ALL IN THE FAMILY
WORKING FROM A HOME STUDIO MEANS DONNA CAN RELY ON ONE OF HER
DAUGHTERS BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME TO LEND A HAND...Do you have some favourite images?
Some images are a struggle, they’re just not working, and then others come together when you least
expect it, and I think emotionally you are drawn to those that work better. For instance, the
tomatoes on the landing page of my website are one of my favourites. I’d bought these tomatoes at
the local farm store and I really wanted to photograph them but didn’t know what to do. I put them
in a wooden tray and it looked okay, but wasn’t quite right. Then my daughter arrived home from
school and she had a green jumper on and I thought, ‘that’s it!’ I told her, ‘Just lie down there and put
your hands in’, so she’s spread out beneath the tripod with her hands in and it just worked!Is keeping your hungry family at bay a problem while you try to complete the photography?
It used to be! Now they know and always ask first, ‘Is this for a photo shoot?’ I either say: ‘No, you
can have it’, or ‘Yes, don’t touch it!’ In the old days, it would be me saying, ‘Where did my cake go?’it, I really started to grow
the photography side.
Talking about your photography,
what are the necessary ingredients
for a really good food photograph?
For me, it’s about telling a story in
your picture that your reader
connects with; something that your
reader actually feels that they could
sit down at that table and be part of.
Food is about welcoming people.
I love having guests over; I love
entertaining; I love putting on a
spread for people. It’s about drawing
people into the picture so they feel
like they can walk in and be part of
it without having to ask. In terms of
composition it’s also about keeping it
as natural as possible. Yes, it’s