Great Food Photos: Marta Greber

Late last year, I happened to stumble upon the photo tour of Berlin by Marta Greber on Food & Wine. I was quickly drawn in by her lovely photos and how great it was to remind me of my own trip to Berlin back in 2008. Berlin is an awesome city and I don't know when I'll ever get back to it. So in the meantime, I'll just have to "visit" Berlin through Marta's photos. Though at the moment she's exploring Sydney and her photos are making me consider that it's about time for a trip to Australia.

Q. Can you tell me what you’re trying to capture when you take your food photos? A. I am trying to show how great it is to have a nice meal. Everything counts when you have a meal - not only food, which of course it the most important element, but also a plate, a fork, a piece of linen on a table, nicely served good coffee , a vase with the flowers or a small bowls with extras. We eat first with our eyes, and then we taste the food. Preparing a nice looking meal in the morning can make your day awesome.

Q. What is photography to you? A. It’s my connection to the world. I share my experiences with people and I get a feedback from so many of them. I have made some amazing friendships thanks to my photography and I know that they wouldn’t be possible without it. I share a lot, but I get even more back

Q. How did you get started in photography and how has your relationship with photography evolved from then to now? A. I’ve started to be more aware of photography when I moved to Australia. I took a break from work and had more time for myself (I used to be a lawyer and I was working 24/7). I was wandering around the city and thinking a lot about how I should take a picture to show what I wanted people to see. In Sydney I also fell in love with food, so obviously I started photographing it. This is how it’s started. Since then I have read a lot about photography and have experimented a lot. I have literally been taking pictures every day. So sooner or later I had to get better.

Q. Has living in Berlin changed or shaped your idea/style of photography? I know you're from Poland and has lived in many places so do different places influence your photography at all? A. Berlin has influenced my way of seeing. Each country has something unique about it and I am always trying to find it. Living in different countries has built my curiosity, also I am always trying to discover as many of the new flavours as possible, so I can learn a lot about the place. Berlin has this unique vintage side. One day I went to a flea market and I bought a very old wooden table. After some time it became an integral part of my photography. The problem is that I can’t take it with me when I am traveling, so my style differs wherever in the world I am.

Q. Any food photography heroes? If not any photography heroes? A. There are so many photographers whose pictures I admire that it would take too long to write down their names. But there are two whose work I love and go back to it a lot - Sally Mann and Diane Arbus.

Q. Best meal you had in 2013? A. Cinnamon toast in San Francisco. I know that you didn’t expect something like it for an answer, but this little piece of toast was so good that I spent hours spying on the source of bread they were using. I found it, bought it and recreated it at home. Delicious things are hard to forget.

All photos courtesy of Marta Greber.

Great Food Photos: Meeta Khurana Wolff

Q. What are you trying to capture when you take your food photos? A. I want to capture more than the food. Of course food is the real star in my images but I want to highlight the mood and atmosphere around the food too. Give the viewer the feeling he/she were actually a part of the image and experiencing the food with some of their senses. The tagline for my blog is "experience your sense" and I try to achieve that partly with the images I present. Therefore it is important that I capture texture, color, style, mood and atmosphere so the viewer can really experience their senses.

Q. Can you explain a little about your thought process when you’re getting ready to shoot? A. I begin thinking about the shot while I am cooking or baking the dish. I look at the color and texture of the food or ingredients and think about the atmosphere and mood I would like to translate to my shot. This helps me think about the styling, props and background. While taking the actual shot I always look through the "eye" of the camera to see that what I had envisaged for my shot is really being realized.

Q. You’ve been blogging on “What’s for lunch, Honey?” since 2006! How has it been for you these past 4.5 years? A. What started out as a basic way to digitalized a few family recipes has turned into a passionate hobby. I am freelancing as a writer, photographer and stylist, something I would never have imagined 4 years ago. I am also presenting at conferences and universities on the subject of photography now and really am enjoying this channel immensely. I've learnt so much in the past 4.5 years and the way to where I am today has been the most precious experience. I know my HTML from my CSS, I know about props, styling and backgrounds, I know how to write and develop recipes, I am bolder and more daring in my baking. My blog has evolved me so much and I've seriously enjoyed most of it.

Q. Anything in the past 4.5 years stood out for you as the BEST thing that happened to you because of your blog? A. Many of the things I described above. Of course while I've been doing this thing I love so much I've also been recognized by various media and awards. There have been a lot of great job opportunities that have also come around due to the blog. I cannot say there has been ONE best thing but certainly several over the past 4.5 years. Q. I read the interview you did for Learn Food Photography and Food Styling. In the interview you said that your “styling is unconventional and sometimes break the conventional rules to capture the perfect shot.” Have you always been unconventional or did it evolve over the years? A. I think it's basically due to the fact I've taught myself everything I know about photography and styling that I "dare" to break the rule. I've always think outside of the box and so why not with my styling and photography? I go out of my comfort zone because it's fun to experiment and try new things. I like varying my style and working with different methods and never get stuck in one box. It's not me!

All photos courtesy of Meeta Khurana Wolff from What's For Lunch, Honey?