PLAT DU JOUR
A food photography blog by David Griffen.
PLAT DU JOUR
(ˈplɑː də ˈʒʊə ,
French pla dy ʒur)
NOUN
the specially prepared or recommended dish of the day on a restaurant’s menu
I take photos of great food. I also make animations. I have been a professional food photographer for 16+ years and am currently based in Newcastle, Australia. I studied Commercial Photography in Adelaide South Australia, and then spent 15 years shooting with some of the best chefs in the UK and Europe. I now run a small food photography studio where I cook food, and create photography and animations. I also head out on location to shoot restaurants and cocktails. In 2015 I was lucky to win the coveted Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year. This blog has been going since 2014, and in 2016 it won Best Photography Blog at the prestigious UK Blog Awards.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to flick through a few posts, I hope you enjoy the articles.
Cheers, David.
CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS
I am a professional food and restaurant photographer, based in Newcastle Australia. After starting a career in hospitality I moved from working in a commercial kitchen to completing a Diploma in Commercial Photography. Before moving back to Australia in 2019 I spent 15 years in the UK working along side some world class chefs, shooting content and cookbooks. My kitchen experience, and understanding and passion for good food has helped me to forge a career as a sought after and awarded restaurant and hospitality photographer.
The Glasshouse at Goonoo Goonoo
The Glasshouse at Goonoo Goonoo Goonoo Goonoo - pronounced Gun-ah g-noo means "running water over rocks in times of drought". It is an oasis of comfort and calm, located on a working cattle station just outside Tamworth, New South Wales, [...]
Hungerford Epic Lunch at Muse
Muse Restaurant - Hungerford Epic Lunch Commission: Muse Restaurant food photography at Hungerford Epic Lunch. I have [...]
The Wood Restaurant at Brokenwood
The Wood Restaurant at Brokenwood Located in Brokenwood Wines’ new exciting cellar door complex [...]
eRemo – A Sanctuary in the Hunter Valley
eRemo - A Sanctuary in the Hunter Valley David Griffen was recently commissioned to [...]
Rick Steins at Bannisters
Rick Stein at Port Stephens David Griffen has relocated to Newcastle Australia from Cornwall [...]
Millbrook Winery
Guy Jeffreys at Millbrook Winery I have shot a whole lot [...]
Voyager Estate
Santiago Fernandez Margaret River has a wonderful vibe – the Colonial Brewery on a [...]
PHOTOGRAPHY
I have been a guest speaker at many food photography events, and presented on the subject of mobile phone food photography and food photography for social media, at venues including The Ontorio Galley Toronto, Taste London, Google London and Terrior Symposium Berlin. Being considered as an expert in my field has meant that I have had the chance to try out some great equipment and experiment with photographic technique; the following articles are about my journey as a photographer.
Newcastle Photography Studio
Newcastle Food Photography Studio I signed the commercial lease on a space in Hamilton to create a Newcastle photography studio just before Covid hit, so when I lost all of my hospitality clients to lockdown it was sink or swim [...]
The Newcastle Cookbook
The Newcastle Cookbook The Newcastle Cookbook will be a high quality hardcover independent publication, showcasing of some of [...]
Instagram Takeover: Watershed Wines
Instagram Takeover: Watershed Wines Dan Gedge is originally from the UK and started his [...]
West Country Cook Book
I take pictures of great food. It’s a privilege that has fed not only an appetite to [...]
RECIPES AND STYLING
I love food almost as much as I love photography. I have been fortunate enough to work on more than a dozen cookbooks, and have experience with both creating and curating recipes. I am currently working on a new cookbook about the food scene in Newcastle Australia.
Paul Ainsworth’s Cornish Scallops with Brown Shrimp Butter
Paul Ainsworth's Cornish Scallops with Brown Shrimp Butter “Whenever I am having scallops at home, this is the simplest and most lovely way of doing them: grilled simply with butter, lemon and seasoning. In this recipe, the brown shrimps and parsley [...]
Baking in the Weber Q
Baking in the Weber Q Baking in the Weber Q - I read somewhere that each item you take [...]
Jack Stein’s Brined Pork Collar with Mushy Peas & Mint
Jack Stein's Brined Pork Collar with Mushy Peas & Mint “During the Age of Sail, Padstow was [...]
Russell Brown’s Set Vanilla Cream with Cider Poached Apple
“This vanilla cream is so versatile. The flavour of the cream or fruit can be changed according [...]
Sam Moody’s Beef & Oyster Pies with Ale
Sam Moody's Beef & Oyster Pies with Ale “Oysters were once a plentiful staple of the Victorian [...]
Paul Ainsworth’s Dexter Rump of Beef with Cornish Blue Cheese Butter
Paul Ainsworth's Dexter Rump of Beef with Cornish Blue Cheese Butter “When I am asked what my [...]
Sam Moody’s Cheddar Cheese Scones with Rhubarb Chutney
Sam Moody's Cheddar Cheese Scones with Rhubarb Chutney “This is the best afternoon snack ever. Try varying [...]
DESTINATIONS
A career in Food Photography has given me the opportunity to travel extensively through the UK and Europe shooting restaurant and food photography. Before settling with the family in Newcastle we completed a 12 month road trip around Australia.
Abalone and Urchin
Day 9 of our 12 month road trip and I am diving for Abalone. I met Rupert Sakora the GM at Bannisters when shooting the food. As a fitness instructor and super healthy dude he has a level of joie de vivre that [...]
Bundeena and Booderee
We decided to go to Bundeena National Park for our first stop as it was a short [...]
Road Trip – Getting Started
As usual we have underestimated just how much work is involved in putting our plans in motion. [...]
Shooting in Kuala Lumpur
Eating on the street corner sat on plastic seats at a plastic table. Washing down rice cooked [...]
Land Rover Experience
Land Rover Experience In preparation for our adventure of a life-time - our Australian Road trip - [...]
Taste for Travel
Taste for Travel Bringing food, travel and wine together with Celebrity Cruises at Taste of London. This [...]
Road Trip Around Australia
Road Trip Around Australia Internationally acclaimed food photographer David Griffen is embarking on a 12 month culinary [...]