16 9 May 2020 I http://www.am ribe 0330 333 1113
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Technique
In a galaxy far far away
Photographer Gareth Morgans
(garethmorgans.com) has been shortlisted
in the Fujifi lm Award for Innovation, a
category of Pink Lady® Food
Photographer of the Year 2020. ‘I love
macro photography and specialise in food
so I’m always coming across interesting
textural ingredients!’ Gareth, a self-
confessed space, astronomy and Star
Wars enthusiast, tells us. To create the
fi nal effect Gareth photographed each
seed and spice individually at the
maximum magnifi cation. He used a Phase
One XF camera with an IQ3 100MP
medium format digital back on a 120mm
Schneider Macro lens at 1/250sec at f/8.
‘This amazing camera allows you to auto
focus stack an image by selecting the
furthest and closest surfaces of a subject.
It then takes multiple fi les at different
focus points, which I then exported via
Capture One to Helicon Focus. This
builds a single TIFF fi le from all the focus
stack points. Each seed required between
30 and 40 exposures. The seeds were lit
by a single Profoto D2 1000 fl ash head.
We then built the space scene
compositing in each seed/spice as a solar
system, dropping in a Sun and star
system to add depth.’Diff user panel
A softbox or diffuser panel
is an effective way to create
a softer and more workable
light source. They can also
be used with natural light
where the light is too harsh
to create softer shadows.50mm lens
For those wider-angled
shots a 50mm lens will
do a great job. If you go
too wide it can be
harder to fill the frame
when shooting at a
closer distance.Tripod
A tripod is an
essential piece of kit
for any food
photographer. A tripod
head that can make
minor and accurate
adjustments is
preferable.Natural light
You don’t need lots of fancy kit for professional-
looking results. Making the most of the natural light
is an effective lighting technique for many food
photographers. This image called A Fish Ring,
shortlisted in the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of
the Year, InterContinental Food at the Table
category, was taken by Croatian photographer Maja
Danica Pečanić (www.majadanica.com). The image
shows artistry from both the photographer and
chef. ‘I was taking images in a venue in Croatia
called Boskinac,’ she says. ‘The location is a blend
of a boutique family hotel, winery and a Michelin
guide restaurant. Boskinac acts as a peaceful
Mediterranean oasis where the head chef crafts
small symmetrical sculptures from fresh Adriatic
fi sh, trout roe and dried octopus, which are as tasty
as they are beautiful. My aim in this image was to
capture the beauty and sparkle of the golden crispy
skin, and the transparent shimmer of the roe using
just the soft delicate natural afternoon light.’© GARETH MORGANS, PINK L ADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020
© MA JA DANICA PECANIC, PINK L ADY® FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2020