Kayu Manis Restaurant
Kayu Manis Restaurant
Kayu Manis Restaurant
Roti Jala at Wellington Restaurant in New Zealand.
When photographing Roti Jala at Kayu Manis recently I was invited into the kitchen to see the pancake being made. After photographing the final dish, I had the pleasure of eating it. Unfortunately Kayu Manis has now closed so if If you are looking for full flavored Malaysian food in Wellington try Rasa in Cuba St.
Taj Mahal rice_0001
I love photographing food and it is always a pleasure to get involved with Wellington's restaurants and food scene. These images were all photographed on location with minimal props. David Burton's provided reviews and the photos were published in the Dominion Post Wine Guide.
Capri
Foxglove Restaurant
Kayu Manis
Las Margaritas
Dahra Korean Restaurant
Ortega Fish Shack
Queens Sally’s Deli
Red Ginger
Ruth Pretty
Ruth Pretty
Ruth Pretty
Ruth Pretty
Ruth Pretty venison kebabs
Shinobi Sushi
The Larder
Mother and son fishing with whitebait net at waikanae, New Zealand.
Elusive as they are, whitebait always attract controversy. If it isn't about how many whitebait make a good fritter, it's a river-side turf war on the West Coast or environmentalists holding whitebait up as the poster children for polluted rivers. While West Coasters boast of one and three hundred kilo catches, this season half a cup is a good result from a few hours at the Waikanae River.
However the half cup could go toward this recipe from Ruth Pretty, and if you miss out completely there is the mock whitebait recipe in old versions of the Edmonds Cookery Book.
West Coast Whitebait with zucchini ribbons
Shepherd with dog
In Hunterville around Oct/Nov is one of the highlights on New Zealand's event calendar. The day features the Miss Hunterway Competition - "a beauty show for real bitches", a Dog barking sound off and the Shepherds' Shemozzle - a race pitting man and dog against other men and dogs along a fear factor type course (they do one for kids as well). In the past the notorious food stop has included - sheep eyes, pints of cream, bread buns, raw eggs, pints of beer, freshly dug carrots (with dirt), warm coca cola, bulls testicles, and vinegar. The food is expected to be forced down at the food stop as fast as possible by red-faced shepherds having just run/jumped and crawled several kilometers with their ever faithful dogs beside them all the way.
Photographing food at Ortega Fish Shack I was reminded of a portrait I photographed earlier this year. Mark Limacher (owner of Ortega) was asked to provide a portrait to advertise a cooking class he was taking at Ruth Pretty Catering. To keep to the fishy theme of the restaurant Mark and Peter (chef at Ortega) decided to go the extra mile - this was the resulting photo.
Environmental Portrait of chef Mark Limarcher having fun
Events are always places you find food on the move. Recently I was providing photography at an event at the Langham Hotel in Auckland and pointed my camera at food on the move. The results of the photographs are always random using long exposures - maybe 15th or 1/8th of a second and panning the camera while keeping the food in focus. The photographs seem to suit this method as it matches the waiters streaming into the room delivering plates of fine New Zealand food to the awaiting guests.
Food on the move at the Langham Hotel in Auckland
Food on the move at Logan Brown Restaurant
Waiters carrying food at Pinot Noir Conference, an event in Wellington celebrating New Zealand Pinot noir
Asparagus, one of the harbingers of spring, reminds me of the difference between living here in Wellington and in a city like London. Instead of year round supply we get proud announcements at Moore Wilson Fresh proclaiming the first arrivals from Tender Tips in Levin. The photographs here show some of the Tender Tips operation.
Tendertips Asparagus sign in Levin, NZ.
Tentertips asparagus growing in Levin, NZ.
Fresh asparagus being sorted by hand in Levin at Tendertips Asparagus..
Fresh asparagus being sorted by hand in Levin at Tendertips Asparagus.
Freshly picked asparagus being processed in Levin at Tendertip Asparagus.
Freshly picked asparagus being processed in Levin at tendertips Asparagus.
Freshly picked asparagus being processed in Levin at Tendertip Asparagus.
Freshly picked asparagus being processed in Levin at Tendertips Asparagus.
Freshly picked asparagus being processed in Levin at Tendertip Asparagus..
Freshly picked asparagus being exported to Japan by Tendertip Asparagus in Levin
Burnt toast being held up with the word damn cut into it.
A certain teenager in our house oozed creativity but was a reluctant participant in the kitchen. On some occasions the creative spirit rescued food disasters...a few years on a she was the top illustrator when she graduated from Massey University in Wellington. What is the lesson? Let children play with their food.
Multiple awards in the Cuisine cheese awards establish Hohepa as one of New Zealand's preeminent boutique cheese making operations. The staff at Hohepa could not have been more generous with their time while I photographed the cheese making operation in Hawkes Bay. I particularly like the vintage Danbo and the fenugreek flavoured cheese.
Bio dynamic cow
Bio dynamic cattle
Bio dynamic jersey cow
Mother cow licking new born calf
Calf at Hohepa
Milking at Hohepa
Bio dynamic cattle being milked
Milker at Hohepa Cheese
Milk at Hohepa Cheese
Packaging the cheese
Cutting cheese
Cumin flavoured cheese
Cutting mature cheese
Inacio Guimares the Cheese maker at Hohepa
Hohepa cheese
Flag flying at Dwali Festival in Wgtn, New Zealand.
For a slice of India in Wellington you could go to a restaurant but a more authentic experience is the local Diwali Festival held each year in Wellington and Auckland. Although nicknamed the 'festival of lights', for me the undoubted highlight is the food and the frenzy that goes with it.
Food at Dwali Festival in Wellington.
Food at Dwali Festival in Wellington.
Food being served at Dwali Festival in Wellington.
Food being served at Dwali Festival in Wellington.
Dancers at Dwali Festival in Wellington.
Women admiring saris at Dwali Festival, Wellington
Food photography of Minted Summer Pasta and Potatoes by Ruth Pretty.
"Can you eat the food you photograph?" or "what are all the tricks to make the food look so good?" are the two questions I am most often asked about as a food photographer. Surprise registers when I say pretty much the only thing used is a little olive oil .
The only time I can remember a trick is when we put raw new potatoes in a salad, as with cooked potatoes the skins slide off . I would say lighting, fresh ingredients and props are the keys to a strong food photograph however some food photographers try other approaches - check this video out
Portrait of James Gilberd from Photospace holding an expresso.
In Wellington, away from the looky looky crowds, Photospace is one of the places I go for good coffee. James, who has some old Italian built machine (he bought two from trade me - one for spare parts) prides himself on the quality of his brew. If you are a regular visitor to the gallery you probably will have sampled James' offering - if not, take a walk up the marble staircase, contribute koha, look at the art...you might be offered one too.
Organic piglets in barn at Ti Kouka, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
I ran into these little piggies at Ti Kouka, an organic farm in Hawkes Bay. I have been told that less than 1% of pork production in New Zealand is organic. Although this number is unconfirmed I figure these piglets are pretty rare.
Pigs at Ti Kouka organic farm
Organic cow
Portrait of owner of Ti Kouka with his dog
View from Ti Kouka
Organic cows
Organic sheep and lamb
Organic sheep with lambs
Organic sheep and lambs
Organic calfs
Home preserves in student flat, Dunedin, New Zealand
Burning couches, the undy 500 and egg throwing are well known student activities in Dunedin. With this in mind it was surprising to see the home preserves in pride of place when visiting a student flat.
Two buns with George Crosses on them at Rugby World Cup
The buns were photographed in Bristol on a visit and got me thinking of what might appear on New Zealand baking in 2015 - the year of the World Rugby Cup. Perhaps a NZ flag or the corporate colours of the ABs or even a silver fern