Picture perfect

Foodography, a workshop for photographing food with your phone, is being launched by Carmel Winery, Meir Adoni and Dan Perez.

By NERIA BARR
Foodography smartphone tool (photo credit: DAN PEREZ)
Foodography smartphone tool
(photo credit: DAN PEREZ)
The food photo sharing phenomenon is in full swing, with new tools cropping up all the time. And while chefs may complain that the food brought to the table at its peak loses some of its flavor because everyone pauses to photograph it before tucking in, research has shown that the mere act of trying to take the best picture of the food before tasting it enhances the experience and adds to the enjoyment of the diners.
I am sure that someone somewhere in the world must be creating at this very moment an app that will help us take better food photos with our smartphones. But until that happens, the Carmel Winery, together with celebrity chef Meir Adoni and master food photographer Dan Perez, is offering local foodies Foodography – the way to the perfect food photo taken by your smartphone.
Last week, this wonderfully original idea was presented to a group of food writers at a workshop luncheon at Catit in Tel Aviv.
The workshops for the public, which will be held at Catit, will be hosted by Perez, who will provide tips about positioning, composition, focus and color, using lighting tricks and props. The dishes that the food will be served on were designed especially by ceramic artist Adi Nissani, and provide the best setting, for the dishes served, to be photographed.
Adoni, whose food is as attractive as it is innovative and delicious, will present a special meal, accompanied by the best of Carmel wines selected to pair with the dishes on the menu.
All in all, this concept is spot-on with the global trend and is a lot of fun. It’s also a great gift idea (if anyone wonders what I wish for...just saying).
We started our meal with the dish you see in the photograph. It was served in a dark gray plate with a rising backdrop and a slot to place the phone in, which positioned it at the right distance and angle for the best photo.
Perez explained about the light and had us understand where it came from and how to manipulate it using a simple white napkin, paper or aluminum foil. He then explained about tuning the color of the light (from yellow to white) and how that affects the result, about hard and soft light and more.
Another dish was served on a rotating base, which allowed for taking a video of the dish while pouring striking red sauce around it.
Before dessert was served, the white tablecloth was replaced with black paper, providing the perfect background for the light-colored dish and golden yellow wine.
The wines were perfectly paired with Adoni’s creations. As fascinated as we were to hear the explanations, after a while, we put our phones aside and enjoyed the food. 
Upcoming workshops will take place on March 20, April 24 and June 19 at Catit, 57 Nahalat Binyamin Street, Tel Aviv. To register and for more information, go to foodography.co.il or call (03) 510- 7001. The restaurant is not kosher.