Bring your food to life

Turn everyday vegetables into all sorts of bizarre sculptures

01 Slice and dice

Dissect your food to fit your scene. First, plan what you’d like the vegetable to look like, and then carefully use a small, sharp knife to cut your subject into shape. Adjust in small steps to avoid wasteful errors. We turned our courgette into a green sea monster.

02 Blend in

Find the right surface for your food – either a colour to fit a scenario, or a complementary colour to blend in with the food for a simple shot. Use a simple background, too, to avoid distractions. We’ve extended the blue to the ends of the frame to mimic the distant ocean.

03 Take control

Either shoot by a large window for a good, even spread of light, or, for more control, try using a household lamp to light your scene. We used a lamp with barn doors to direct the light. If you’re using bright tungsten lamps, be sure to set your Nikon’s white balance to tungsten.