Thinking Outside the Box with Henry Hargreaves

A native New Zealander and current resident of Brooklyn, New York, Henry Hargreaves is well-known for his food-focused visual projects, like a series recreating the last meals of death row inmates. Hargreaves offers up his expertise for PhotoShelter’s “Professional’s Guide to Food Photography”.

Hargreaves explains in the guide that he doesn’t think of himself as a photographer anymore.

“I’m really more of an artist or a food artist,” he says. “The photo really just documents what I made. I came from more of a traditional photography background, but to me the art is in what I’ve concepted and made.

“The picture documents it so it can be shared with other people afterwards because food is so temporary. It’s a sculpture. I feel that the way photography is moving these days, so many of these pictures could be taken by anyone.”

The guide asks Hargreaves about his thoughts on the future of food photography.

“I think for me the future of this genre is massive. Suddenly the great cameras on the smartphones have allowed everyone to become a photographer, and food has become one of the biggest themes that people are shooting. So suddenly the awareness of food photography is rising and, with it, food art, because content is always going to be the primary thing. Really good content with good pictures is what swims to the top of the surface.”

Some of Hargreaves’ work, in collaboration with his food stylist Caitlin Levin, is on display now at the British Museum of Food, open for three months from 23 October, in an exhibition called Atelier of Flavour.

Original article by Deborah Block, PhotoShelter.com.