Secrets of Food Photography

Hi readers!

I recently had to the opportunity to work with Tasting Kitchen Magazine, and conduct four chef interviews across Hong Kong’s fine dining scene for this Perfect Pairings feature.

In the article, the chefs talked through their culinary interpretations to the brief: pairing a classic seafood seafood dish from their restaurant with this year’s Sauvignon Blanc from Cloudy Bay (a New Zealand producer).

As always, each project I take on brings its own eye-opening revelations, and this one was no different. This time, I had the pleasure of observing and learning from a successful photographer, whose portfolio includes fashion, architecture – and food – who was on the job with me.

After four days of hanging out, I convinced him to give me an interview where he (who prefers to go incognito, like a spy!) shared some of the secrets of food photography he has gathered over a long career as a professional photographer.What are some of the challenges in shooting food versus people, or buildings?
Food has this whole element of making it look appetising. There’s a science to that, really. There are a lot of things that you have to take into consideration because food has many textures; it could be saucy, it could be dry, reflective, or have oil on it.

So, lighting is very crucial. Plus food – especially hot food – if it sits for a while it starts to wilt. There’s techniques of not cooking food to the fullest to make sure the colors are still there, or to not cook it at all, even. Also, treating food with chemicals so that you have a longer period to photograph the food.

Without treating it or planning ahead, you have about a five minute window to shoot it. In photography that’s really short.

What are the wackiest techniques you’ve seen applied to food?I’ve seen everything, from hair spray to glue; anything that kind of sets it in place for a little bit longer. That stuff is not out of the ordinary, actually, it’s just a trade secret in food photography.

Which is the most difficult cuisine to shoot?
Chinese food. A lot of it is wok-fried and saucy. And flat. It doesn’t have height. Photography-wise, when a plate comes out saucy and flat, you can’t light it to look dimensional. Western pastas are pretty bad too.

Easy stuff to photograph would be… sushi. Sushi looks like art, it’s colourful and its got a shape to it, so you can light it.

Being in Hong Kong, however, there are a lot of chefs who take care to present Chinese food in an artistic manner. Those are usually OK to shoot.

But, if you are stuck with a flat dish, what can you do to counter that?
You use distractions to distract from the main visual. If the plate is somewhat non-photographable, then you start to throw in elements for lighting, angles, backdrops and texture to present it as a dining experience. Like a wine, or utensils. If it’s really bad then you can use shadows and textures behind to make it visually decent and just layer.

Tell us an anecdote from your days as a food photographer…
My first and probably last experience of a working for a major franchise campaign… It was for a burger franchise and it was so monotonous. Basically we had to cook three to four hundred burger patties in a span of four days trying to get the right ‘look’ which is this consistency where it’s not too grey or dull. It has to be juicy enough and cooked to their presentation standard.

They shipped us a truckload of patties, literally, and the assistant in the back was cooking patties non-stop. In the end we had to bring in an actual employee to cook it and moved the shoot to a franchise location instead of a studio.

The second problem was finding really green lettuce and fresh tomatoes. The lettuce had to have the right waviness to hold up the bun a little bit – and the tomatoes had to be an exact width… it was crazy.

With these kinds of shoots, you’ll always see the water droplets on the lettuce right? Those are actually tiny drops of glue.

Wow…
Yeah, it was an educational shoot. I probably learned everything from that one shoot. I got that job earlier on in my career when I thought, ‘Oh yeah, food photography can’t be that difficult”.

———-

And how wrong that proved to be! 🙂

Thanks for reading, and keep coming back for more bites…

Bakker x

Bakker’s Bites – 2nd Birthday!

Today, Bakker’s Bites turns TWO years old! Who knew time would fly so fast…

A lot has happened in the last year for BBITES: a lot of ‘firsts’, including my first invites to blogger events, and more readers than ever!

Last year, I published the Bakker’s Bites 1st Birthday Photo Shoot, and since then I’ve decided to make a birthday photo shoot for my blog an annual tradition.

With the help and talents of friends, my vision has come to life and I’m very proud to share Bakker’s Bites 2nd Birthday Photo Shoot with you, right now!

Keep reading for behind-the-scenes photos, video and food-bios on the team who helped me create these shots…My original concept for the shoot was a Vanity Fair-esque shot, with myself and models wearing a variety of props and glamorous outfits.

The idea evolved into a shot where the models would be animals (wearing animal hats) and I would be the taster (with a giant fork).At first, I thought I’d be able to buy the hats ready-made from Wan Chai Toy Market, or Pottinger Street… but in the end I couldn’t find anything that I liked.

It was a setback, but the ultimate decision to create the hats myself, from scratch, turned out to be the best decision I could have made!

One trip to the Art Supplies Professional store in Mong Kok, and over 5 hours of assembling by hand later, my four animal hats (fish, lobster, cow and chicken) and extra props (lips, giant fork and vegetables) were complete! The day of the photo shoot was a blast! I brought cupcakes, snacks, vino and music to keep everyone entertained, and inbetween shooting we simply had fun!Our team was made up of four models (Janine, Michelle, Leonard and Natalie) as well as one stylist (Raven Tao) and of course, a photographer (Earl Wan).The shooting location was the studio of a local Hong Kong painter (Simon Birch), who kindly let us use his space, which was perfect for the concept!Before signing out, I’d like to introduce the AMAZING and team (and friends), who I couldn’t have done this without… Thank you all so much!

Earl Wan
Photographer
www.earlwan.com

Q: Your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Right now, I’m dying for a Shepherd’s Pie.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Olive Oil.

Q: One funny food fact that you know?
A: Apparently sweet potatoes’ nutritional value is 20x higher than your average veg. Also, it makes you fart a lot.

Raven Tao
Stylist – using items from Pearls & Arsenic
www.raventao.com
www.pearlsandarsenic.com

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Wasabi!!!!!!!!!!!

Q: Your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Poached salmon on a bed of baby spinach, covered in golden caviar and followed by Amadei Chuao chocolate.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Butter. As much as possible please!

Natalie
Model – Lobster

Q: Favourite restaurant in HK?
A: A toss up between Liberty Private Works (French private kitchen) and Yard Bird.

Q: Favourite cooking style?
A: Baked. Logistically very easy, and everything that is baked is scrumptious. Pizza brownies, etc.

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Cinnamon.

Janine
Model – Cow

Q: One funny food fact that you know?
A: Tomato is a fruit.

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be? 
A: Red Wine. For starters: freshly baked warm bread with butter and home-made strawberry jam, and a cheese/cold cuts platter. Main course: spinach ravioli in cream sauce and the biggest, juiciest steak you can find, smothered in garlic. Dessert: malva pudding with custard and vanilla ice cream.

Q: Butter or olive oil?
A: Butter.

Michelle
Model – Chicken

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Gluten (but only because I’m intolerant)

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Everything with gluten… haha!

Q: One funny food fact you know?
A: Ginger is a great digetsive aid, painkiller and anti-inflammatory that can also prevent motion-sickness.

Leonard
Model – Fish

Q: Favourite style of cooking?
A: So hard to choose but I’d have to say oven-roasted.

Q: Last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: One made with love.

Q: Ingredient you hate the most?
A: Capsicum – used in Sichuan dishes – can’t stand them! Or black pepper.

 

The final pics have been used to update the banner on www.bakkersbites.com as well as my blog’s official facebook page and twitter – every year will have a new look!

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this foodie fashion shoot. Thank you for reading my blog for these two years, and I hope you keep coming back to ‘BBITE’ into more 🙂

Please check out the MAKING-OF video here:

x Bakker

BBITES in Indonesia…

This holiday season, I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to travel to Singapore to see family, as well as Indonesia with friends, and Korea for work!

So BBITES is back with some more overseas posts before returning to Hong Kong after over a month!

Part 1: Indonesia

Warung is the Indonesian word for a street food vendor.  Wow, have I ever had such inexpensive and delicious food!  For example, 10 HKD can buy you a hearty bowl of fried rice or noodles, a big dessert pancake extraordinare, or a spicy goodie-filled salad (more on all of these later…).

For a bule (foreigner) like me, the experience of eating at warungs was irresistible!  Cooked right in front of you after your order is placed with the chef, you get to enjoy a hot and spicy set meal alongside talkative and friendly locals.  Warung stands are almost always alongside roads bustling with crowds of people, rushing cars and motorbikes.

Every savory meal is served with chips (predominantly prawn flavoured “kerupuk”, as well as pickled vegetables and cucumber to offset the chili (sambal)).

(image from google)

There is simply nothing like this in Hong Kong: the chef’s station is a kitchen on wheels (literally!) which they pull to their workspot each day from home.  On the glass windows of every warung you can read the menu items, sometimes painted very elegantly and usually in combinations of red and yellow.  You can also find warungs without wheels, in buildings and shop-houses.

Other warung delights included…

Martabak Manis (sweet Indonesian pancake):

This is every dieter’s worst nightmare and ultimate fantasy – it’s a super oily fried pancake.  We ordered ours with chocolate and cheese (a strange yet delightful combination).

I watched in awe as the chef prepared our martabak… first he slathered on a thick layer of butter.  Next, obscene amounts of processed cheese, chocolate sprinkles, and condensed milk were poured all over it.  He then cut the pancake up into bite-size sandwich pieces and proceeded to add all of the above ON TOP of the remaining bare bread/pancake.

WOW!  Oh it tasted so good… and I could hardly believe it when my companion and I had managed to finish all of it!! Every bite is an oozing mush of pure fat and sugar… yummy!

Gado Gado (salad served with peanut dressing):

Before leaving the capital city, Jakarta, to make a side trip to Bandung by train, we were looking for food at Gambir, the main train station.  Nearly all of the food options in the station itself were either local or foreign chains or Western-style restaurants.  Having been entranced by warungs in the preceding days, a chain restaurant didn’t seem too appealing.

Luckily for us, there was a food hall just outside the station in the carpark area which housed local warungs.  It was definitely the right choice!  I got to enjoy a pretty spicy Gado Gado, which is unlike most I’ve tried before that had little or no chili.  Doesn’t that hard-boiled egg look delicious?  It was… (see video)

The final food experience I want to share is a local delicacy just outside of Bandung, in a small town called Lembang.  Some of you may be a bit horrified, but the local delicacy I’m talking about is sate kelinci.  What is sate?  Sate is a style of cooking meat on a skewer by grilling it to a smokey finish.  It’s then served with a special peanut sauce.  I’ve been a fan of sate ever since I can remember, but this was my first time trying sate kelinci.

Now, what is kelinci?  You probably know by now from the photos – it’s rabbit!  I’m no stranger to eating rabbit, as it is quite popular in France, where my family used to live… but what makes some people feel a bit guilty is that there are dozens of rabbit stalls all along the winding roads leading up to Lembang, reminding you of what you’re about to put in your mouth.

Out front are super cute baby rabbits, but in the cages behind are the biggest rabbits I’ve ever seen!  Quite monster-like… I’m assuming those are the ones that are ready for eating.

Anyway, enough about the rabbits alive, let me share with you how they tasted in the afterlife (hehehe, am I evil?).  It was the culinary highlight of my trip!  With a juicy and tender texture, it was reminiscent of beef that’s been cooked a little bit rare, which I love.  For the other x-factor, you’ll have to find out for yourself one day because it does have a unique flavor that you can’t find in other meats…

In fact, all the experiences I had with the Indonesian people made it a unique trip for me: the level of hospitality, generosity and goodwill I was shown there by helpful (and seriously fun!) strangers really opened my eyes and humbled me.  If not for the amazing food that is virtually everywhere, Indonesia is a place to visit for the Indonesians themselves…

Bakker x

p.s. Part 2: Korea coming soon!

Never Have I Ever… Had A Taste of Taipei

A screenshot of Bakker at work.....

After much procrastination, here is my TAIPEI trip video!!!!  It’s got some epic moments… and you can watch it in HD on youtube :).

Hopefully this might encourage some of you to put Taipei closer to the top of your must-visit list.

In the meantime I’ll be working on my next post, which you can expect this weekend!

Bakker x

Tasty Times in Taipei

Taipei was so great… I could blog for much longer than this – but I’m going to refrain because there were simply too many good moments (food and non-food related) to go through.  So, finally… here are some of the highlights from my Taipei trip!

Day 1: Hong Kong -> Taipei

Leaving Hong Kong on a Saturday morning after a night out calls for comfortable clothes, dark sunglasses and something to nibble on.  My latest obsession are these grotesquely sugar-coated Ribena gummies in mixed fruit flavour.

After arriving in Taipei my friend and I stopped by Yuan Ze University on the way to the city.  The afternoon had warmed up the weather and walking around the campus was a real pleasure.  It was quite empty, as it was the weekend, so I felt very zen as I strolled the grounds: lush with completely intact grass, modern artwork and architecture.

You can tell that the students really respect the campus, which is something you don’t always see.

That evening, craving a delicious first meal in Taipei, we only made it 5 minutes down the street of our hotel because any longer and our hunger might have taken over completely!!  Having said that, it’s not like we were forced into choosing a bad option.  On the contrary, the street was bustling with many different restaurants.  All were opened out to the pavements on the sides of the road as people ate outdoors talking and laughing loudly over the overall chatter.

It became clear to me that these kinds of eateries attracted families, their friends and people who wanted to get together, eat a hearty meal, drink a fair bit and share good times.  I also learned about Taiwan’s somewhat D.I.Y. culture: customers are accustomed to standing up to walk over to the rice station to grab a bowl or rice; or the fridge for a beer, and then getting billed at the end of the meal.

In our restaurant, however, there were four or five Tsingtao beer girls dressed in adorable blue and white sailor inspired Tsingtao uniforms.  Their job, as far as I observed, is to encourage customers to drink a Tsingtao beer by serving them and saving a tired soul a trip to the beer fridge :).  It’s a great concept!  And we certainly enjoyed chatting with our friendly beer girl, who shared tourist tips and recommendations with us.  After ordering we were served with a plate of Edamame Beans!  This was the first sign of Japanese influence that I encountered in Taiwan.  But, by no means did the Taiwanese fail to add their own twist…

I really lost control eating these… they were delicious.  In the top photo ^ you can get a sense of the marinade it was in.  Sesame oil, ground pepper and star of anis all contributed to the always wonderful experience of popping the little beans into your mouth.

What enjoyment I had nibbling on the appetisers increased tenfold with the first dish: Fried Clams.

Wow…. I really wish I could go back and relive that dish again.  Of course, this is only suitable for those seafood fans out there… but honestly, I think these clams could convince almost anyone to start eating shellfish.  Cooked and served with coriander, chili and strips of ginger in a soy-based sauce, it was honest, real food at its best.

Next came our Frog dish, which was a little too salty for my liking but still saved to a certain extent by the great flavour and garnishes that supported it.  Fried to that point where the sauce seeps in and it gets soft/crispy, the onions and greens kind of stole the show for me.  In any case it’s definitely a fun dish to trick your anti-Frog eating friends into eating as it is quite impossible to tell what kind of mystery meat is on the menu with the naked eye.

Day 2: Arcades, Gaming, Bowling and more…

Day 2 was spent wandering the city’s popular shopping districts and checking out some local gaming arcades and internet cafes.  Hong Kong pales in comparison when it comes to the kind of cyber-geek fantasy land that you can find in Taipei…  I was lucky enough to have a great friend, Jon, to show me around with his cousin Colin.

Cuteness overload...

That night we celebrated Jon’s girl cousin’s 23rd birthday at Strike, a club in Taipei.  I’m starting to think that there are many things Taipei does better than Hong Kong cuz get this, Strike was a full-scale club with bar, dance floor, VIP, pool table, darts, SHARK TANK, and FOUR bowling alleys.  Not to mention, about a dozen toilet cubicles in the lady’s room which were extremely clean and well lit – that really astounded me, clubs usually never give a crap about how many women are dying in a queue of drunk chicks in line to use a single toilet.  Club from convenience and amenities heaven, one might say.

We had a blast and enjoyed some very fried and very MSG bar snacks to accompany a night of hearty drinking.

Day 3: Day turns into night at… SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

Speaking of MSG, our next high dosage came around 24 hours later at the Shilin Night Market. As I head out into the crowds with two almost-local Taiwanese (Jon and Colin both live in Taiwan and speak Mandarin but come from abroad) and another fellow tourist, the wafts of sweet… then totally nasty… then fried… then sweet again smells washed over all of us.  It was very confusing to all senses and therefore a total thrill.  Food everywhere.  Shops everywhere… well you could say I could’t have chosen a better place to hang out!

Just moments after we arrived I turned around to find Colin, a pretty badass looking dude, standing very seriously and completely unphased… holding a skewer of caramelised strawberries that he just bought from a nearby stand.  I asked him to pose for a portrait straight after, trying to suppress my smile.

Other nighttime treats included deep fried breaded chicken topped with sinfully good MSG, tortilla-esque wraps filled with chunks of chicken or beef in different sauces, little sweet dough puffs and slightly sour mandarin juice (you can actually choose between that and a sweeter variation at the stall! Awesome…).

One thing that must be said about fried food in Taiwan: it’s perfect.  They really know how to cook it so that the outside is very cripsy, the breadcrumbs not too intense, and the meat inside is not only tender, but still juicy despite being nuked in a tub of searing hot oil.

Jon... a.k.a. mixed Elvis agrees with us about fried food.

The rest of that night, and the trip in general, was walking the streets, checking out local places, old-school karaoke bars, having fun, partying and getting to see Taipei the way I’m guessing most young people like me do. 🙂

If you're a fan of inexpensive hats... Taipei is your mecca.

Sad to leave but happy with the decision I’ve made to return to Taipei this summer for two months or so, I really am happy for my spur-of-the-moment choice to join my friend on his 4 day trip to Taipei.  This summer I plan to work and get my Mandarin up to a better standard in Taipei so… the adventures aren’t over yet!  But for the next few months, don’t worry – you can expect a lot more Hong Kong bites to be headed your way because HK will always be home.

Bakker x

An Apple a Day…

Taiwan was an incredible trip and I’m currently preparing quite a long post (plus video!) of my trip there.  There’s some fun food coming up, believe me.  I was totally smitten with Taipei by the time I left… with plans to spend the summer there working and studying.

I’m sorry for the lack of Bites recently and so, to ease my guilt at needing a few more days to finalise the Taipei blog, here are some new modeling photos disguised as a post from today’s Apple Daily newspaper in HK. :

Bakker x

 

Time Out… TAIPEI !!

Hey all!!  I’m going on an impromptu trip to Taipei for the first time tomorrow!  I’ll be there for a few days to go see some good friends, sightsee, practice my Chinese (**hear that, Mum?**) and of course… EAT!!!!!!  I’ve heard so much about Taiwanese food but the best pre-flight hearsay has got to be from my Dad:

I plan on posting once while I’m there – so check back in a couple of days or so 🙂

Bakker x

Brunchin’ for Luncheon

This Sunday was a particularly lazy one and so when some friends asked if I wanted to join them to visit the Brunch Club, I immediately said “yes!”.  There is great appeal in this café’s name, as if you will find other like-minded hungry people there.  It was pretty crowded when we arrived, and we had to wait a few minutes to get a table in the inner open-air courtyard… and I thought we were being original by wanting brunch on a Sunday ;).  Bear in mind, though, that we had a dog with us and needed a bigger table, otherwise we might have been able to squeeze in somewhere as soon as we arrived.

Upon entering the café, I noticed a lady drinking something so good that she seemed to be hardly listening to her companion’s story.  Finding it on the menu was easy and so, I proceeded to order a hot chocolate with marshmallows, cinnamon and cream.

Overall I really enjoyed this drink.  The toppings melted into an unbelievably delicious sludge as the heat from the hot chocolate slowly melted the marshmallows nestling at the top.  Speaking of heat, however, my only complaint would be that the hot chocolate wasn’t quite hot enough and quite chocolate-y enough.  According to the menu they prepare the hot chocolate the traditional, authentic way but methinks they need to amp up the amount of chocolate to make this  really worth dying for.

Soon after I started getting serious about my hot chocolate, my smoked salmon and parmesan cheese omelette arrived.  It looked good on the outside, but just to be sure I cut it in half to check it out: the mark of a good omelette is by its cross-section.  With parmesan cheese oozing out and hearty chunks of smoked salmon beautifully lodged in a well-balanced (and seasoned) cooked vs. uncooked egg encasing, I was more than happy with my lunch.  The strong salty smoked flavour of the salmon balanced out the rest of the omelette thus eliminating the need for additional salt: always a good thing.

Dishes consumed by my friends included a bruschetta platter and eggs benedict.  Equally yummy and above all, very fresh.

All in all, a very nice place to chill out, eat and enjoy the company of friends.  Brunch Club also boasts an entire wall filled with every  magazine and newspaper you can think of, usually in mint condition and free to read for the duration of your time there.

Pricing is similar to Café O (a HK chain with similar menu) but the quality, and the atmosphere of Brunch Club is superior by leaps and bounds.  Considering it is just off of Caine Road (there is a Café O on Caine Rd as well), I will definitely be coming back soon.  My only regret is that I waited this long to check it out.

Bakker x

The Store Wars

My brother just shared this with me: a vegetable and fruit adaptation of the legendary Star Wars saga.  This video is a mix of disturbing and hilarious, especially if you’re a Sci-Fi fan.  Check it out… the next Bakker’s Bites post is brewing 🙂

A Nostalgic Nibble

Camouflaged in the kaleidoscopic sea of snacks at my next-door Circle K store, Jack n’ Jill’s DEWBERRY cookie snack waits patiently to be noticed.  Under the oppression of the more popular (and ubiquitously advertised) Twixes, Mars Bars and Oreos of the world, it doesn’t seem particularly alluring in its small and old-fashioned packaging.  I probably would never have tried it, had it not been for its unbelievably low price tag at HK$2.3.

I’ve always been hesitant about things that appear “too good to be true”.  When I first moved to Asia it took me a while to become accustomed to the lower price of everything nice.  Slowly, over the course of my time in HK, I’ve found that there just are some things here that are cheap and totally amazing at the same time – without any catches.

This treat, described as a “Sandwich Cookie” on the wrapper (non-dessert words describing dessert foods is almost always a good thing), took me down memory lane all the way back to my time in England as a young girl.  Memories of fine teas, delicious biscuits, cakes, scones and more during afternoon tea on plush couches using delicate silverware.  Whether it was a blissful retreat to a London hotel for High Tea from the hustle and bustle of High Street after a day of sightseeing, or in a loving neighbour’s sitting room, I’ve always felt that afternoon tea represents some of the best things about British charm.

And an unassuming cookie can give me all that in one bite?  Yes 🙂  And, although it may not hold the same memories for other people, what can certainly be enjoyed by its fans and hopefully some of you readers who go out to try it, is the following:

Three delicious tiers of flavour.  The first is its relatively high-standard “melts-away” butter cookie encasing.  The second is a layer of smooth vanilla flavoured cream.  And last, but not least, is the dollop of jam at the centre (either strawberry or blueberry – hard for me to decide my favorite).  The jam, sprinkled with sugar, has a perfect stickiness that doesn’t get stuck to your teeth and dissolves at a perfect pace in sync with the first two layers of cookie and cream.

Each pack contains four poker chip-sized cookies at a mere 185 calories, thus making it any calorie-conscious person’s ideal pick-me-up.  I can only speculate that its inclusion in Circle K’s lineup hails from HK’s colonial past and its association, in my mind, with the British tea time ritual.  Or maybe just because it’s yummy.

I heard from a friend that, once upon a time, the courts in the UK heard a case whose verdict depended on whether or not the plaintiff’s product should have been classified as a cake or a cookie.  But don’t be alarmed, no law enforcement will come knocking down your door as you sink your teeth into this delectable delight.

Bakker x