Love to photograph what I eat

To me,  being a photojournalist was a dream job come true. I was able to travel around the world, visiting various countries not  only to photograph, but eat as well, so what could have been better.

I got married in 1980, to a women, who's mother instructed her to marry a man who could cook. Bazinga! After leaving the Navy in 1983, I followed her back to Japan, and a few yeas later the Azores and then to Panama, where I learned to cook some of those national dishes. Needless to say, Amy, normally comes home to good meals.

Since the Seattle Post Intelligencer closed down in 2009 and I wasn't assigned anymore food assignments, my love food and photography, eventually led me to combine both loves into one…food photography.

I try to keep photographing food simple, by using four EOS Speedlites, equipped with soft-boxes, snoots and various diffusers either mounted on light stands or sat onto of  various sizes of pots and pans.

Nowadays, I prepare meals with photography in mind. I know, it should be the other way around, but what the hell, it's all about texture, color and design. You can view my PhotoShelter Food gallery@ http://jimbryant.photoshelter.com/gallery/Food/G0000nl.wjhxARms/C0000VAH95fJa6BQ

Sometimes all it takes is one drop of water

While out walking Toshiro, our dog, and looking for photos to take, water drops were falling from the trees onto my head. When I looked up, I suddenly remembered what a former photo instructor asked us in class one day. "How many of you when out taking a walk, look at the ground?" Most of us looked around at one another and raised our hands. He then said, "Next look around at your surroundings and see all the photos you're missing. Take the time to see what direction the light falls and where the shadows are." 

One thing I noticed was not only the dolled water drops falling on my head, but the way the light reflected off  them as they hung like diamonds on the leaves, and branches.

Sometimes all it takes is a simple drop of water to stir something squirreled away in the back of your mind.