Food Photographer Stages the Perfect Pizza Shot

It was a bit like being in a hall of mirrors as food photographer Richard White sat back, admiring his shot of an asparagus pizza, eating the very same pizza.

Rich admired the way the natural light brought out the vivid spring green of the asparagus. He liked the rustic home-made quality of the not-too-perfect base; the glimpse of a beer that brought the image home. But mostly he admired the shot because it made him want to eat that pizza. This is what food photography London is about, he thought. It should make you want to eat that food.

As a fan of the bold and full flavours of chefs like Jamie Oliver and others who promote the notion that great tasting food made with fresh ingredients will always be good for you – no matter the pinch of salt, the knob of butter, the splash of olive oil - Rich had keenly observed the pizza’s journey from humble flour, yeast and water. He admired the dough kneading, the colourful array of toppings: May’s best bounty in asparagus, fresh basil for the rich tomato sauce base, the white of crumbled feta, and crispy pancetta that had already got the other food photographers feeling hungry.

He waited for the dough to rise as he checked the lighting, chose crockery with the food stylist, played around with the placement of the cutlery, tossing up between props – salt pot or beer bottle? The beer was chosen to place the image in a context, to evoke the idea of a spring dinner, the warmer evening calling for a fresh beer.

Pizza is notoriously fickly for the camera – it wants shooting straight away, while the cheese is still glistening gold from the heat, the sauce still lustrous. So the set was 100% in place before the star appeared. As soon as the pizza was slid from the scalding baking tray to the plate, food photographer Rich started shooting. The sky outside was dense with the darkest rain clouds but Rich always wanted natural light for this shot. Between the temperamental clouds and the brief window of opportunity to get a good-looking pizza, Rich shot with concentration and speed. Some adjustments to the focus, a few final tweaks of pepper to the plate from the stylist and five minutes later Rich was sliding his chair back from the screen, contentedly wiping sauce from his chin.