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AGO. SET. 2017
XI
some advice from Renato Marcialis,
who since 1976 has dedicated himself
to food photography.
LIGHT
In professional kitchen there is
often a great deal of light, which
is essential to make beautiful
photos. Beware however of the
temperature of the light sources: a
light that is too cold may alter the
image of the product. The light
for food photography must be
warm, otherwise the dish assumes
unpalatable shades. If, even in the
little free space of a professional
kitchen, you could carve out a
corner for a small photographic set,
it would be sufficient to obtain a
small led illuminator in 30x40 format
with a slab in Opal Plexiglas, to
be positioned at 11.00 or 14.00 for
to the dish to be photographed. A
single light source in this position
allows you to create interesting
contrasts to emphasize the dish.
For the camera angle in culinary
photography, you can choose the
Zenith recovery, or that at 45°. The
latter allows the better capture of the
size of the plate, while the one from
above tends to crush. The Zenith
image can be interesting when
the dish is decorated with graphic
details that stand out only if taken
from above. In this case, however, it
is necessary to create the volumes by
playing with light.
PREPARATION OF THE DISH
The prerequisite for a good picture is
that the dish is well prepared and well
presented. However you can use some
little tricks to make it more photogenic:
the placement on the plate of a fresh
green bud can revive it and make the
photo more interesting. But it’s like
an accessory on a woman’s dress: you
don’t need to do it.
A trick to make some more interesting
dishes is to use spray cans of almond
oil, to be sprayed a few moments
before shooting. This allows the plate
to seem polished and it stands out
better. It is particularly useful for
pasta dishes, which tend to absorb
condiments and appear opaque.
PHOTO EDITING
Renato Marcialis is not an avid
follower of photo editing, indeed he
claims to be completely unaware of
it, limiting himself to very simple
measures in his photographs. This
does not detract from recognising
the usefulness of this tool to correct
mistakes, improve the contrast or give
a better cut to the image, reframing it
at the last shot.
EACH TO HIS OWN CRAFT
The rule of “every child is beautiful
to his mother” in food photography
doesn’t count. Having a tool that
allows you to take pictures, it
becomes easy to get caught up in the
enthusiasm, but it is equally easy to
make mistakes, transforming a dish,
however good and well prepared,
into something disgusting. For this
reason it is always better to rely on a
professional.
Afraid that the costs may be too
high? The solution could be to
propose the exchange of goods.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that
a good chef is able to create
captivating images, just as it isn’t
taken for granted that a good food
photographer isn’t at home in the
kitchen, or that maybe he has no
pleasure in exchanging a photo
session with a good dinner. In times
of economic hardship for all, the
exchange of skills and time can
become another way of experiencing
the economy and barter could come
back in vogue.
A LIFE DEDICATED TO FOOD
PHOTOGRAPHY
Renato Marcialis, born in 1956,
began photographing food in 1976,
first collaborating with his older
brother Riccardo then, ten years
later, working alone. In his study
for some years he has been involved
in other areas: fashion, reportage,
still-life, industrial shooting... He
has received various awards, but in
1992 he decided to go back to his
path of specialisation, collaborating
with food companies to produce
catalogues, cookbooks, packaging,
press campaigns and billboards.
On the brink of 60 years old he
decided to devote himself entirely
to his project “Caravaggiow in the
Kitchen” in which he portrays,
inspired by the Master, the
ingredients that can be found in a
large kitchen, making them stand out
through the wise use of light on an
almost non-existent background.
AT PAGE 42
Do it strangely
Popular traditional dishes revisited
by young chefs through social media
By Maria Elena Dipace
In recent times young chefs have
enjoyed experimenting, re-interpreting
every kind of traditional regional recipe.
Meat recipes re-thought for
vegetarians, multi-coloured tiramisu,
street-food version suggestions,
broken down dishes and molecular
dishes are part of these imaginative
variations on the theme that once
upon a time did not exist.
For those who love this type of
cuisine, the community of SnapFood
(the social media platform to
choose what to eat), has collected
some modern re-interpretations of
traditional recipes, which try to get out
of the patterns those flavours that we
know by heart.
______________________________
BOX
THE SIX MOST BIZARRE DISHES
IN THE SNAPFOOD COMMUNITY
1. Composite Tiramisu
A bizarre and quick idea to serve
the tiramisu in a fingerfood version,
perfect for a playful buffet. In
this case the dessert is not served
“finished” with the classic layers but
with all the separate ingredients and
it is the consumer who composes
everything, pouring the mascarpone