Photographer: Jodi Hinds

In the eighth instalment of our Photographer series, we speak with food maestro Jodi Hinds.

How did you start in Photography and decide it was the career for you?

I ventured through the route of it loving photography since I was a child but never really pursuing it as a career until much later.  I’d moved to a new city and took some night classes in A-level photography and then things started to develop from there (no pun intended but, yes, it was back in the day of the gorgeous dark room!)

What kind of photographer would you describe yourself as?

I’m a food photographer – celebrating the incredible artistry and genius of very talented chefs as well as food in all its states from produce to intricate plates. Essentially, I want to make people hungry!

What cameras and equipment do you usually use?

I shoot on a Canon 5Ds with Zeiss lens and PhaseOne IQ3 100mp.

Which subject is your favourite to shoot?

Almost any food or ingredient that I can get close to so that people can see the intricacy, feel the texture and practically taste it.

Which photographers have inspired you most?

I still look through Bob Carlos Clarke’s White Heat and wonder what the modern food scene and photography would be without it – absolutely stunning.

Away from food, Giles Duley completely inspires both by what he’s overcome and the insight his imagery has into the suffering and stories of conflict and war.

Is there a shoot or personal project you’ve been working on recently?

Yes – it’s called The Dish That Made Me and it’s an exploration of the fact that whilst chefs created dishes, dishes in turn create the chef – looking at how dishes give rise to other dishes, produce confidence in a chef’s career.  So, we explore the visuals of the chef making the dish they’ve chosen alongside audio interview of the chef talking through the process and memories around that particular dish.  

The pilot video is here: https://vimeo.com/230739662

The other project I started was playing with smoke and movement – see the video here: https://vimeo.com/215201967

Has your shoot or project been Studio based or out on location?

We’re hoping to roll the Dish That Made Me project by shooting in chef’s home kitchens so as to bring the most out of the story and allow filming and audio recording to be unaffected by a working kitchen.

The movement & smoke shoot is based in a studio.

Can you tell us some of the locations you have shot across the world, what was your favourite and why?

My first exploration into food photography started in Italy – I had started working with an Italian restaurant who strived to source authentic Italian produce where I began photographing their book.  Countless trips there have made me fall in love with a place who’s versions of a dish differ within a 10 mile radius.  They consistently look to farm and sustain their land with local produce & wine. A culture where you routinely have 5 course meals and feast on good conversation, slower pace of life and stunning food. Nothing quite beats Italy for me!

Although, I had a trip to Laos a few years back where I shot the rice harvest as well as some incredible food markets in Luang Prabang. Seeing food harvesting at the source on such a vast scale was incredible.   

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Check out Jodi’s work at jodihinds.com