Fooding photography ?

I’ve already talked about cooking and recipes. I am not going to redo the post again. But I am addicted to this TV show called (French title) TopChef. It is about professional chefs and competition to be elected “Chief of the Chief”. I went into this program last year during a terrible flu, not being able to watch at anything smarter than a TV real show. 

TopChef was on air and I watched at it without thinking. But I liked this competition show and I was amazed to see how those chefs can imagine any recipe with any kind of products. Not only do they imagine it, but they cook it. And it seems to taste quite good !

The most impressive was when a Chef had to cook an entire meal (starter-main-dessert) with a simple vegetable : onion. What the hell could I have done with that? To me, onion is just a basic condiment to add with a sauce, a meat or some salads. I don’t know how to cook it apart from that, make it brown or simply fresh cut. The Chef had about ten ideas of each courses and did those courses without any difficulty.  I was glued at the screen and trying to figure out how to do it. I felt like dumb ! I didn’t even understand a clue about the dessert recipe.

I guess that cooking is an art such as writing or photographing. I even thought that I would love to shoot a table with lovely cooked recipes. I was amazed to discover some cooking magazines and had a look through some of them at my favorite newsstand (by the way, I look a bit suspect, having a look at magazines…). It is a marvelous feeling to see such artistic photos based on food, product, light and composition. I really had the idea to do such a thing… I had taken a few in my life, but never thought it could be so attractive and delicious!

Putting an onion, a carrot, bread or whatsoever in a plate and shoot the plate may be the simplest photo ever, but it is not. You might control any shadow, make the colors pop up and the product looks tasty and nice at the same time. How can I make look a carrot or a ris de veau appetizing ?

Did you ever take a photo of your recipes and be happy with the result ? Did you ever think that any recipe is a piece of cake for you ?

Because it looks so easy to cut vegetables, boil fish, make brown butter, etc. but it is not that effortless indeed. It takes years to learn those skills. Making a school might make the difference, even though you can be gifted and know how to cook by yourself.

Anyhow, cooking is still one of the few no-stress hobbies I know.  And now, I am aware that photographing could be the final point of the cooking…  Might post a photo shooting from my kitchen very soon !