The Nitty Gritty - with Michelle Crawford
I clearly remember the day, while at a gathering at our local cider house, a woman nervously sidled up to me.
"Excuse me" she said breathlessly, "Are you Michelle Crawford?" Ummmmm....no.
Michelle is a powerhouse of the Tasmanian food scene. Her styling work is stunning and she has garnered a legion of fans while working with some of the best names in the business.
I'm so happy that she could squeeze a few moments out of her crazy schedule to get nitty and gritty with me.
Tell us a little about yourself and your work.
Based in the Huon Valley, I live in a little weatherboard farmhouse with my husband Leo, two children and a messy garden. I have a varied career (as in lots of side hustles) that revolves around food, from catering, cooking, writing about food, recipe development, styling food for photoshoots and sometimes photographing food too. I love to cook with the seasons and sit down with family and friends around the table.
How did you get started?
I have a creative background, I worked in Sydney doing event styling and special events and moved to Tasmania in 2004 to pursue a career in food. I did some fundamental chef training at TAFE then started a cake business while juggling small children, working weekends at markets in Hobart. Meanwhile I was blogging about our life in the Tasmanian countryside at Hugo And Elsa and started to photograph images for that and to promote for my cake business. A big fan of my cakes was Matthew Evans, who one day asked me to help out at a photoshoot for SBS Feast Magazine, and we ended up working together on his monthly column for about six years along with lots of cookbooks and on his television show.
What equipment do you work with?
Everything from a sharp knife, an offset spatula, macbook, canon and a large jar of Maldon sea salt
Describe your style.
That’s a really hard question that I’m not sure how to answer, and really it depends on the brief that the client wants. Sometimes I like white bright minimalist and sometimes dark and moody, but when styling food, I’m motivated by telling a story, capturing a magic light and making things look delicious, that’s the number one priority.
Who do you admire?
So many people, it’s a constant revolving door of crushes, but I always love Luisa Brimble, for her enthusiasm, generosity and all-round brilliance, Megan Morton a delightful ground breaker, Kara Rosenlund because her work is truly Australian and makes me feel all warm and sunny.
What's your dream job?
I have loads! International travel writer, food historian, a cook at Balmoral Palace, an innkeeper at a Georgian mansion, running a cooking school in France. I better get cracking! But as long as I’m cooking, I’m truly happy.
What's your "can't live without" prop, tool or piece of equipment?
Probably my massive marble slab, it just makes everything look good.
Do you have one piece of advice for anyone just starting out?
It’s long, but I love this quote by Ira Glass and I’d tell everyone this who is starting out….
“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
Sweet or Savoury?
Don’t make me choose! Both!
Chocolate or Vanilla?
I have to choose again? Both!
Four favourite instagram accounts?
@luisabrimble – for her generosity
@nikoleherriot always setting the trends
@gentleandhyers_photo I just love the mood of their work
@kristinperers a photographer based in London, super clever
Three songs to listen to while working?
I usually listen to podcasts, I love This American Life, My Open Kitchen and Dispatch to a Friend
What was the last book you bought?
Wild Wales by George Borrows, it’s a travel book written in 1862, I’m curious to read about the food he encountered on his travels.
If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family think you'd done?
Hmm, I did get arrested once at a protest march, so it’s probably going to be at another one, maybe in support of human rights or to stop the cable car….
Can you show us one of your early photos, along with a recent shot that you're really proud of?
First one, a tray of meringues, I guess it’s not too bad in terms of the angle and the content, but hell the light is absolute crap. However, it is circa 2008 so you could say I’ve come a long way!
Hobart photographer Sam Shelley took the second photo, and I styled it and it reminds me that having to be resourceful can often create the best work. We were onsite at a tourist venture, we had to shoot 20 images in four hours, so under the pump. The client asked us take an image of some produce used in the restaurant, except there wasn’t any in the kitchen that was suitable…it had all been prepped, but I spied this plastic bucket of herbs and greens the chef was using, and some unwashed pinkeye potatoes. We cleared the service area from the front of house, that had these black walls, to create a little studio, and as I had my rustic chopping board I pulled together this still life, in about 2 minutes flat. The lighting and feel is just right and the client loved it. Being put under pressure to create something beautiful, and working with a partner who sees things the way you do pulling off what seems impossible is so very rewarding. It’s the best part about my job.
MY CONTACT DEETS
insta: @_michellecrawford
pinterest: hugoandelsa
blog: hugoandelsa.com
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