At the beginning of last year I set out to create a book of my personal landscape work. I’ve been working on this body of work for the past 12 years. I’ve always wanted to do a book, so I felt it was time to put something together. When i’m not shooting in the studio - my passion is to travel and shoot landscapes. From the beginning of my photography career I’ve always shot landscapes as part of my personal work. It’s actually been an integral part of the development of my commercial work.
Looking back on wandering
Last year I got back to wandering with my camera - shooting nothing in particular, just always bringing the camera with me and capturing whatever catches my eye. Often it was light casting a certain tone, transforming a setting or scene i’ve passed many times before. Other times it’s just a feeling or sensation that’s hard to express.
Make Ahead Meals
The new Michael Smith cookbook ‘Make Ahead Meals’ is out now. We shot this book last November here in the studio over 10 days.
The focus this time around is on prepping or cooking ahead to create time-saving recipes.
Here are a few of my favourite shots from the book.
Prop Styling: Madeleine Johari
Food Styling: Noah Witenoff
Autumn Suppers
Here is some new work we shot for Best Health Magazine. I love the summer and never want it to end, but there is something about autumn food. This story is all about cozy fall comfort suppers,
Art Direction: Jackie Shipley
Food Stylist: Ashely Denton
Prop Stylist: Suzanne Campos
Recipes: Alison Kent
Sweet Goodness
Sweet Goodness is the fourth cookbook i’ve shot with powerhouse sisters Patricia Green & Carolyn Hemming. I love working with these girls - they always bring such a fun energy into the studio.
This time around the focus is on gluten-free baking recipes using ingredients such as millet, coconut, sorghum, oats, quinoa and chia seeds to name a few.
Here are some of my favourite shots and recipes from the shoot.
Food stylist: Noah Witenoff
Prop stylist: Madeleine Johari
Kauai
A tribute to my favourite place in the world. Food styling by Matt Kimura Prop styling by Madeleine Johari
Death By Chocolate
We all love chocolate, it’s undeniable. So I teamed up with food stylist Matthew Kimura and prop stylist Madeleine Johari to explore the deep dark pleasures of chocolate.Before jumping into the photos, here a few things about chocolate that I bet you didn’t know.
• The blood in Psycho’s famous shower scene was actually chocolate syrup.
• In fact, chocolate was consumed as a liquid, not a solid, for 90% of its history.
• The Aztec emperor Montezuma II drank more than 50 cups of chocolate every day.
• The Aztecs and Mayans Used Cacao Beans as Currency
• The inventor of the chocolate chip cookie sold the idea to Nestle Toll House in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate.
• M&Ms were created in 1941 as a means for soldiers to enjoy chocolate without it melting
• Every second Americans collectively eat 100 pounds of chocolate
• Chocolate magnate Milton Hershey cancelled his reservations for the Titanic due to last minute business matters.
• Eating dark chocolate every day reduces the risk of heart disease by one third.
• A lethal does of chocolate for a human being is about 22lbs.
Photo credits: Food stylist: Matthew Kimura Prop Stylist: Madeleine Johari Post-Production: Matt Gibson
https://vimeo.com/120155547
Maple Syrup
A little while ago, the lovely folks at Kit & Ace dropped off a bottle of Drip Copper Maple Syrup.This is some seriously good stuff. So good it inspired us to do a little shoot celebrating one of our national treasures.
Food Styling by Matthew Kimura
Drip Maple - Copper
Maple butter waffle with caramelized banana
Maple yogurt Panna cotta with French Toast
Maple sugar pie
Pimentos & Piri Piri
Here are some photos I shot for Carla Acevedo’s Pimentos & Piri Piri. This cookbook is your invitation to explore the delicious cuisine of Portugal. I love how this one turned out! Food Stylist: Nicole Young Prop Stylist: Madeleine Johari Post-Production: Matt Gibson
TV Dinner
TV dinner - the unsung hero of my childhood. I have fond memories of coming home to the note: "Dinner's in the freezer." Remove the plastic covering the dessert, poke a few holes over the corn, 4 minutes in the microwave and make your way over to the boob tube.
Charbroiled pork, chopped and formed, in BBQ sauce, with buttery mashed potatoes and corn. Decadent warm brownie for dessert. Enjoy with: Golden Girls (season 2, episode 6) "Big Daddy’s Little Lady" Blanche's dad (David Wayne) arrives with a surprise: he's remarrying. And an even bigger surprise is his fiancée (Sondra Currie).
Delightfully breaded chicken nugget cutlettes, crinkle fries and sweet corn with a moist brownie for dessert. Pairs well with: Three's Company (season 5, episode 22) "Honest Jack Tripper" Jack swears off fibbing for good, but then learns that blatant honesty is not always the best policy.
Southern style fried chicken cutlets with BBQ dipping sauce, creamy mashed potatoes and sweet corn. Serve hot with: Dukes of Hazard (season 5, episode 21) "Daisy’s Shotgun Wedding" Tired of her family's overprotectiveness, Daisy moves in with a friend---and is promptly kidnapped for a wedding with one of the Beaudry clan.
Tender white turkey meat with gravy, dressing, soft mashed potatoes and green beans. Finished with a scrumptious apple-cranberry dessert. Serve with: ALF (season 4, episode 4) "We’re in the Money" Willie's blood pressure rises along with the Dow Jones average when he decides to go along with ALF's stock-market investments.
Hearty salisbury steak, chopped and formed’ with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy and sweet corn finished with an apple-cranberrry dessert. Goes well with: "Summer Slam 1988" Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage face off against André the Giant and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase in a match billed as "The Mega Powers versus the Mega Bucks” with guest referee Jesse ‘the body’ Ventura.