Glorious Technicolour!

I really love watching films - at home, at the cinema, online. Anywhere really. I'm a member of love film and the updates to my watch list vs how fast I can watch them, means that my rental queue rarely drops below 3 figures :) 

I love lots of things about films, the escapism, the characters, a good story, the emotional ride - but most of all the cinematography. It's one of things that really inspires me. Especially how beautifully crafted the colour palates can be. I really try to take inspiration from my favourites when I am planning a food photography shoot. 

Last night I watched 'Now is Good', which is a real tear jerker starring Dakata Fanning and Jeremy Irvine. Despite the harrowing emotional journey of the storyline, one of the main elements of the film that has really stayed with me is the really beautifully considered colour palate. 

Here are some movie stills and their associated colour spectrum. Feast your eyes on these. You never know, they might pop up as inspiration in one of my food photography shoots.

Canines in Cars and Why Food Photography is King

There are few things in this world that absolutely guarantee to improve my mood - but seeing a dog sticking it's head out of a car window is one of them. SILLY.

If I wasn't such an enthusiastic food photographer, I would probably dedicate my life to pet portraits. But they do say "never work with children or animals", and there is some truth in that. I've done both and have spent a shoot chasing around toddlers, or (unsuccessfully) avoiding a pooch from giving my lens a good slobbery lick.

Food photography is so much more civilised. There's no chasing and certainly no licking. And sometimes you even get to eat your subject matter - which really isn't an option with children or pets. That would be frowned upon.

Look at some great dogs in cars photos here.  (not mine, these are from The Guardian)

This was taken micro-seconds before the lens licking incident.

Now this is what I'm talking about. No chasing, no potential damage to equipment. Just lovely tasty beef ribs! Food photography rocks! 

Create the Space

Any of you who are in the same position will know that working from home is not all pyjamas and endless rounds of tea and biscuits. My living area currently accommodates my lounge, dinning area, office, pin board, equipment storage and prop storage. It feels (and looks) like a nightmare. I desperately want to move out in to external accommodation, but it's just not financially feasible right now.

So in the meantime I am making do with what I've got. It's kind of working. I just have to be right on top of keeping things as tidy as possible (this doesn't come naturally to me) and creating the head space required to knuckle down.

I'm a big fan of meditation and mindfulness. It has so many useful applications. So I'm currently relying on those techniques to get me through these cluttered days. The living area is what it is. I am trying, and every day is a step closer to that dream studio. The studio where the walls are filled with wonderful inspirational things. It's bright and airy and there are a few desks that can be used to layout and arrange images. They'll also be a wall furnished with shelves from floor to ceiling, which will house many wonderful books and all my funky little props. It will come together.

But in the meantime, this is where my head is at: