High End Food Photography – Goldleaf Catering

Goldleaf Catering are a Norfolk based catering business run by chef Matt Thompson and Katie Thomas. They cater for a variety of clients but with this shoot they particularly wanted to appeal to the higher end market. So, we created some images that would be more indicative of fine dining. Food photography often follows fashionable trends. However, with this shoot we deliberately chose to avoid the prevailing fashion for most food blogs and recipe books and go for something more in the style of product advertising shots. This enables their food to stand out and be noticed. It also helps to avoid the images becoming too dated too quickly when trends change.

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert -

The first dish we worked on was a strawberry dessert. This dessert featured several layers and elements that all needed to be well presented. So, to make the most of the garnish we ensured there were good highlights in key places. The jelly was also lit so that you can see the fruit in it. The images needed to tell the viewer what is in the dish and also make it highly appealing. It was important to bring out the difference in texture and gloss or matt finish in each element to achieve this. The glass needed to be lit and then retouched in such a way that it supports the dish without taking over.

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-2

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-3

Our second dish of the day was a beetroot based starter. This featured beetroot cooked in a variety of ways and served with a goat’s cheese bonbon. The puree needed to look silky and glossy so we made sure to highlight that. It was also important that the photo conveyed the fresh, vibrant colours of the vegetables. A subtle, smart reflection of the plate in a black surface added an extra touch of luxury to the finished image of the full plate.

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-4

Close up shots were then taken to enable the dish to be presented in various ways. Each key element needed to be showcased and also put in its context on the plate. For this a macro lens was used and the lighting kept along the same lines so that the set of images sit well together.

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-5

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-6

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-7

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-8

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-9

Food Photography - Starter & Dessert - Goldleaf Catering-10

Food photography is all about making food look appealing and appetizing. Each of these shots gives an added dimension to the overall portrayal of the dish. It is clear to see the thought, care and attention that the chef has put in as well as the freshness of the ingredients.

© Joe Lenton, March 2017

Scroll to Top