Craig

Stelmack

That magic moment when the steam hits the ‘Bourbon Daddy’ cocktail at the Tinamba Hotel.

The brief was to test, cook, style and capture lamb shanks for @avonriverfarmhouse, a meal delivery client. I loved every part of this.

Playing with fire and some gorgeous lamb chops from my local butcher.

A simple dish of smoked trout with broth shot in natural morning light. A pleasure to work directly with Chef Gerard Phelan and the Tinamba Hotel Team. Much gratitude to our Gippsland farmers, providores and fish mongers who make my job easy.

One of the advantages of living in the heart of Gippsland is you’re immersed in a community of fantastic food producers, restauranteurs and innovators. This shot is from a luncheon at the iconic Tinamba hotel and celebrates a collaboration between artisan local honey makers and Gippsland fruit and vegetable growers. Thank you to the Tinamba team for the opportunity to capture this event. As always I am thrilled and humbled to be included in the Foodelia community.

Great to be back in the home studio shooting these products in partnership with @butchergirlalison. A few of my favourite props in this shot including some repurposed barn board from a dairy up the road and an oversized terrazzo tile. Shot on a Canon EOS R (RF50mm F1.8STM, 1/4 sec at f/16, ISO100) with a Godox AD300 fitted with a rectangular soft box.

It was a thrill to work with @butchergirlalison to create a series of images for Black Opal Waygu. Collaboration with outstanding producers and progressive brand ambassadors is one of the great joys of food photography. As always I am so honoured to be part of the Fodelia community.

This shot was one of a series of quick snaps during setup and dressing table for an Italian feast styled dinner. The venues is gorgeous… full of little pockets of light and texture, and the tables were beautifully set and dressed.

This was an impromptu personal project on a day when a client canceled Originally intended to be a black-and-white shot, I fell in love with the different wood colours and textures as well as the light reflected off my wet patio.

Early morning light and the last of the mandarins off my tree. Couldn’t ask for more.
This was an extra shot in a series of black and whites I did using the same props. It ended up being my favourite on the day.

I loved this client shoot… the brief for this noodle salad was bright and fresh for the spring menu. Also a couple of my favourite surface props, including some oversized ceramic tiles and recovered barn boards from an old dairy.

Fresh raspberries in morning light. I love the white on white and how it makes the red pop.
Shot on Canon R: 50mm F1.8 STM ISO100 f/1.8 1/40 sec

Trying to capture magic moments during the hustle of a busy service in a restaurant is a challenge. Variable lighting, bodies in motion everywhere, action all around. A final grate of lemon zest on this dish of wild kangaroo and abalone.
Chef: Rob Turner. Shot on Canon R 50mm F1.8 STM ISO 4000 f/2.5 1/8000

This image is part of a collection of soup shots for a local meals-at-home producer. The brief was 'a cosy winter feel' ... the client was thrilled with the result and to have her product included in the collection.

This image was taken as part of a menu collection for a client's new venue. Shot late on a winter afternoon, we were chasing the natural light from table to table.

This shot was an afterthought of a recipe development shoot for my local speciality mushroom grower. The final shot was a flatly showcasing the product with the recipe for the mushroom cashew tart.

The brief was they wanted rich colours without being dark as so many mushroom shots are. The backdrop I custom made with rough sawn pine, layered first with a matte grey, then arctic white, finally with sage. The whole surface was then scuffed with a wire brush to reveal the various layers.

Natural honeycomb is incredible... its both reflective and textural. It also diffuses light and positively glows when lit from behind. As always, humbled to be able to work with amazing local produce.

The brief for this shoot was to be light & bright and show off the product and branding. The client is a huge fan of entertaining at home and wanted that feeling of being at a family gathering.

After a terrible lack of sunny days this summer this naturally lit photo was all about patience... Patience to wait for the sunny day to (finally) arrive and then patiently waiting for the morning light to be just right.