The Barbican Food
The Barbican Food
A full menu in half a day
A packed morning
We were commissioned by the Barbican to capture the new menu at one of their restaurants, capturing an entire menu in just one morning. We brought an array of different lighting equipment in order to be able to work within the artistic, architectural spaces of the Barbican. Without knowing exactly what we were going to be shooting and where was going to work best we had to cover all bases with the equipment that we brought.
Each dish was prepped to perfection by the culinary team, with attention to garnish and plating. With the Barbican’s unique layout, we could get creative with framing and angles, which led to some stunning compositions that complemented the food’s aesthetic against the concrete textures and rich natural light.
Light Changes
The biggest challenge was adapting to the variety of lighting conditions we encountered across the different locations within the Barbican. We were quickly having to adjust between natural light, soft diffused setups, and more dramatic spot lighting, depending on each dish’s mood and colour palette. The sun was also coming in and out of clouds meaning we opted to use artificial lighting to emulate the sun in most shots. Balancing these lighting setups under the time constraints meant working fast to capture the essence of each plate, from appetisers to desserts, without compromising on quality.
Time pressing on
With so many dishes to get through in such a short space of time we had to ensure that we got into a good pace very quickly. The entire team working on the day were able to start turning around shots within 10 minutes and move onto the next set up. With the kitchen staff working tirelessly to ensure all the dishes looking incredible and stylists on hand to make all of the dishes look their best on camera we were able to get through everything with plenty of food left over at the end to keep everyone happy!
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