VENICE DRINKS

I have never been to Venice before so was absolutely delighted to shoot a book for Quadrille Penguin.

We went from boat to ferry, hotel to bar plus walking 20k steps per day.

Award winning cocktail at the Aman Hotel

The Venetian bar snacks, ‘Chiccetti’ eaten on a canal outside the bacari (wine bar) - beware of swooping sea gulls!!

Select bar

Are there better breakfast views?

Cool pints outside a Pub

Campari soda

Cover option

Canal view

Luca di Vita, chef with his cocktail outside his 3 Michelin starred Osteria alle Testiere

A chat over a beer at the Il Santo Bevitiore

What beautiful opulence

Cocktails in the garden at this beautiful, bijou hotel, Heuraka

Award winning barman, in the ferry taxi outside the Aman Hotel.

APPLES

The British Ambassador to Pakistan mentioned there were over 150 different types of mango in Pakistan. A few British people replied ‘We only have about 5-10 different types of apples’.

Green alphonso mangoes.

The reality is we grow over 2,000 different apples, so why do the public buy so many fruits from around the world. Ours are delicious.


Kentish windfall apples

We also grow the most delicious pears.

SHOOTING IN THE CAPE

I have always loved the African continent so to be commissioned to shoot there, it is a dream come true

Wonderful weather and staying in the mountains around the wine lads with cape Leopard prints around the farmhouse it was a dream come true.

The scenery was wonderful, stunning trees and vegetation, amazing food and people, it was an honour to pick up a camera.

Mountains in the golden hour

The farmhouse

Breakfast

Wonderful fresh produce all sun-ripened

Babel is so cool, you need to book a year in advance, even for breakfast

When a cheetah looks for pray, it looks for a weakness, age or limp, their penetrating eyes look right through you

The South African Brai

La Cotte, Franschoek

The selfie

The vines

La Maison

The verandas to sit relax and enjoy the panoramic views

FOOD PHOTO AWARD

I’m delighted to be included in one of my favourite Photo Awards, the Food Photo awards exhibition held in Madrid

Fresh cabbages in market.

Food Photo Award exhibit

PLANT-BASED FOODS

WE have recently been working on plant based food projects. One being Flora for a global campaign.

Another we have just shot is for Kew, all plant based recipes.

Chick peas, tofu, coronation rice, kimchi salad

Grilled peaches, cherries, torn burrata with verbena salad.

Roast onion with balsamic vinegar on hummus salad.

Tomato ceviche salad with pop corn.

NEW JOBS - KEW GARDENS SALAD COOKBOOK.

It’s always great to start a new job, especially when I have been involved with both the team and client over the last few years. A marriage made in heaven.

Fresh summer garlic


The project is on Salads for Kew Gardens.

We started shooting some of the shots in April due to availabilty with the main bulk this September.

French dressing ingredients. Initially I wanted this to be a hard sunny light through dappled tree leaves but after experimenting I thought it look better simpler shooting at 6.00am when the light was low, soft and cool, plus adding a little grain in post production, which adds another degree of softness.

KEW GARDEN'S SALAD BOOK

After the success of our Kew Garden cook book, we have been commissioned to shoot another version, the Salad cook book.

We have been shooting the ingredients as soon as they become available with the main shoot in September.

FORTNUM'S PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2024

We all want to win awards but it is the quality of each award which is so important.

Sadly the Association of Photographers Awards no longer has the clout, partly because they only use one judge/ category which in my opinion is crazy. For example how can a vegetarian judge a raw steak in a food section? You need 4 to 5 judges for a fair balance.

My favourite award is the Fortnums Award for Photographer of the Year (& that’s not just because they have the best party!!). I won in 2020 and am on the Shortlist for 2024, one of 3 photographers selected. It would be a real honour to be the first photographer to win for the second time.

Talking about parties, The Pink Lady Food Photo Awards also have a fantastic evening and I’m delighted to be Shortlisted for that too!!

OSCAR WINNER

Congratulations to Oliver James, my old assistant for winning an Oscar. After studying Physics & Maths at Oxford, Ollie worked for me in my Shoreditch Studio for 3 years, a lovely, quiet boy.

He was the creator of the black hole in Interstellar and was really quietly proud of this huge achievement.

He now is the Chief Scientist at DNEG (Double Negative) working on Hollywood blockbusters like Interstellar, several James Bond’s, Openheimer, Batman Begins, Chicken Run etc etc. https://cherwell.org/2024/02/25/visual-effects-oliver-james/

It is so good seeing a pure talent developing into one of the most influential men in Hollywood, a true special effect genius and scientist.

SUPERMARKET ADVERTISING

When I was a young assistant there was some wonderful award winning Supermarket work in the press, AMV’s work for Sainsbury’s in the 80’s, Tesco’s in the 90’s followed by M&S mouth watering commercials during the following decade.

The Sainsbury’s 80’s adv’, beautiful photography would capture a simple plum or fennel bulb, so why is Supermarket work now just about cost, surely the public want to know more about what families are putting on their plate?

I shot some nice food shots for Tesco’s / Red Brick Road between 2000-2010; when i open a newspaper now, the ads look just the same, they could be my old photos but are 15+ years on.

Waitrose were great to work for and had a great team of Art Directors from Banks Hoggins O’Shea & RKCR, especially Richard Dennison who really art directed posters and ads. He was a real craftsman, who also commissioned me on beautiful Landrover campaigns with Andy Clough & Rich, Richard Denney & Dave Henderson. He was one of the best creatives a photographer could work alongside, the type of AD that made me really happy I decided to become a ‘smudger’. Thank you

FORAGED & HOME-GROWN IS BEST

We dont’ need to walk far to create and photograph nature at it’s best or as a professional photographer ‘re-create it so no one could tell it was faked’!

I don’t like to ruin peoples beliefs but that’s the job of a professional.

Pumpkins re-created by myself with pumpkins grown for Cancer Charities with all proceeds given to this very worthy cause. I shot this for the Kew Gardens Cook Book - Ingredients page, shot on out kitchen steps.

Nature never fails to disappoint. I have always loved nature and used it to help create better photographs. You don’t need to be a great photographer to take good photos, you just need the eye to see the potential of objects that can be simply put together to make a picture work. Photographed for the Kew Cook Book

The tomatoes were given to me by an Italian friend, but I bet he didn’t think my camera would immediately come out from the bag to photograph these beauties. A photographer is only as good as the availability of his camera & persuading his/ her wife/ partner to model - not an easy thing to do but after years of persuasion…. I never go anywhere without a camera.

I entered this series in an awards. After my submission titled ‘Fresh girolles from the Garfagnana mountains’, the organiser called to ask me to check the title which predictive text had changed to ‘Fresh girlies from the…’

The purity of these mushrooms was too good to waste, but persuading my wife to dress up and dirty her hands was more difficult, especially in October’s rain. I love this shot or should I say ‘I love nature’.

The kitchen garden, tools and produce

When ugly becomes beautiful. I can’t pass a green grocer without having a double take and admiring this humble fruit, the quince. I also love its role in a casserole, with the quince acting as a sump absorbing all the flavours.

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A TUSCAN TRATTORIA & ITS FARM

I have been passionate about Italy. the Italian people & life style for 30 years, so much so we bought a farm in the foothills of the Garfagnana mountains, north of Lucca.

I met writer Nick Farrell on a project for Waitrose 20 years ago and with his knowledge and literacy skills he was the perfect person to team up with, backed up by my wife Hazel.

From a previous project for Waitrose, working with writer Nick Farrrell on a Tuscan Wedding

Part of the passion was meeting a young Tuscan chef, Aurelio Barattini, his family and their restaurant Antica Locanda di Sesto. Aurelio is a very proud Tuscan and chef & farmers who added a creative spark into writing a book.

Charasmatic chef, farmer and family man, a true Tuscan.

In Italy their are several places to dine, from Restaurants, to Trattorias, Osterias & Pizzerias etc. Traditionally, the Trattoria is where the tractor driver took his family out to eat local seasonal produce, although this has become more gentrified over the years.

Head chef Aurelio and front of house, brother Lamberto.

Main dining room, a former stable for a horse and cart, panelled with local chestnut wood. Antica originally served working men lunch from the rock mines along the river in the 100’s. then men travelling north along the Serchio River basin before being run by Aurelio’s Nonna, Ida.

The farm, Maolina which over looks the Lucca plain

Pappa al pomodoro.

Roasted baccala.

Tagliata sliced with rosemary.

Although the family farm Maolina provides a lot of fruit and vegetables, local fruit and veg suppliers are used.

Aurelio’s meat suppliers stand under a sign that says ‘A little bit of fat does you good’.

NEVER WORK WORK WITH KIDS AND ANIMALS

I actually love working with both, especially as you can never pre-plan too much. You have to be ready for the magical unexpected

Boy with snake skin

Watering is important work

Italian life

Italian food is so child friendly

ROOM WITH A VIEW

I was delighted and honoured to be commissioned to shoot a bit of Italian magic, maybe a table with the most beautiful view, the Ghiselli’s out door dining room.

Listening to the nightingales singing as the sun set behind the rolling hills was really was breath taking as the thousands of fire flies lit up the valley after dark.

Our late friend and poet, the Jamaican James Berry MBE wrote a poem about Gugliano in 1998.

Like a mate, a place draws you to it.

We touched these undulating valleys:

they embraced and entranced us. Unlike

Shelley – who drowned in the waters of

Cinque Terre – we sank into the arms of these

PINK LADY SHORTLIST 2023

Delighted to have 4 photos shortlisted in this years awards.

Food at the table category

On the phone category

M&S food portraiture

Cream of the crop category

REST IN PEACE - BARRY HUMPHRIES, A COMIC GENIUS.

Barry really was a wonderful, charming man, so clever and witty and always referred to me as ‘Hughey, the genial lensman’.

The world has lost a great man.

We worked together on a multi-award winning BT ad campaign with AD Mike Lee,

EASTER

Carluccio’s and Italians really celebrate Easter with Colomba Cake, Easter Eggs and local towns make special pastries. It’s a time of year when families get together, eating fish on Maunday Thursday and lamb is becoming increasingly popular on Easter Sunday.

Chocolate eggs and Easter pastries being arranged at the breakfast table.

Colomba cakes hand made in Piedmont by Giuseppe and his team.

Chocolate Easter Eggs