Almost for as long as there has been food, there have been ways of depicting it that seek to bring out its best qualities. One only needs to look at the still life paintings from many centuries ago of artists like Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, to appreciate where today’s food photographer – like Graham Precey of Precey.com (http://www.precey.com) – derives inspiration.

These painters were concerned with so many of the aesthetic aspects that today’s food and drink photographers now use to considerable advantage, including composition and light, as well as allegory, which might be thought to have fallen out of favour. That is not to suggest, however, that today’s food and drink photography does not reflect an interest in meaning, with certain foods remaining synonymous with certain social classes, lifestyles and aspirations.

In a time long before photography, some of the world’s most renowned painters were eager to highlight their technical panache and ability to arrange items, in the depiction of naturally beautiful food. The realism of these portrayals of food mark them out as real predecessors to today’s more commercial photography. Then, as now, so much of the point of such depictions was to make the viewer salivate, and feel that they shared a room with the food.

It is thought that food in art dates back to the ancient Egyptian era, when its representation in tombs reflected a belief in its availability in the afterlife. The Romans, meanwhile, had a penchant for decorative mosaics that flaunted the food of the upper class. However, when food photography finally came into being in the 19th century, it was still life paintings that exerted the greatest influence.

Early 20th century food photography was characterised by experimentation with repetition, diagonals, close-ups and cropping. But by the latter half of the century, food photography had largely become full-blown commercial and advertising photography, used by manufacturers throughout cookbooks and magazines.

In the process, there wasn’t always much respect shown for the most natural appearance of food, the ’60s and ’70s being the era in which one would add shine with a toxic product like glycerine, or perhaps keep morsels rooted to the spot with hairspray, or even simulate the ‘straight from the oven’ look with cigarette smoke. Even better known was the widespread substitution of milk for glue.

Back then, in an era of 4×5 film cameras with long exposures, the lighting techniques used resulted in a consistent, rather than imaginative look. Flash and tungsten were in vogue, and in-focus topshots were favoured over all other formats. It’s a far cry from the present fashion for much more natural, albeit still appetising food photography that reflects the skill of the cook.

Today, Graham Precey of Precey.com (http://www.precey.com) is a leading London food photographer showing the possibilities of this art form in the early 21st century. Contact him at his studio in the capital to learn more about how he can provide the highest standard of photography for your own organisation’s requirements.

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