I made a cake and I liked it

  Well summer is here and yes, apricots are in season. Everywhere you go big juicy, orange coloured, ripe ones, dark ones, perfect ones and bashed ones. All are good, and plentiful and in a cake, well we just love them. Unlike traditional sponges which can dry out, using apricots keeps the texture sticky and […]

Well summer is here and yes, apricots are in season. Everywhere you go big juicy, orange coloured, ripe ones, dark ones, perfect ones and bashed ones. All are good, and plentiful and in a cake, well we just love them.

Unlike traditional sponges which can dry out, using apricots keeps the texture sticky and moist as they soak through the cake keeping the flavours in. Every year I make this one and every year, we say how good it was and forget to photograph it.

This year I decided to share it and with the summery smells of walnuts, apricots and lavender paired with a delicate rose – a 30C heat outside listening to French music,  it almost felt like Provence.

General election polling day across the UK as voters take to the polling stations.

Photo by Guy Harrop. 08/06/17. General election polling day across the UK 2017. A colourful rural pollling station in a residential house in Somerset, as voters take to the polls in the UK.

In pictures – 25th Trencherman’s Guide launch at Lympstone Manor, Devon

Photo by Guy Harrop. Pic of Trencherman’s guide 25th edition launch at Lympstone Manor, Devon
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I was working with some great chefs this week at the 25th Trencherman’s Guide Launch at Lympstone Manor, top chef Michael Caines new luxury hotel in Devon. Chefs Stephane Delourme of The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, Chris Cleghorn of The Olive Tree in Bath, and Liam Finneganan from The Castle Hotel, Taunton cooked with chef Michael Caines at the launch serving up an exquisite four course lunch. The guide celebrates it’s 25th Year this year and features write-ups on the top restaurants across the South West.  ‘A guide with teeth’ is how Rick Stein describes the guide, which he has been involved with since day one and which only invites restaurants that meet the strict quality criteria demanded. As a food photographer you get to spend quite a lot of time chatting with chefs and a whole load of them in a busy kitchen at once – I just feel lucky to be snapping in that environment. Here is a snapshot of images from the event.

Charity portrait photoshoot with ChemoHero founder Lisa Wallis, Devon.

Here is a set of portrait images I took for a charity magazine shoot for The Inspiring People award 2017. The charity NDADA is a Devon based domestic abuse charity and refuge, my brief was to capture the winners of each category. Pictured is Inspiring Community work winner Lisa Wallis, who created Chemo Hero Boxes of Kindness – […]

Here is a set of portrait images I took for a charity magazine shoot for The Inspiring People award 2017. The charity NDADA is a Devon based domestic abuse charity and refuge, my brief was to capture the winners of each category.

Pictured is Inspiring Community work winner Lisa Wallis, who created Chemo Hero Boxes of Kindness – which contain useful and luxury items that help a patient through their first chemotherapy treatment. Lisa is an amazing woman, after being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in 2014, she wanted to make sure everyone going through chemotherapy was not alone and when she was rediagnosed with cancer in 2015 began developing the boxes with businessman Steve Boden.

We met for the shoot and she asked if I had got her message about cancelling, I hadn’t. She had just been for treatment and felt unwell.

We chatted and her enthusiasm and passion for the boxes was just so amazing, as she explained and showed me what went into every box. The items in the boxes are mainly donated, they contain things from pill boxes, toothbrushes, diaries to cashmere socks and bottled water. These items are then divided into male and female boxes which she delivers to the new chemotherapy Seamoor Unit at North Devon District Hospital. She agreed to do the shoot which was fun as her bubbly character came out and we took a few photos as we chatted and laughed

I met her again recently when I was working for the NHS in the Seamoor unit at North Devon Hospital, again so inspiring as she was being filmed with her boxes. Yesterday she won a national award, being surprised by Piers Morgan and winning a Good Morning Britain award – the Outstanding Achievement Health Star Award for her charity work. Well done Lisa you definitely deserve it.

ChemoHero is currently looking for businesses to sponsor items in its Boxes of Kindness, here is a link to the charity

www.chemohero.org

Int’l food photo award – 3 photos shortlisted 3 votes needed please

Wow, so excited as I have just been shortlisted in the People’s Choice award 2017 in the International competition Pink Lady Food Photographer Of the Year 2017. This year has attracted thousands of entries worldwide and votes close at 12 noon on Wednesday 5th April. The food photographer, film-maker and wine photographer with the most votes each, […]

Wow, so excited as I have just been shortlisted in the People’s Choice award 2017 in the International competition Pink Lady Food Photographer Of the Year 2017.

This year has attracted thousands of entries worldwide and votes close at 12 noon on Wednesday 5th April.

The food photographer, film-maker and wine photographer with the most votes each, along with their guest will be invited to attend the glamorous Champagne Taittinger awards reception at the world-famous Mall Galleries, London, to receive their trophy in April.

With categories ranging from Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture, Food for Celebration (sponsored by Champagne Taittinger), unearthed® Food in Film supported by delicious, Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year, InterContinental London Park Lane Food at the Table, Partridges Food for Sale, there is an incredible range of subject matter and treatment.
I am up for 3 categories.

Please find link here to the voting https://www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com/peoples-choice-pink-lady-food-photographer-year-2017

3.Food For Sale – A desserted takeaway food outlet at Woolacombe, Devon, UK in mid season

Shortlisted for International award and the changing kitchen.

It has been a very busy few weeks with food photography both in the kitchen and on location. I have been up and down the country several times, opened numerous boxes of foodie produce to be photographed in the studio and I have been basically loitering capturing delicious food as it happens in a great variety of kitchens. All very diverse atmospheres and lots of great food with fun chefs along the way. I was also lucky enough to get fed some of the delicious dishes I was photographing, not to mention the wine, cider and bottles of gin and the varieties of chocolates and cured meats arriving in the post. Also I was very lucky to be shortlisted for the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2017 which is so exciting for me as a food photographer. Here are a few images from the last few weeks.

Food Reader awards ceremony in pictures.

Leading foodies from the across the South West gathered on Monday night at the Food Reader Awards 2017, which was held at Fodder restaurant at Yeo Valley HQ in Somerset. The awards which gained nearly 100,000 votes this year celebrate the favourite South West chefs, restaurants, hotels and foodie hot spots across the region. The […]

Food #ReaderAwards South West

Leading foodies from the across the South West gathered on Monday night at the Food Reader Awards 2017, which was held at Fodder restaurant at Yeo Valley HQ in Somerset.

The awards which gained nearly 100,000 votes this year celebrate the favourite South West chefs, restaurants, hotels and foodie hot spots across the region.

The theme for the evening was a ‘wild and wintry’ feast – lots of tweed, hearty sumptuous food, woodland themed awards room, eerie forests and lantern lit corridors greeted guests..

I was covering the ceremony photographing the winners who were announced in between each course and each dish as they came out the kitchen. The wintry supper included Pipers Farm Chicken, baby leek and truffle terrine, Holt Farm sirloin, mushroom ravioli, roast salsify, red wine and thyme liquor, and toffee apple yogurt parfait, with liquid refreshment from Sharp’s Brewery.

Christmas product and food photography into a New Year 2017

I love the Christmas build up, even more so this Christmas gone by. There were lots of fun food and lifestyle photoshoots in time for the Christmas period , parties, wedding photoshoots right up to the big day, and lots of hungry friends and family to feed along the way. It was so much fun, but […]

I love the Christmas build up, even more so this Christmas gone by. There were lots of fun food and lifestyle photoshoots in time for the Christmas period , parties, wedding photoshoots right up to the big day, and lots of hungry friends and family to feed along the way.

It was so much fun, but this year was also so beautiful in another way as we were able to share the special moments and talk about them through the eyes of our little girl, who was the most excited person this year….Dada……Father Kifmus is coming.

2017 back in the office editing recent shoots, beautiful frosty morning smiles in the New Year.

Here are a couple of my images used in the build up to Christmas 2016.

The South West – Our beautiful coast

Living in the South West we are surrounded by the sea and it’s dramatic coastline, it is beautiful. Walking the South West coast path watching the fishermen bringing in the days catch, endless sandy beach trails and dramatic cliffs, chatting with local organic producers and sharing sunset smiles. As a photographer you see everything, and often re-visit it’s magic in pictures. It is not always about photos either, just being there and enjoying those moments recording them in your mind as a memory often makes living here as beautiful.

Food photographer snapshot at the annual Trencherman’s Awards ceremony, UK.

Food photographer snapshot from this year’s fabulous Trencherman’s award evening this week,  held at The Saunton Sands Hotel on the North Devon coast. The awards event included an amazing dinner cooked by last years Trencherman’s award winners and was attended by the top foodies from across the Region. The annual awards recognise the best regional restaurants, […]

Food photographer snapshot from this year’s fabulous Trencherman’s award evening this week,  held at The Saunton Sands Hotel on the North Devon coast.

The awards event included an amazing dinner cooked by last years Trencherman’s award winners and was attended by the top foodies from across the Region.

The annual awards recognise the best regional restaurants, dining pubs and hotels and have been voted for,  by over 10,000 self-professed gourmets who got behind their favourites in two rounds of voting.

I was busy capturing the award winners in between courses, the dishes themselves, the venue, shooting behind the scenes reportage,

and this year made the most of the amazing location managing to persuade the fun chefs to go for a walk on the beach with some surfboards which they did.

 I used several sets of different lighting on the night mainly led and Profoto lights which I just love using all coupled with Nikon bodies.

UK weather Devon weather before and during the storm

Last week I was out and about shooting weather and quite a bit happened in a short space of time. It got hot quick then,  the winds came later in the week bringing waves and stormy seas. Several of my pics appeared in National newspapers and online so I was quite busy in between corporate PR […]

Last week I was out and about shooting weather and quite a bit happened in a short space of time. It got hot quick then,  the winds came later in the week bringing waves and stormy seas.

Several of my pics appeared in National newspapers and online so I was quite busy in between corporate PR and foodie pics.

Sunbathers enjoy the hot sunshine at Wolacombe beach in Devon where temperatures reached high 20’s.

Photo by Guy Harrop. Holidaymakers Joseph (17) and Sarah(11) McLarnon from West Sussex, enjoy the sunshine on the famous Pebbleridge at Westward Ho! in Devon.

Photo by Guy Harrop. Large spring tide cleanup. RNLI lifegeuards Andy Tobin and Mark Mckellar clear large pebbles from the walkway at Pebbleridge in Westward Ho! in Devon as the UK braces itself for the high spring tides at the weekend.

Photo by Guy Harrop. A couple brave the elements to take photos of stormy waves hitting Westward Ho! in Devon at the weekend as storms hit across the UK .

Traditional gig racing in the historic fishing village of Clovelly, Devon

Photo by Guy Harrop. Gig rowers decend on the historical fishing village of Clovelly at the weekend taking part in the 13th gig racing regatta, Devon. The scenic herring fishing village provided a dramatic backdrop as the traditional wooden gigs battled it out in the annual event.

The scenic herring fishing village provided a dramatic backdrop as the rowers readied the traditional wooden gigs for the annual races.

Boris Johnson surprise visit to North Devon today.

Photo by Guy Harrop. 01/07/16. Brexit leave campaigner Boris Johnson who announced he is no longer running for the Tory leadership bid pictured Friday after been ousted from the leadership race by fellow conservative member Mr Gove. Boris was in Devon visiting Chumleigh college when he happily declared the school more open than it was 4 yrs ago.

Charity photoshoot lights up the night

I love working for charities, it is a really rewarding part of my work. This was a really fun shoot I did for the annual Nightwalk for Devon charity The North Devon Hospice. This year 2016, over 1000 ladies took part (men are not allowed) in either a 7-mile or 11-mile walk to raise money for the […]

I love working for charities, it is a really rewarding part of my work. This was a really fun shoot I did for the annual Nightwalk for Devon charity The North Devon Hospice.

This year 2016, over 1000 ladies took part (men are not allowed) in either a 7-mile or 11-mile walk to raise money for the charity. The theme for this year’s event was Let Yourself Glow, with the ladies taking part dressing up in fluorescent fancy dress.

I was contacted to shoot several portraits for the event campaign, so we came up with a concept to highlight the event.

We used a mixture of continuous light and a UV canon, our ladies had fluorescent paint on some of their faces and clothes. The ladies glowed and the images were sent off to the printers.

Devon Food Photographer watching the bread rise.

Kitchens throw up all sorts of surprises. They are usually fast and furious and with kitchen photography it can be more a case of just getting the shot as quickly as possible and ‘as is’. Posing usually means something will burn as every kitchen runs to a clockwork timescale. Food is ordered it is cooked, it is gone, next….. Luckily photographing bread making is slightly slower, the breads need to cool down, the hard bit is making sure chef doesn’t tempt you with too many of his delicious creations! Yep the brioche buns were tasty and at 6am, felt like a good start to the day..

food photographer it’s a hot dog!!!

Lots of my recent food photography work has been out of the studio and into the busy kitchens where the produce has been cooked. This is a recent shot from a set of images I took for a great South West cafe restaurant chain. It is great shooting with high res images, especially when I walked in and saw several 6ft high images on the walls. Pictured below is a crop of the above image from the left hotdog, all low res!!

As the UK votes for Brexit – PM David Cameron to resign.

Brexit? Yes. Voting results finalised by 6am as 51.9% vote to leave EU and 48.1% vote to stay. David Cameron is to resign as PM after the UK voted in yesterday’s referendum to leave the European Union. He will resign by October after voters opted out of the EU. Photo by Guy Harrop. 23/06/16. Pictured is […]

Brexit? Yes. Voting results finalised by 6am as 51.9% vote to leave EU and 48.1% vote to stay. David Cameron is to resign as PM after the UK voted in yesterday’s referendum to leave the European Union. He will resign by October after voters opted out of the EU.

Photo by Guy Harrop. 23/06/16. Pictured is Presiding officer Sharen Gullick, outside rural Shirwell polling station in North Devon yesterday as voting took place across Britain.

Elections EU referendum voting at polling stations in Britain today.

Photo by Guy Harrop. 23/06/16. A stay in voter tries to pursuade passing motorists to swing their vote in Barnstaple, Devon as voting takes place in the EU referendum across Britain today.

Photo by Guy Harrop. 23/06/16. A voter walks by a polling station at a garage polling station in Barnstaple, North Devon as voting takes place in the EU referendum across Britain today.

Dishes served up with a sunshine smile at Yeotown spa, UK

Here is a taster from a recent shoot with the fabulous people at Yeotown Spa in Devon . Their food promotes healthy living, well being and awareness. I was working with one of their chefs and the brief was to produce some eye-catching images incorporating the textures around their environment. The food looked amazing and the colours we had to work with were really vibrant and fun. I find working as creative food photographer so rewarding, I just love the whole process, the styling and textures can really tell a story in a picture.

Devon Food photographer working with delicious organic meats.

Some of the beautiful grass fed cured meats As a food photographer I am lucky that I get to visit some amazing places and work with some lovely people on a regular basis. A lot of the time is spent in fields harvesting, working on farms, in the sea on boats, in restaurants or in […]

Some of the beautiful grass fed cured meats

As a food photographer I am lucky that I get to visit some amazing places and work with some lovely people on a regular basis. A lot of the time is spent in fields harvesting, working on farms, in the sea on boats, in restaurants or in busy kitchens. Being able to be in that whole process is really special and actually seeing where and how the food is, ticks a lot of my mental boxes. I have always been around food, my parents ran a hotel when I was younger, so waking to smells of bread and cakes cooking at 5am was pretty much the norm.

 Now I get to tell people’s food stories in pictures for magazines and PR. The food always looks good and with some lighting and styling, I can show the great produce people are making. Here are a couple of photos from a recent shoot I did for an organic farm using meat from their grass fed cattle.

The Delicious Kernow Trail run – running the beautiful Cornish countryside eating and drinking

Photo by Guy Harrop. Pic of Delicious Kernow Trail run in and around North Cornwall, where runners get to sample the best local food and drink in the Southwest at regular stops along the route.

Photo by Guy Harrop. Pic of Delicious Kernow Trail run in and around North Cornwall, where runners get to sample the best local food and drink in the Southwest at regular stops along the route.

Enjoying some St Austell Brewery ales in Padstow Harbour, Cornwall Photo Guy Harrop