For a man who has photographed the food of some of the most famous chefs in the world and worked with some of the entertainment industry’s biggest names, Ben Fink is extraordinarily humble. “I sometimes think even though everyone has my number, the phone is never going to ring again,” he says despite having a résumé that reads like a who’s who of the foodie world.Fink has been called “a master of visual harmony” and photography blogs fawn over his ability to make food come alive and tell a story. Despite his success, his journey to food photography was what he calls “accidental.” After studying painting and feeling somewhat bored and lonely in the studio by himself all day, he opted to assist a photographer and try something different.
It was then that Ben fell in love with storytelling through photography. Although it seems taking pictures of food would be highly technical in comparison to the experience of photographing people, Fink says they are equally emotional. “I’m trying to tell a story about the food. If it’s light and airy or dense and rich, I need to convey that through the lens,” he says. In the same way a photographer aims to break down the façade of the model, he must also do so with food.
After working as an assistant, Ben branched out on his own and was asked to photograph for a food article. It was there that his culinary photography journey began. Ben is now the photographer of choice for the likes of Bobby Flay, Paula Deen, Ted Allen, Trisha Yearwood, Suvir Saran and Bobby Deen. You have undoubtedly see
n his work in the pages of cookbooks, where he is entrusted to capture the beauty and lusciousness of the chefs’ creations.
Fink says he likes to be on the cutting edge of all that is happening in his field. As soon as people began switching to digital, he invested $40,000 into the technology. His first digital project was a book for Lilly Pulitzer. Wh
ile most of us would be petrified to experiment on such a big job, Fink was energized. “I had no idea what I was doing with digital technology at the time. Really, I was winging it!” Despite seeing how he would do the images differently now, it is this commitment to self-improvement that he has become known for in the industry.
It is with this spirit of adventure that he decided to take on the art of directing and producing videos. If shows like “Top Chef,” “Chopped,” and “Iron Chef America” haven’t proved to you that food is compelling, then you should watch some of Fink’s video projects. He calls this shift from still photography to “motion” a natural progression for him professionally. “I never want to be stagnant,” he says, “I’m always looking for the next thing.” When working on photography projects he now will make video trailers that provide a moving visual that bring the stills to life. “I am finding motion to be an even more effective way to tell the story,” he states, “I am able to give greater depth to the personalities of the chefs and their food.”
Because Fink takes food photography very seriously, I was curious how he feels about the recent phenomenon of people taking pictures of their food and posting them to social media. He laughed heartily, and said, “You know, I got past it. I was annoyed for about six months, and thought, ‘If I see one more picture of food online I’m going to scream,’ but then I got over it.” He now sees the humor in it and especially likes when someone who normally posts high-end photos peppers in a picture of a raw steak
or some other random food item every once in a while.
Fink says he is constantly inspired by things outside of traditional artistic expression, and encourages people to go outside your field to find inspiration that can fuel your work. He loves the idea of being inspired by the world around us and by things that might otherwise go overlooked.
It is easy to see how Ben became so successful— he truly is a storyteller. His description of his favorite guilty pleasure—chocolate-covered almonds— was so vivid I felt like I had eaten one myself. This sense of narrative is obvious in his work, and makes clear why so many chefs trust him to tell their stories.
Even if you lack the vision to see that food has its own personality, anyone can see that Ben Fink certainly has does. His love for his work is infectious and despite his incredible résumé, Fink was warm and open during our chat. He was quick to laugh and by the end he was giving me tips on where to eat when I visit New York. If anyone should know where to get some good eats in the Big Apple, it is Ben Fink.
Whether you are leafing through a cookbook or watching a commercial for a restaurant, know the artists like Ben Fink are trying to tell you a culinary story. Bon appétit!
Visit his website for more on his work:
www.benfinkphoto.com. Follow him on
Twitter and Instagram @benfinkphoto
