Food

MOUTHWATERING ABSTRACT ART: RICHARD HAUGHTON

by Richard Haughton. Root vegetables, by Eric Briffard.

RICHARD HAUGHTON

Food becomes abstract art in Richard Haughton photos. The images could well be hung on gallery walls. With color, pattern, texture and form full of genius and spark.

In fact, there are two artists creating every work -- Haughton and the chef.

Haughton’s art is in showing off each chef’s artistry to a point that elevates them both.

Michelin starred and other super-starred chefs like Pascal Barbot, Kei Kobayashi, Gérard Passédat, from restaurants such as Astrance, Le Petit Nice, Hedone, Sushi Mizutani, Jin, The Ledbury, Yukawatan, among others, seek Haughton out when they want to memorialize their creations.

The chefs Haughton works with have a commonality in plating style -- abstract painterly. One might look like a Lichtenstein, while another is reminiscent of Picasso.

Haughton doesn’t style the food, nor does he work with a stylist. These chefs are hyper-concerned with the aesthetics of each dish. Some plates are studied, while others are result of improvisation -- Haughton and his chefs collaborate. Haughton rarely touches the food itself. Often he doesn’t know what a dish will be before he sees it in front of him.

Colorful presentation of Andes maize, prepared by chef Virgilio Martinez. Photo by Richard Haughton.

Haughton aims to find a way to best express each chef, as each one is different and has different talents.

Cherry dessert prepared by Dish by Eric Briffard, Le Cinq. Photo by Richard Haughton.

Hailing from the South West of Ireland, a place Haughton still considers to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, he got his first camera when he was just 6 years old. He got his first proper job, shooting for an architectural magazine, when he was just 14 years old! As he looks back on some of his first photos, he sees that his iconic style had already started to develop.

Extreme closeup of orange bouillon of Tomato, Olive, Lemongrass, by Arnaud Donckele. Photo by Richard Haughton.

In abstract art, as in every other type, aesthetic are paramount. Haughton’s personal and professional aesthetic are very much the same. He favors simplicity, clarity, and, richness, with an emphasis on truth to materials.

Artichoke sitting on stones, prepared by chef Kei Kobayashi. Photo by Richard Haughton.

In composing and planning his shots, first and foremost for Haughton is to find the light that best highlights the personal style of the chef with whom he is working. He almost always uses a flash or a mixture of flash and daylight. He considers the fact that each unique space acts as a unique light reflector, depending on color of walls and ceilings, sizes and numbers of windows or skylights, etc.

“Scallop, Oyster, Kombu,” prepared by chef Pascal Barbot. Photo by Richard Haughton.

Haughton is serendipitous and opportunistic as he chooses his exact settings and props. He finds beauty in many things.

While his photos are so powerful, some might think they are heavily photoshopped or manipulated in post-production, the fact is, they are not. Haughton relies mostly on pure photographic techniques. He reserves photoshopping for “cleaning up” stray bits, such as an errant sprinkle of flour or a tiny crumb, to save time.

Array of spring vegetables prepared by Chef Eric Briffard, Le Cinq.

Although the images are largely abstract, each of Haughton’s photos express personality and ideas of each chef. They focus as with super-clarity on the food itself, so we can understand what’s special about it, we can almost touch it, and most importantly, we to eat it!

Nearly all the images on Haughton’s site are from books that has photographed. He has produced eight books with Michelin 3 star chefs, and others. Check out his books here.

Black eels on on a white plate, prepared by Noriyuki Hamada. Photo by Richard Haughton.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

“Langoustine, Seaweed, Coconut Milk,” by chef Jean-Georges Klein. Photo by Richard Haughton.

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Dish by chef Hiroshi Yoshitake of Sola. Photo by Richard Haughton.

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Contest. We run new creative contest every week!

Macarons and flowers, by chef Pascal Barbot, L’Astrance. Photo by Richard Haughton.

IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Richard Haughton. Root vegetables, by Eric Briffard.
Image: by Richard Haughton. “Andes Maize variation,” by Virgilio Martinez.
Image: by Richard Haughton. Dish by Eric Briffard, Le Cinq.
Image: by Richard Haughton. “Bouillon of Tomato, Olive, Lemongrass,” by Arnaud Donckele.
Image: by Richard Haughton. Artichoke, prepared by chef Kei Kobayashi.
Image: by Richard Haughton. “Scallop, Oyster, Kombu,” by Pascal Barbot.
Image: by Richard Haughton. Array of spring vegetables, prepared by Chef Eric Briffard, Le Cinq.
Image: by Richard Haughton. “Eels, with Noriyuki Hamada.”
Image: by Richard Haughton. “Langoustine, Seaweed, Coconut Milk,” by Jean-Georges Klein.
Image: by Richard Haughton. Dish by chef Hiroshi Yoshitake, of Sola.
Image: by Richard Haughton. Macarons by Pascal Barbot, L’Astrance.