Jean Cazals, Award-Winning Food Photographer: Keep Your Rhythm, Follow Your Instinct and Your Eye
Dishfolio's food bloggers are a truly
creative bunch, demonstrating flare in the kitchen and skill with a
camera. Today, we welcome guest blogger Jean Cazals whose website
www.jeancazals.net shows us his
wonderful and artistic food photography work throughout his career.
His truly creative, unique food photography is an inspiration to
anyone seeking ideas on how to take their food blog to the next
level!
'Jean Cazals' photography been on the forefront of food photography for many years, always bringing a new edge to his images through his lighting and composition. He has graced the pages of umpteen international newspapers, lifestyle & travel magazines and cookery books across the world. Jean has worked with some of the world top restaurants and chefs. He has won many awards for his work with style, sophistication, fun and mouth watering photography. Jean got the Best Food Photographer award 2012 and his first book as an author and photographer 'Teatime' got the Gourmand Best Dessert book award in 2013'
I started shooting food for Food Illustrated in UK and Vogue Entertaining in Australia. I have never felt that I have ever "arrived". As a photographer, you are always looking forward to the next project and to future challenges. Shooting photos for books is really my preferred activity nowadays
I really enjoy shooting food on location, where I am travelling abroad and meeting a wide variety of different people. In this profession you have to do a bit of everything from studio work to location shooting.
My working days vary hugely, even though the basic technicalities are the same. What really matter are the ideas and the concepts. Once you have got a really good, new concept, you feel wonderful and click away to preserve the memory of it for posterity. I have been shooting in natural day light for many years, even before it became a trend. If you have a good team working together, comprising of a good food stylist, food economist, props assistant, and, wherever possible, the publishers print on good paper, then everything flows effectively.
I live in London, which I love, with my partner, who is a food stylist, and my daughter. I go to Paris regularly but London is my home after so many years here. I'm lucky enough to be living in Notting Hill with my studio nearby. My partner is a very good cook, which I really appreciate. I never seem to have enough spare time to cook, even though my mother always taught me that in life it is important to be able to feed yourself properly. My favourite food markets are all over the world, and I can literally spend hours with my cameras there.
I look at trends in food photography and I think
that the rustic, organic look has been there for many years, but
the contemporary look is equally popular. It all depends for whom
you work: anything is possible with food. I do feel that food
photography is even more "trendy" than the fashion industry
itself. Shooting from above is all the rage at the moment, but
sometimes certain concepts become too popular and then nobody wants
them anymore. Proper application of concepts is important.
If I had to give advice I say what was told to me when I started: 'Keep on shooting and follow your own rhythm'.
Here are some of my guidelines:
1. Get inspiration by all means, but then close the book you are looking at and follow your own senses. I see far too much plagiarism in this industry and not enough innovation.
2. Assist a range of different photographers, don't get stuck with just one.
3. Do freelance work to leave you enough time to pursue your own shooting. That's where you will disciver 'your' thing!
4. Enter the world of food photography only if you really love food, otherwise it will show very clearly in your work.
5. Create your very own, individual project. It will be appreciated by Art Directors who commission new work and it will show a certain level of professionalism in terms of continuity and structure. Random snaps here and there may be beautiful but are not as effective as a structured series within a project.
6. Wherever you go, train your eyes to see and to crop, as if you were taking imaginary photographs. It doesn't matter if you do not have a camera with you at the time, just train your eyes. 'Your yey' is your studio . Its everything. The camera is just a tool to record what you see!
Thanks again to Jean Cazals of www.jeancazals.net for sharing his wisdom and these stunning images!
