A Taste of Food and Drink with Jaxmore Photography

Steve Barnard
Sep 19
2 min read

This month’s session at The Settlement in Letchworth gave us all a real taste of the world of food and drink photography. The evening was led by Adam and Julia from Jaxmore Photography, who brought a fascinating mix of technical know-how, creative tricks, and industry insight.

Setting the Scene

Adam and Julia began by walking us through the camera setup, lighting, and backgrounds that bring food photography to life. They used a softbox paired with a Godox light, alongside a snoot to create hard light that beautifully highlighted details – in this case, the standard chip!

Tricks of the Trade

We were treated to some brilliant behind-the-scenes techniques that professional food photographers use to make dishes camera-ready:

Burger bun shine – painted with glycerine for that glossy, irresistible look.
Chilled bottle effect – created by spraying a mix of glycerine and water.
Perfectly stacked chips – arranged carefully to catch the light just right.
Condiments in action – mayo and ketchup were squirted for effect (and no PVC glue used for mayo!).
Burger brushing – believe it or not, shoe polish was used to create a chargrilled effect!

Lighting and Flash

There was plenty of discussion about flash photography and flash duration, and how light quality can transform even the simplest plate of food into something truly mouth-watering.

Beyond the Plate

Adam and Julia also shared valuable insights into the business side of food photography. Working with clients often means more than just taking photos – it can involve becoming part of the company, understanding the brand, the cutlery, and even the day-to-day operations, all to ensure the images feel authentic.

A Feast for the Eyes

To top it off, we were shown a range of Jaxmore’s past projects – from striking gin bottle shots and perfectly styled sausages to creative Halloween-themed images. The quality and imagination behind their work left us all inspired.

Final Thoughts

It was a truly engaging, informative, and thoroughly enjoyable session. Adam and Julia gave us a fantastic glimpse into the artistry, tricks and insights of food and drink photography. We left feeling inspired, eager to try new ideas and, for me anyway, really hungry! This was a great demonstration and would highly recommend Adam and Julia to any Camera Club, wishing to look further into this genre of photography.

Thank you!