A Journey of Spice

I want my photographs to make you imagine the taste.

Some of my strongest food memories are connected to spices.

Whether it’s been in the kitchen, sitting in a restaurant or walking through a bustling Indian spice market, where the experience is almost overwhelming in the best possible way.

Sacks filled with cinnamon sticks, star anise, dried chillies and cardamom. The intense colours. The textures. The aromas hanging in the air.

You don’t just see the spices. You can smell them and almost taste them.

I remember watching a woman sitting at the side of the street, carefully sorting through black pepper on a wicker tray. Something so simple, yet so full of texture, history and flavour.

And perhaps those experiences have influenced the way I photograph food more than I realised.

I’ve always cooked with lots of spice and flavour. I love food with layers to it, where one flavour leads to another and the aroma is as important as the taste.

So when I photograph food, I don’t want the image to simply show you what’s on the plate. I want it to make you imagine what happens next.

The warmth of the chilli. The fragrance of cardamom. The earthiness of cumin.

The freshness of herbs. The crispness, richness or softness of the food itself.

I want you to look at an image and almost be able to taste it.

Because for me, food photography has never really been about simply showing food.

It is about creating enough sensory cues for the viewer to experience it in their imagination.

Perhaps that is where visual appetite begins.