Mad Props is a series about orphaned objects and the process of photographing them in a new light. Read about the project.
For the first round of images, Big Leo artists Andrew Purcell, Sarah Cave, and Carrie Purcell teamed up to bring a new twist on the tried and true food shoot. See the first entry here.
#2. Seafood
Sarah: This slightly silly 3-tiered serving piece was found folded up on a top shelf. It was all the inspiration we needed and the elements just came together: caviar, whole prawns, and octopus. The functionality was straightforward but had a certain kind of filigree that matched up nicely with a color palette of oyster and ice.
Carrie: Over-the-top seafood was important, but it had to be made up of specifically beautiful shapes that call to mind the sea – whole prawns with every whisker still intact, huge stone crab claws with their rich black tips, silky oysters on crushed ice accompanied by a pink mignonette, and a perfectly twirled octopus tentacle creeping out of the back – just for fun. I really wanted this shot to convey a refreshing ocean feel but still be in keeping with an elegant party.
Andrew: When the pieces of this composition started falling into place, I instantly framed up the shot in my head. I really wanted it to look natural, like it fit in unnoticed at a cocktail party. Nothing too contrasty, nothing too saturated, just natural. Each element needed to have enough hints so that there is a lot going on, but in a very simplistic way. This isn’t your everyday food, but my goal was to make it feel simple and understated – which isn’t always easy with strange props.
