Liquids

Liquids

They say “everything flows”—how do you see that as a still-life photographer?
This is a great topic, because while other still lifes are indeed still, the same can’t be said for liquids. Here, dynamics come into play, along with something akin to chance. Take, for example, a fine rum being photographed as it’s poured. No one can precisely predict the path of the stream—it’s different every time. Photography freezes a fraction of a second and gives us an image that we could never see with our own eyes. I find that truly fascinating.
That sounds like a very specialized way of working, doesn’t it?
Yes, just as a food stylist works with food, a liquid stylist works with liquids. It’s a science in its own right. And when it comes to bottles and glasses, the reflections and glare are always a challenge. When liquids flow and splash, high-speed photography is essential. Short flash durations are crucial for freezing the motion sharply. I use photoelectric sensors to control the timing.
Which liquids shoot comes to mind first?
That immediately reminds me of a McFlurry shoot for McCafé, where we had different sauces splashing onto soft-serve ice cream. Months later, we were still finding sauce splatters on the tripods – but who cares? We had a blast.