It is always a pleasure getting to work with the team from Cook Magazine in Italy. We have been on many trips and photographed many of the world’s best chefs together. However, this time I was commissioned to photograph the team behind the magazine having Christmas dinner. The dinner consisted of a meal that each member of the magazine associated with Christmas.
For this shoot I arrived in Milan late on the Sunday, Monday morning, bright and early, we took over a section of the exclusive Ginori Chinaware store and got to work dressing the Christmas table. A full team of set designers, flower arrangers, hair and makeup and food stylists were there to help create this feast.
Everyone sat down and I started to photograph. I wanted to suggest that they all raised their glasses and said ‘cheers’ - and I got some blank expressions back. I repeated myself a couple of times before I realised that they all thought I was saying ‘cheese’. The look of disappointment, ‘What has this pandemic done to the photographer - reverting to the good old classic cheese phrase?!’ A look of relief came across everyone’s faces when they realised that I was just trying to get everyone to raise their glasses. Glasses were raised and laughter washed over the uncomfortable quiet caused by the one minute confusion.
A large group shot, 6 individual portraits and 6 plates later - I jumped in the taxi and headed for the airport, back to London….
Shot for Cook Magazine, Corriere Della Sera
