Christina

Groth-biswas

Linzer cookies filled with a homemade apricot and vanilla jam. I like taking my food pictures my own way, without (m)any props. This applies to Christmas cookies as well. The black background brings out the bright orange of the jam and the icing sugar adds a bit wintery touch to it.

50 shades of black. I love blackberries, not only are they very healthy but they are also very photogenic.
This picture was an experiment as it is all black. I found it very interesting to show how the different textures, which are all black, came out in the picture.

Close-up of a tray with roasted brussel sprouts, almonds and pancetta. This vegetable isn’t everyone’s favourite so I was trying to portrait it in a way that maybe change at least one persons mind and make them want to try it. I hope I accomplished my mission with this picture.

Levitation picture of a bowl of frozen peas and mint.
Green on black is a personal favourite, I used only one light source to highlight the bright green subject but at the same time trying to blend it into the black background.

When I picked the olives, my first thought was olive oil, how it would taste like when it’s freshly made. I was trying to visualise my thoughts in this picture, to show the context, but also to bring out the freshness and I wanted the viewer to taste the oil by just looking at the picture.

Marmonde tomatoes, perfectly imperfect, all grown in my garden.
My idea to photograph them on dark/black background turned out to be more tricky for post processing than anticipated as the red was way out of gamut but I didn’t want to lose the beautiful colour either.
I used one artificial light source, soft box and a reflector.

Mussels mariniere in warm stout. I have to give credit to Tom Kerridge for this picture as I got the recipe for this amazing dish from his Hand and Flowers cookbook.
Taking the picture was a bit of a challenge though as I work alone and it turned out that handling an espuma gun with one hand while holding a camera remote in the other is not as easy as it may seem ????.

Steak tartare, served with some simple greens on the side. This is one of my favourite dishes using only the freshest ingredients considering it is raw.

Dark chocolate and nuts, sprinkled with rose petals. I decided to use a white background for this picture, not my usual black.
I also did not use any artificial lighting, just window light and a reflector.

Olive oil and mozzarella cheese, this is a beautiful combination. Add some basil leaves to add additional flavour - and colour to the picture - and you have a perfect quick lunch.

Fresh green salad, red tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil and the impression of some early spring sunshine. With this
picture I just wanted to show that healthy food can be simple but doesn’t have to be boring.

Winter truffles have this beautiful black and white marbling. I have chosen the geometric background as a contrast and to guide the viewers eye towards the main subject, the truffle, but without adding too much additional colour noise.

This is a traditional Glencairn whiskey glass. I wanted to portray it in a way that gives the viewer an impression of the Scottish landscape with moss, rocks and some mystic light.

A bowl of cooked mussels on a simple black set up, which I believe enhances the beautiful almost golden colour of the mussels without adding additional distractions.

At least once a year in fall I have to make a pumpkin soup which marks the official end of summer for me. This picture took a bit of preparation as I had to get it right at the first few shots as otherwise, the dish would have been pumpkin seeds with soup rather than a creamy soup with a few bites.

Orange vanilla martini: 2 1/2 oz vodka, 1/2 oz Grand Manier, a dash of vanilla extract and some orange zest. Strong but beautiful.

Trout caviar, backlit, on a bed of rocks. A rather unusual way of serving food but I think it just works, considering trouts live in rocky, cold and fast flowing rivers.

Scotch on the rocks. I was playing with light and smoke here. Since it was a little too early in the day to actually drink it, it wasn’t wasted but used to deglaze a pan while making a delicious cassoulet de canard.

While I was taking some olives out of a jar meant for a drinks shot, I had the idea for this setup. It is a little bit different than my usual, simplicity-focused style but I truly enjoyed shooting it as it was totally improvised. The rocks came from a flower deco, the twigs from a mini olive tree in my garden and the olives ended up as a snack.

Whole sea bass on black. I had some very smelly photo shoots that week with fish that wasn’t as fresh as it appeared initially. This fish however was as fresh as it looks like on the image, no smell. I like the contrast between the silvery fish and the black set-up. The green herbs didn’t only add colour to the picture but also added flavor to the fish when baked in a salt crust eventually.