The Nitty Gritty - with Naomi Sherman

It was my birthday last week, and since I decided that things should be all about me, I thought I'd do a Nitty Gritty.

That, and people keep saying that I should do one myself.

So naggers, are you guys happy now?

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Naomi Sherman and I'm a food photographer, stylist and recipe developer based in the beautiful Huon Valley, here in Tasmania.

Oh, and I'm recent blogger too, I suppose.

How did you get started?

I took an online photography course after my youngest child left school and I suddenly had a lot of time on my hands.

I thought that I would be a landscape photographer, and still love to do landscape work when I have the time.

During an assignment, I baked some pretty little fruit tarts to photograph for a lesson on backgrounds and loved that photo so much that I made it my cover photo, lol.

I've always loved baking and cooking and used to decorate cakes as a hobby, so I soon found myself creating more and more beautiful food to photograph.

I had a change in lifestyle after a health scare in the family and started cooking and then adapting a lot of paleo, low carb and wholefood type recipes.

One of my posts was seen by a major food blogger who asked if I would be interested in developing recipes for her, and the rest is history.

These days, I work full-time for a number of clients and my work appears on international blogs, and in magazines and books.

What equipment do you shoot with?

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark iii. I use my 24-70mm lens most of the time, with back up depending on the situation from my 100mm or my 50mm.

I shoot only in natural light, using diffusers and shadow boards to create the look that I want.

I will very occasionally shoot tethered to my laptop, but generally prefer to work handheld.

Do you prefer studio work or location shoots?

I prefer to work in my own studio as I have my props collection and all of my tools within reach (not to mention my dogs and loud tunes)

Describe your style.

I will always be a dark and moody girl at heart (my Dad called me Doom and Gloom when I was young, lol) but I had a client offer me a lucrative contract shooting entirely in light and bright style earlier this year and I quite enjoyed the challenge.

I don't think it hurts to be a bit flexible with your style, because you never know what the next contract may be.

Who do you admire?

Donna Hay.

Not for the same reasons as most foodies or food photographers (well yes, for those reasons too)

I admire Donna for bringing the beauty of food and in particular, dark food photography, to the general public.

It's hugely popular now and I truly believe that the stunning photography that is used in her books is the reason why.

What's your dream job?

Anything involving chocolate.

What's your "can't live without" prop, tool or piece of equipment?

My linen napkins and burnt cutlery

Do you have one piece of advice for anyone just starting out?

Practice.

Learn and learn some more and practice constantly.

It's frustrating that your shots don't look like mine, or other food photographers, I get that. But the only way to move forward is to practice.

All the fancy equipment and expensive lenses won't make you a better photographer.

Instead of looking at a photo and thinking "What lens did she use?" think "What did she do to style that so beautifully?" or "How did she get that light to fall so fabulously?"

Use the feeds and images from the big photographers to inspire you, not to intimidate you.

Sweet or Savoury?

Duh, sweet.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Again, duh. Chocolate

Four favourite instagram accounts?

This is my blog, so I can break all of the rules

1:@tohercore

I took one of Dearna's courses to learn how to style my food properly and was shocked to find out that she lives less than an hour from me. We are now firm photog friends and love getting together to play with food and cameras on our days off. I credit her course for giving me the groundwork in styling that I now use every day.

2: @natalie.zee

I am constantly inspired by Natty's beautiful work. She is also one of the most giving and supportive people that I know and I'm so lucky to have formed a firm friendship with her.

3: @thefitfoodieblog

Sally is a powerhouse and full of inspiration. She was one of the first people to really push me to get the f**k out of my comfort zone and still refuses to listen to my excuses today. Our work is polar opposites, which is why I admire her so much.

4: @anisa.sabet

I can spot one of Anisa's shots a mile away. Her use of focus and play of texture always makes me sigh. I only wish that I could pull off red lippy like her too!

5: @naturally_nutritious

Mel is one of the sweetest human beings that I've had the pleasure of communicating with. We've yet to meet in real life, but I'm working on it! #iswearthatimnotastalker

6: @corinnagissemann

One of the first food photographers that I followed and then obsessively stalked. (#maybeiamastalker) Her use of light is masterful and she is super generous with her teachings.

Three songs to listen to while working?

We like to joke that my Spotify playlist should be called Schizophrenic Tunes because it has everything from 80's power ballads to country rock to alternative to folk music, so this is impossible to answer.

I love Sweet Child O Mine, by Guns 'n' Roses and always will. Midnight Blue by Lou Gramm is another fave, and uuuuummmmm...how about Bangarang from Skrillex?

If you'd like to listen along, head to my playlist here.

What was the last cookbook you bought?

Modern Baking by Donna Hay, so that I could sigh over the photos.

If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family think you'd done?

Road rage. No hesitation in that one.

I am a notoriously impatient and aggressive driver. I totally support the fact that everyone should drive to their abilities, but if your abilities involve driving too slow in front of me, feel free to pull over and get the f**k out of my way!

Can you show us one of your early photos, along with a recent shot that you're really proud of?

Oh geez, this is excruciating!

The first shot of a lemon meringue parfait, I actually did for a client (I'm sorry, do you want your money back?) The photo is lovely but SO WARM! It's like one of those wild west sepia look-a-like photos.

The other I took just yesterday and I think that you can really see the learning curve in the colours and tones.