50 PPMAG.COM
tried to dissuade him from specializing in
drinks photography (“Not enough money in
it, mate”), he took that as a challenge. “I saw
that the drinks industry was a huge, global
industry.” Even braver, he began represent-
ing himself by starting his own agency, Cake-
Factory, with several like-minded photogra-
phers. The agency now has six photogra-
phers and video directors. Wonnacott and
his wife, Tammy, run it from their London
and Los Angeles offices.
Reinvention also applies to Wonnacott’s
latest endeavor: directing videos. “I admit
I’ve always been a little bit frustrated with
shooting still pictures of liquid because I had
long thought of it in terms of movement, and
I wanted to capture the perfect moment. I’ve
always had some kind of video camera and
had experimented with it.” When a client
asked him to produce a video he jumped
at the chance. “Again, it felt scary,” he says.
“There was so much to learn and I did so by
pushing myself.”
He’s had a steep learning curve with di-
recting videos but he’s thrilled with the free-
dom it’s given him. “Video, or motion, offers
you so many more chances than film to cap-
ture different nuances with movement and
sound,” he says. “Video has been a natural
career progression for me.”
As with his career in still photography, he’s
had some stumbles while directing videos.
“If you’re not making mistakes you are do-
ing something wrong. You should learn from
every mistake.” The fact that he’s done video
work for Jameson, Fernet-Branca, Guinness,
Johnnie Walker, and Coca-Cola shows he’s
learned well. As he says when asked about
future video work: “Watch this space!”
Photographer, video director, agency own-
er: Martin Wonnacott has continually chal-
lenged himself. And succeeded. What’s next?
“I’m always aiming higher,” he says. “I love
everything about this business, from taking
pictures to making videos and even network-
ing and marketing. It never gets old. I am
always learning.” And when it gets stressful?
There’s always time for a cup of Fortnum &
Mason Earl Grey Classic tea.
“Exactly!” says Wonnacott. “A cuppa makes
everything better!” •wonnacott.comRobert Kiener is a writer in Vermont.the right lighting balance and not over-com-
plicate things.”
“Most challenging,” says Wonnacott, “is
the need to bring liquids to life, to bring out
their personality so a viewer feels that and
wants it. I want to engage people with my
work. Otherwise there’s no point.”
Adds Coca-Cola’s Motto, “Martin is ex-
cellent at capturing images with emotion.
He knows how to find that interaction or
connection between people when they are
drinking; it’s that split second before or right
after one takes a drink. He understands that
in beverage photography you are not just
photographing a beverage; you are photo-
graphing togetherness.”APPETITE FOR CHALLENGE
With an increasing number of U.S.-based cli-
ents, Wonnacott relocated to New York City
some 15 years ago. “It was scary at first,” he
admits. “But scary is good. I’ve found that
throughout my career it’s important to keep
moving out of my comfort zone. Reinvent or
get stale.”
Case in point: When a London-based agent