Francesco Tonelli
(1965 - present)
Personal BackgroundBorn in the Marche Region (Northern region) of Italy, and raised in Milan, Francesco is a food photographer who also cooks and styles the majority of the food that he shoots. From an early childhood he had a deep passion for cooking and, by the time he was 14, he was already working in the kitchen with his brother who was a chef. Over the next 20 years, Francesco developed his culinary skills by cooking in Italy, Switzerland and France. And he didn’t just cook. While in Milan, Francesco ran a couple of restaurants, which was noticed by La Cucina Italiana magazine who decide to hire him to develop recipes. Francesco ended up working alongside food photographers for almost eight years while working with the magazine. His interest in photography finally developed and eventually lead him to become one of the most pristine food photographers. Most of the photos he shoots is of his own cooking as well.
StyleTonelli’s style is unique compared to the usual style that most food photographers use. Instead of trying to make a dish appealing in the hopes of convincing someone to purchase it (food advertising) Tonelli’s style takes advantage of his training as a chef. He presents the meal as a total package and does his best to make the photos he takes more than just a visual experience. His experience as a chef has taught him much about the properties of various ingredients and foods and he can make anything look appetizing. He spends a lot of time setting up his shots, blending together a rich range of colors. His lighting style is understated and somewhat muted in order to show the different layers and blended ingredients in his dishes instead of trying to make them shine or glisten. When arranging a dish for photography, he takes the same care in making it look appealing as he would as a chef and he lets the food appear natural with few overt enhancements, bringing out its native richness and depth of color range.
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PhilosophyAfter reaching the top of his field, Tonelli became a photographer in order to share his love of cooking and food preparation with those who might never see the inside of one of his restaurants or sample one of his delicious creations. He combined his two passions and created the ultimate experience for himself and those who view his work. His comfort with food, the cooking process, and the people who create food has endeared him to express his own work and ideas. Francesco was in many ways an unconventional food photographer. His experience as a chef meant he wanted to style his own food (whereas reps expected him to use established food stylists); he catered his own shoots, preparing exquisite lunches for the client and crew (which reps thought was indulgent and would slow down the shoot); and his style was bright, bold, clean and crisp (which was in stark contrast to the popular muted pastel food photography of the time). In short, Francesco was different, and different is often seen as difficult. But Francesco instinctively knew that if he changed anything that made him different, he would be finished.
INFLUENCES
Francesco Tonelli influenced my work by allowing me to take pictures of food without trying to make it “pretty". Food doesn’t have to be pretty to be good. His photographs are raw and fresh, and because of this I applied it to my photos. His photos are creative and new and I really liked how he makes his own food and then photographs it. His independence is really admiring and when taking my own personal photos I tried to apply that concept as well. I find that I’m quite drawn to this type of photography, and I much admire and hope to emulate some of his compositions. When reading a short interview between Tonelli and Seyine Park ( a editor for The Art of Plating article) he said these inspiring words, “Know your subject. Love your subject. Allow your subject to inspire you, rather than impose your pre-conceptual thoughts on it." He inspired me to pay more attention to detail and take a more bold approach to my photography.
SourcesAll photograph sources are located at bottom of page
Compare and Contrast
Francesco Tonelli is a wonderful food photographer that is really hard to compete with. His simple everyday food photographs seem appetizing to almost everyone. I tried really hard copy Tonelli's photos to the exact detail, but I found that I wanted to create my own slight added touch. In all three photos, the subject is the same as Tonelli's, but mine are either positioned or colored differently. I didn't have the same ice cream flavors or the same thin french fries but I did the best I could do under those circumstances. I did try to keep a neutral/ no distractions background so that the focus was mainly on the food.
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Artist Statement
Overall these photos describe a delicious meal. We have the main course (grilled cheese), a side dish (french fries), and lastly dessert (ice cream). These typical at home meals describe actual foods that most people eat. I really loved that I was able to find a photographer like Francesco Tonelli that photographed simple everyday foods rather than foods that no one knows. I was able to take these photos easily without many complications. My favorite photograph to shoot was the grilled cheese. Every time I tried to make my own grilled cheese sandwich, I couldn't get it to be the golden crisp color like in Tonelli's photo. During the weekend, me and my mom actually went to a restaurant and ordered grilled cheese. Thankfully I remembered about the photography project and was able to snap a picture. I was able to reposition the grilled cheese to a way that would show the cheese inside and I used the restaurant's warm homey vibe to create this photo. Overall, I really liked doing the project and positioning the subject. I was able to balance the images and have good overall lighting. I feel very accomplished that I have completed Digital Photography 1 and have learned so much through the experience.
Resources
http://www.francescotonelli.com/FOOD/Burgers-&-Sandwiches/26
http://www.francescotonelli.com/FOOD/Ice-Cream/9
http://www.francescotonelli.com/FOOD/Potatoes-&-Sides/6
http://theartofplating.com/editorial/francesco-tonelli-chef-to-photographer/
https://medium.com/fellow-hq/francesco-tonelli-from-master-chef-to-photographer-df4fc2b2b67#.vvez8ojb3
http://www.francescotonelli.com/FOOD/Ice-Cream/9
http://www.francescotonelli.com/FOOD/Potatoes-&-Sides/6
http://theartofplating.com/editorial/francesco-tonelli-chef-to-photographer/
https://medium.com/fellow-hq/francesco-tonelli-from-master-chef-to-photographer-df4fc2b2b67#.vvez8ojb3