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Derby University, Buxton: Photoshoot 25th April 2013

Today I  visited the Catering Students at Derby University, Buxton with a view to taking some images of the restaurant session in full swing, with students preparing and serving a three course lunch.

I wanted the opportunity to take some images for my Assignment and to give the students and University some usable images for inclusion on the University website and in the student portfolios.

First year student preparing dessert

The students work in the kitchens and in the restaurant, front of house. serving the meals to the customers.











Starter of beef 


Students work together with the more experienced final year students assisting the new intake of first year students.


The kitchen was quite cluttered and dark -  I used on camera flash Ex430 II, to add light to the images, bouncing the light off the ceiling which was fairly low.
It was difficult to get action shots due to the placing of work area.

Third year catering student advising a first year student.

This image worked well as I was able to get in front of the student whilst he was preparing the vegetables.

I am still not happy with the overall quality of images and their content. In a professional studio, the food would be prepared specifically for the photograph and would not be expected to be eaten afterwards. This would enable the photographer and food stylist to get the composition and lighting set perfectly. There are also some techniques to food presentation which includes the use of additional methods to increase the desirability of the food.

I am having to work in professional working kitchens with clutter, steam and non professional models. The food has to go out immediately it is prepared to keep it hot and the presentation, whilst important, is nowhere near as precise as in a food photography shoot.

Despite writing to food photographers and requesting input at University, I do feel that I have missed this opportunity to really learn the behind the scenes fabric of food photography and my work therefore, at best will be not up to the standard and quality that I was hoping for when I embarked on this assignment.

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Kedgeree at Honeypot Cottage.. 27th April 2013

Homemade Kedgeree at  honeypot cottage was the order of the day courtesy of Nigella Lawson's recipe book with a twist....

Freshly laid soft boiled eggs and chopped spring onion to add flavour and colour.

Grated lime to give a zing to the dish, with lime zest and juice to finish

A sprinkle of Coriander to add  a touch more flavour and voila!

These images were taken in situ whilst my host was preparing breakfast, I am pleased with the overall results especially the close up and action shots which worked well.
I used  50d Canon camera with Canon 430EX flash with reduced power to add light to the subject.The images where the model is grating and peeling the lime could be improved but the model adopting a more relaxed grip with her hand, this would reduce the redness in the hand itself and improve the overall image.
I would also have used studio lighting to better effect if this was a food photography 'Shoot'.

Jack's of Melbourne

Fish Pie

Jack's of Melbourne are available for evening functions and one such weekly function involves cooking a two course meal.

I went along this week to take images of the process of preparing the main course for the evening.

Preparation is the key to any dish, a little like photography really, the kitchen is quite small so not much space to move around or place lights, therefore for these shots I used a Canon Flash, on camera and bounced the light off the ceiling. Normally with food photography the food will be prepared for the sole use of the photographer and so steps will be taken to ensure that it is visually appealing even if this means that the taste is compromised. Because this dish was for consumption after its preparation and cooking, it made the process of photographing it much more difficult.

I particularly like the composition of this image which i converted to black & white to reduce the distraction in the background, the steam rising from the pans helps to  create the effect of cooking.

Catching action shots of the process proved 

challenging as I it was not always possible to repeat the processes involved. For this shot I needed the pan and the sieve lifted higher than would normally occur so that I could photograph the action of the milk going into the pan.

I like the symmetry of the bowls, however the constraints of the work surfaces added challenges to the composition of the shot.

The action in this shot did not work as well as I had hoped, the fish did not have much colour and texture to it so photographing it was more difficult. If I were to recreate this dish, I would add some colour with perhaps prawns and smoked fish.

This shot held more interest with the vegetable in the background and the action of ladelling the sauce into the dishes. I think because it was steaming hot, the image is affected by the steam, if this were a commercial photo shoot the sauce would probably be cold.

I wanted to show the next stage of the process with some dishes awaiting the topping and some already complete. I think this works really well.
The image could be cropped to eliminate the spaces around the dishes.











These were the accompanying vegetables, prepared and plated up to be microwaved nearer the time.
I did not take images of the fish pie when it came out of the oven as the little peaks of potato were slightly burned on the top and it did not make a visually pleasing image.


There are lots of tips and tricks that commercial food photographers use to ensure the visual result is the most appetizing and appealing to the viewer. In most cases the food is not for consumption due to the processes involved in getting it to this point.

debrajayne & maisy xx

Mother's day breakfast....

Creamy scrambled eggs on bagels with sesame seeds, topped with sliced mushrooms and baby tomatoes, freshly squeezed juice and fresh coffee..The perfect way to start your day...

followed by....

an intense, challenging game of scrabble...

On the photography front:  Natural diffused daylight, backlit.

Canon 50d with a 50mm prime 1.4 lens, 1/125th sec.

Shot from a low level angle.

I am pleased with the focal point and dof..not so happy with the backdrop..

debrajayne & maisy  xx

The Corner Shop..

This is the corner shop on the High Street in Melbourne, it has recently opened for business and is lovely to have lots of wonderful fresh vegetables a few hundred yards from our house...

A selection of the vegetables that you can buy here.. they also sell eggs and milk..

This image was staged with studio lights and a white background, the camera was set on a tripod.

Canon 50d;  65mm; F/11; 1/125thsec.

These tomatoes are homegrown from the makeshift greenhouse in our back yard..they tasted abslolutely wonderful and we had lots to use up in all sorts of dishes that maisy prepared..

Photography: Natural daylight from window to left side. Canon 50d & tripod, 105mm, f/22, 1/13th sec.

One such dish was filled pasta with red pesto, toasted pine nuts and baby tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil... absolutely delicious..

On the photography front: Canon 50d handheld, 50mm, F/4.5, 1/80sec. on camera flash.

Salmon & Chilli Fishcake on a bed of Linguini with Rocket..

 Slow cooked salmon and chilli fishcake with prawns on a bed of linguini and rocket...

Supper for two, a quick and inxpensive meal that is wonderfully delicious.

Prepared and cooked by maisy, photographed by debrajayne...

angled this shot, close up to give more impact.

Canon 50d; 28 −135mm lens; 1/125sec; F/9; ISO200

on camera flash

debrajayne & maisy  xx