Shooting Food You Can Taste with Richard Jung

"Salt is like good humour, and nearly everything is better for a pinch of it.". This famous quote by American poet and novelist Louisa May Alcott still rings true. So, when Richard Jung was asked to contribute his photographic expertise to Naomi Duguid's recent book – 'The Miracle of Salt', he did so with excitement and optimism.

"I particularly love projects that require a deep dive into a subject. Salt is an elemental and universal ingredient that we can easily take for granted, but there is profound beauty in its raw forms and in the varied techniques and processes used to transform food."

The book focuses on techniques and processes such as preserving and fermenting as well as a wealth of recipes illustrating how salt is used in every culture worldwide. It is truly an in-depth study and valuable culinary resource for cooks to explore. Reprising his role as a photographer (which paid the bills way before his career as a commercials director) he was excited to pick up his camera and get shooting.

As a real foodie, Richard loves to 'shoot food you can taste' and always brings artisanal cooking into our homes. His Delpeyrat commercial demonstrates this beautifully, where the stunning journey tells the story of the venerable Maison Delpeyrat. 

We are gracefully led to believe we are in the idyllic French countryside, the synonymous home foodie perfection. But, in fact, the commercial was shot in a studio in Lithuania and utilised complex set builds and a blue screen. Richard had 100% control, with the time and space to craft shots in a faux rustic environment whilst working to a demanding production schedule.

No stranger to shooting mouth-watering food in false or natural environments and locations, Richard's career in photography and as a director has seen him shoot for most prominent food brands and supermarkets around and across the world of table-top production. He's worked with Apetina, Patak's, Waitrose, Tesco, and ASDA to name a few, with numerous campaigns shot for them all. Most notably was his back-to-back Christmas work for Waitrose and Tesco, establishing him as one of the best around and securing his transition from photographer to director.

Most recently, he's been shooting for Kikkoman, CVS and HDSF in the states. Always keen to learn new techniques and processes, Richard has delved into the wonderfully versatile world of CG visual effects so that he can create some of his own fun content. Playing with stop-frame animation and mixing shooting techniques such as slo-mo and macro together making his work varied, fun and inspiring. 

The world of food and drink photography is constantly evolving and looking for the next big thing. This keeps Richard excited, motivated and passionate about what he shoots and how he shoots it. He understands the subject matter and appreciates what looks good, feels genuine, appears honest and also achievable for the home chef as this often hits the right note. Beautiful macro food and drink with a touch of ASMR to enhance the visuals is his current obsession, although he's looking forward to getting his fair share of Christmas scripts over the remainder of the summer. Shooting endless turkeys and mince pies during a heatwave always brings a wry smile to his face and ensures the larder is full in December whilst keeping his festive spirit well spritzed.

He's the salt of the earth who just enjoys and is lucky enough to shoot what he loves. So let him add in a touch of humour where he can and perhaps the odd macro pour, dip or splash here and there, and rest assured nearly everything will be better for it.

If you'd like to work with Richard Jung, please get in touch with HunkyDory.

Check out more of Richard's work here.