I started working on this project back in May this year and I received a copy of the book last week. It still feels a bit surreal seeing my photographs in print in an actual cookbook. Here is a little sneak peak into what you can expect to see inside.
I met the author Cecilie through 'Vin med Hjerte', a non-profit organisation that sells South African wine to help provide water in Africa, where I am also the in-house photographer. Cecilie is an office manager by day, with a Bachelor in Science and Engineering, and a foodie and oenophile in her free time. She is also the blogger behind Madentusiasten and it has been a dream of hers to publish a book for 'madnørde' or in English, food nerds, as she calls it.
It was a fun and at times a challenging project. The entire cookbook was shot at Cecilie's home in Vangede. Cecilie would cook and prepare the food and I would set up my gear and check for the best positions for light. Afterwards we would decide together on props and styling and then I would get to work on taking the images. Her knowledge about wine and the flavours and scents that go along with it really impressed me. The talented Anne Skouboe was responsible for the graphic art and she worked with Cecilie on the layout.
When I first met Cecilie at her home, to see if it would be suitable for shooting, I noticed a large wine barrel in the garden housing the gutters. When I mentioned it might be a good prop, Cecilie said her neighbour makes them, and so our first prop was chosen. It ended up taking centre stage as the cover image for the book. The images on the barrel above never made it into the book but they remain some of my favourites from the project.
Cecilie's portraits were taken in the summer. On the day of this shoot it started to bucket down with rain and we ended up seeking shelter in the garden shed. There was a moment where the rain stopped for a second and we ran into the sun-room. We had to wait about an hour before we could continue, needless to say a few glasses of champagne were consumed. In the end the result from the rain and beautiful summer evening light made for beautiful illuminated portraits.
If you love wine and food and always wanted a three course menu to go along with your wine, then perhaps this book is just for you. Next week Tuesday the 22nd of November the book will be launched at BØF in Copenhagen where you can meet the author and have her sign your copy. I hope to see you there.
