Chocolate Still Life Photography - New Personal Photography Work

I was inspired to shoot chocolate a few weeks ago, maybe it was Easter that was around the corner, or being surrounded by the most luxurious chocolate brands working at Harrods, London.

I wanted to explore a simplistic but conceptual way of photographing still-life: shape light with heavy contrast between light and shadow and compositions influenced by my favourite art movement The Bauhaus.

I wanted the images to feel slightly retro in the use of colour, processing and, the method of shooting, as ‘cut-outs’.

Tony’s Chocolonely, broken in unequal pieces referencing the brands mission to sustainable production.

This Montezuma image shows white and dark chocolate composed like a Bauhaus-poster.

Toblerone, stacked like the mountain in their logo.

Lindt, the backlighting reveals the nutty goodness inside.

Harrods bon bons, made in-house by the team in London.

The process for all shoots art directed by myself, personal or commercial, starts with a moodboard. For personal shoots I keep it very loose compared to commercial shoots. For this project I was inspired by beauty and food still-life photography and my forever guiding design movement Bauhaus.

My Favourite Kit to Use on Still-Life Shoots (With a Still-Life Shoot to Show it)

What do you do when you love your kit and want to experiment with a test shoot? Well, feature that kit in your shoot maybe. That’s what I decided to do after finishing on a food shoot. What is behind the scenes and around your frame is SO important in still life photography. We MAKE images not take them and kit is important - like it or not.

The Manfrotto Super Clamp

Buy here.

I love the mighty Super clamp as it can grip pretty much anything and you can attach it to almost anything. The adventurous photographer will combine two with a spigot in between for further gripping possibilities. Also featured in the image above is a small black scrim by Matthews. I couldn’t find a link right now but it’s great for shading small areas of your image: perfect for detailed work!

The Orange Cable by Tether Tools

Buy here.

Maybe in the 50s you shot still life without being tethered to your computer screen but it’s a must for me. Does the cable have to be ORANGE? It’s up to you my friend, but it’s your risk :).

The A-Clamp

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Where would you be without A-clamps? Well you would be cursing as everything is falling on the floor perhaps, so I do recommend getting yourself some of these.