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Julia’s Kitchen
CASE STUDY #41 Julia’s Kitchen
CAMERA: Hasselblad 503cw LENS: 50mm
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FILM: Fuji RDP
EXPOSURE: f/8 at 1 / 125 second
LIGHTING: medium Plume softbox for main light; two background lights through rice paper screen (one with red gel, one with blue gel)
Assignment I photographed Julia Child at her home in Santa Barbara for the cover ofModern Maturity magazine.
Visual Objective I wanted to capture the famous chef’s flamboyant personality and a simple indication of her vocation.
Posing Although the publication used another image for the cover (showing more of the kitchen), I have always liked this one. She is turned to the camera with her left shoulder dropped, simply paring a garlic clove. Julia put on her charm and was great in front of the camera, striking a different pose in almost every frame.
Story I flew to California, where I met up with an assistant hired via the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) resource list. We packed a rental car and drove to Santa Barbara where Julia greeted us with all her warmth and charm.
The kitchen was the obvious backdrop for the portrait, but it was (ironically) small. So, while we placed our lights, I set up a partition to hide the kitchen mess. I then used my wide-angle lens to capture more of the environment and the six-foot chef.
At the end, Julia invited us to stay for dinner—one of the best on-the-road meals I had ever eaten.
Tips Although travel can be fun, it can also be physically exhausting and costly. In years past, photographers could tip the sky cap $20 and curbside their luggage, avoiding excess baggage charges. Today, having a professional rental house like Calumet ship the equipment to the shoot is a better option and often cheaper than paying for excess baggage—especially if you are traveling solo. Just make sure you clear the extra expense with the client. That said, I never check my cameras; I always carry them on board. That way, if the airline loses my luggage—and they have—I always have my cameras. Worst-case scenario? I shoot natural light.
background light with blue gel background light with red gel
rice paper screen
medium softbox
LIGHTING CASE STUDIES 105
