Neil Danton

Fancy something with your tea/coffee to take the edge off your hunger?

Image created as part of a recent commercial food photography shoot

I’m a fruit myself. Scone preference I mean, not meaning I’m a “fruitcake”, although “some people say”…

How about you? What’s your preference, plain or fruit?

TTFN

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So to kick off the second part of last year’s review I’ll start with something non-human and just as with photographing humans, it’s the focus on the eyes that counts. For July, from a PR photography commission meet Fudge, a 6-week old Tawny owl:

Another PR commission for August but more of an editorial feel to it. If you knew how long it took to match the t-shirt with the background…. It’s Ireland Olympic walker Robbie Heffernan:

For September meet my lovely assistant Claire Sands. Actually that should be “Claire’s hands”. Setting up during a commercial photography shoot at Dungarvan Brewing Company:

October’s choice is editorial food photography and chilli chow main with chicken:

November is editorial PR photography and features an image from a live performance in a Cork record store by The Coronas to launch their new album. While I had them there and signing stuff after the performance I could have bought their CD and got it signed. Far too complicated. I forgot and had to buy it later on iTunes. D’oh! It gets played a lot though

December’s choice is a bit of a cheat (it’s a 2 for 1 offer!) as it’s a combined image of chocolate-chip cookies from a commercial food photography shoot:

That’s it for 2011′s review then. If things go to plan there’ll be some very different images in next year’s review. Don’t be a stranger until then though. Subscribe to email updates below, join me on Twitter or follow on Facebook

Which of the images above would you give a thumbs-up to? Any favourite?

Please let me know in the comments below

TTFN

Ever start something and then get half way through and wish you hadn’t?

I had this “brilliant” idea of picking one image per month from last year to post as a summary of 2011. Oh boy. It turned out to be far harder than I imagined. Some months I really struggled to narrow down the selection to less than three, but with the aid of a brutal slash & burn technique I managed it and I now offer you the following as my choices:

For January I’m starting with an image from an editorial interiors shoot:

The home is a converted church in Co Kerry and this image of part of the kitchen makes the cut purely because I love the colours. It’s also a demonstration of how HDR can be used to create a “proper” image. HDR isn’t just to create landscapes with purple fields and green skies!

February’s image is again editorial for the home supplement of a Sunday newspaper. The main subject is at the piano, but it was my idea of including his daughter and allowing her dance away that allowed me create something I was really pleased with:

My choice for March is a switch to a commercial image and was actually one of the most fun images to create of the whole year and features Margaret Smith of Umnumnum cookery school and the “wok chuck”. First person to ask if it’s done with “photoshop” gets a slap. No it isn’t. It was created as a shot like that:

For April I’ve selected a commercial PR image and it features Diarmaid from Expresso Ads and the huge coffee cup that was included is the Irish version of the tv programme Dragon’s Den;

May was a difficult choice as there were a lot of contenders, however the historic visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland and in particular Cork meant there was only going to be one winner:

Finishing up the first half of 2011 with June’s image which is PR photography again and features a legend of the silver screen, Maureen O’Hara:

That’s it for part 1. Part 2′s images from July to December coming along soon

Now it’s your turn – which of those is your favourite? (none is also a valid comment!). Share your choice in the comments below

TTFN

I guess we are safely far enough into December to bring you this:

I hope that some or all of the above come your way over the festive period, and that they turn out as tasty as those items were, even though shooting them back in October (I think it was) was very strange.

I’m out of here for a while now as is the norm around this time, so I’ll see you sometime in January

I wish you and yours the best for the holiday season. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope that you get whatever it was you wished for on Xmas day and that next year will be happy and healthy for you

TTFN

These meringues shot for a commercial client are the lightest, most melt in the mouth-est I’ve ever tasted

Obviously I meant that I believe them to be the lightest, most melt in the mouth-est. I wouldn’t know *of course*

Commercial food photography – it’s sweet *chuckle*

TTFN

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Few things go as well with coffee as these:

Only one thing makes them taste even better:

What could be better than food photography? Creating food images for a commercial client and then consuming the product, that’s what!!

TTFN

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Images created to launch a new calorie-count menu for health conscious diners at the Clarion Hotel Cork’s Asian Cuisine Restaurant Kudos:

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This angel can not only fly, but can float too:

It’s time once again for the Irish Wheelchair Association’s Angel-pin day and this year we were lucky enough to have the support of gymnast Jillian Kearns who really can fly:

Disclaimer: she can’t really fly. I was only kidding.

It seems that there is a trend developing here where we have the support from kindly sports people. Last year I went for a high-key approach with Cork Footballer & Hurler Eoin Cadogan:

The year before it was very low-key again with Cork Ladies Football player Nollaig Cleary:

A big thank you to Jillian for her support and the “team” of Margaret (Umnumnum) Smith (guest stylist!), Brown Thomas Cork, Thos from IWA (lighting assistant), and Claudia from Cork Face Painting (make-up).

Angel pin-”day” is actually all week, but the main day with volunteers selling the pins on the streets is Friday 11th.

TTFN

To follow on from the recent Bras for Breast Cancer post, the culmination of the appeal was a tug-of-war on Main Street in Skibbereen, with all the donated bras tied to the rope:

When I heard “rope” I expected something about 3/4 metres long. Er, no:

This turned out to be a real community event:

Well done to all the people that took part. I have no idea where they all appeared from:

My favourite image that I made on the day though has to be of this little girl who, it looks like, was told to “hang on to this and don’t let go”. I could see that her face might be framed in that way, but it took a few minutes of waiting, and nearly lying on the ground to get it!:

Well done to everyone who organised and helped with the events, and to the ladies all over Ireland who donated their *ahem* clothing which raised just under €3,000 for the Action Breast Cancer Campaign.

TTFN

I’ve been making quite a lot of images recently for a commercial client and thought I’d share a couple that didn’t make the cut.

Spiced plums for dessert:

There’s nothing wrong with the images I hasten to add! That one didn’t make the cut as it was in reality a lighting check. The Hero image had cream added a few seconds after this image was made. That one appeals to me because of the little tiny dribble of juice running over the lip off the dish. Others I show might not make the cut purely because the client chose a vertical over horizontal or vice-versa, or just chose a different angle from the options given. There is only one image per dish required.

I had planned on today’s blog being the first of the editorial food features I’ve been threatening you with promising you but there is another delay with the publication of same and although I’m slightly less than impressed, and there is no firm reason I need to wait, I’ll hang tough for a little longer.

So these images were made in partnership with my friend and co-conspirator Margaret who some will know as Umnumnum as she runs a boutique cookery school in Cork under that name. I can’t reveal too much more at this stage, but just to say we’ve been piling in the hours on this project for a commercial client and more to come at a later date.

Crab cakes with sweet chilli sauce as a starter:

OK so three as a starter might be a bit filling. I’d accept the challenge at any time though.

Lots more to come over the next few weeks.

TTFN

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