learning the technique in a photography workshop with Ami Robertson and what better way to do it than with a dusting of flour over a pile of messy, imperfect dough?
Imperfection was a key element of this image as I wanted it to feel different to the more aspirational set ups I tend to create. I wanted it to feel as though it could be your own kitchen table, (right down to the plastic window frames!) capturing the truth of the process as opposed to a highly stylised scene, of course with a degree of artistic flair - I'm still a food photographer at the end of the day.
I love the warmth, the varying shades of browns and beige, and the depth of the grey in the t-shirt in the background. I love how the shadows fall off to the left and how the light shines through the olive oil bottle.
It's a simple but eye-catching shot and I'm really pleased with how it turned out.
The final image.
One of the outtakes.
Patience is a virtue
Another element I wanted to capture was the patience it takes to bake bread. It's a calm and quiet process, and one that embodies the concepts of slow, mindful cooking.
I’d had this idea to capture the sunlight streaming through the window, providing a warm spot for the dough to rise, with strong shadows falling off to the left to continue the serene and cosy feeling I’d hoped to create. The tea towel placed on top of the bowl further tells the story, as although we can’t see what’s inside, we can use the rest of the images to fill in the gaps, thereby inserting ourselves into the story and activating our senses, like the feel of the dough, the smell of freshly baked bread and the sound of the flaky sea salt.
Of course I couldn’t complete the story without some texture shots. Pillowy soft bread, flaky sea salt and crispy rosemary - what's not to love?
Scroll down to see all the images together.
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