As much as it’s my job to make food come to life through images it’s just as important to add people into the mix. Whenever I have a restaurant assignment I try to incorporate people as much as possible. Whether it’s a portrait of the chef, a picture of a customer eating, or an overall of the dining room I try to put the eating experience into context for the reader. Doing this can be a challenge if you aren’t trained. Things are hectic in a restaurant and if you’re not conscientious you can end up pissing everyone off.
For the February issue I photographed Charles Phan‘s much anticipated Wo Hing General Store. I had some nice light streaming in for my portrait of Chef Michelle Mah. I only had a few minutes with her so I quickly moved her through 4-5 different spots and a variety of poses. When in a situation like that you have to think extremely quickly and keep trying different ideas.
I also asked Sous Chef Li Zhang to demonstrate how to eat Shanghai Dumplings. I thought she might be a good subject to show the correct way to eat them. She was fun and the image brought out her smile.
Lastly, I made sure to capture the dining room to give a feel for the mood of the place. I captured every angle possible, then found the best perspective from behind the bar and used a slow shutter to capture the movement of people walking.
If you get a chance to look at a hard copy of the February issue you’ll see me in the Contributors section!
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