Paul Williams

The client wanted the simple rustic charm of the cafe's decor to be communicated here and the complexity of this dish's presentation was a great contrast. I wanted to keep very minimal attention on the cheap paper serviette (which I always prefer to replace with a fabric one where allowed by the client), so chose a super narrow depth of field to keep the attention on the dish itself. The DOF is what makes this shot, exaggerates sharpness, and holds the viewer's attention on the pancake here, edible flowers, berries, and syrup while letting the rest fall-away to a blur...

This succulent cut was shot in-studio, using no natural light - just Bowens 500W monoblocks + studio tricks! The aim was to recreate a distinctly Australian outdoor quality of light, which was done by firing my key light through a custom-made flag on which I'd stenciled-out the silhouette of a gumtree canopy. It was a lot of work, but the client took some great images to market themselves with to Europe in the months following the shoot, where they won the accolade of 'The best beef in the world'!

Perspectives can be tricky to manage with food photography. For me, one of the most important elements in this shot is actually the chunky rustic cutlery, which gives a real sense of scale to this MONSTER steak! This was a last-minute addition to the styling. I also selected smaller dishes to surround the meat hero, so as to not dwarf it. The backlit rise of torched rosemary smoke provides the final magic.

I love the warmth of this shot, which reminds me of so many happy memories of barbecues with friends. Capturing the medium-rare cross-section of the meat was the biggest challenge for this shot, though bouncing the back-light into a small mirror and back into the cross-section area gave it the clarity we needed.
This succulent cut was shot in-studio, using no natural light - just Bowens 500W monoblocks + studio tricks! The aim was to recreate a distinctly Australian outdoor quality of light, which was done by firing my key light through a custom-made flag on which I'd stenciled-out the silhouette of a gumtree canopy. It was a lot of work, but the client took some great images to market themselves with to Europe in the months following the shoot, where they won the accolade of 'The best beef in the world'!

Food Stylist: Pete May.

Some campaigns don't need to be over-thought. This is a far simpler shot than I'm used to lighting, though it answers the brief well (bright, fresh, healthy morning vibe)! We have a good modeling light giving round form to the coffee cup in the background and highlights are managed well. This is clear to see by the texture captured on even a flat yogurt surface.

Shot for a local pizza chain that wanted their images to tie-in with their uniquely rustic Australian brand identity. I often encourage clients to consider low-key options, which are under-utilized in this market. We've got some really nice shadow-play happening here - particularly with the light spilling onto the deck through the old-school cheese grater that speaks to the 'hand made with pride' philosophy of their business.

Food styling: Pete May.
Pete gets credited right off the bat with this shot because of the PERFECT prop selection! This old wooden tray reminded me of traveling in India - it's exactly the style of the tray that chai would often be carried around on. The product being hero'd here is a flatbread for making fresh, healthy samosas. Yum!

The client requested a highlighting of the smoked rosemary in their marinade and garnish. This is a key flavor profile for their brand, so I back-lit the smoke against a darker background to ensure that the smoke was visible. These are the best ribs on Australia's Gold Coast - and the client was so happy with the work that they insisted I sit after the shoot to enjoy the chef's good work (which is always a happy ending for a skinny man)! ;-)

The brief for this shoot was to recreate (in-studio) the warm, natural outdoor light of an Australian summer. Using a custom-built flag to shoot the key light through, this gave us that beautiful mottled light as though the sun was shining through an overhead tree canopy. Happy client!

Fantastic oysters shot for the best seafood restaurant on Australia's Gold Coast. Very happy with the styling of this shot, utilizing all-natural elements such as scattered ice, salt & lemon, presented on weathered timber. I wanted a narrow depth of field for this shot to isolate the oysters from the tabletop (keeping them as the hero). This effect was exaggerated by raising the oysters up very high on the bucket for that nice narrow focal plane.