CHENNAI: When she made Mickey Mouse dosas when she was still a child, little did she know that her interest in food could one day turn into a cult of sorts. “When I moved to the UK for college and had to cook my own meals, I started to experiment in the kitchen. From then on, I developed a serious interest in cooking,” says Visalakshi Kannan. Visalakshi, better known as Sala, is a US-based food blogger and photographer, whose blog Veggie Belly has been doing its rounds on the internet for over four years now. She adds, “I come from a foodie family where everyone has a great appreciation of fine food and also excellent knowledge on how good food is supposed to taste.” But for Sala, her relationship with food doesn’t end with how it tastes. Over the years, she has established that how food looks is also extremely important to her.Sala, who was recently in the city to conduct a workshop, has created a niche for herself in the food photography fraternity online.She says, “We eat with our eyes first, so for me, it’s important to show my food vibrantly. We are naturally drawn to colourful food.Juicy red tomatoes, fresh green herbs, or a refreshing pink ice cream cone - none of these will be the same if they were stripped off colour.” Laying specific emphasis on capturing the colour while photographing food, Sala adds, “The colour of the food is suggestive of its freshness and taste. It’s also important to select the right colours for props used in the photos (the plates, bowls, napkins, cutlery etc).” Sala’s workshop in the city was aimed at teaching participants to shoot food in natural light. Lighting is everything, she explains.“It’s what elevates a photo from ordinary to spectacular.If you understand how light affects a shot, you are 80 percent there.In the workshop, I focused on how to use and modify natural sun light,” she says.“We talked about how to use light to create contrasts, boost detail, and set a mood for a shot.” And no artificial lighting for her, she affirms.“I think natural sunlight is the best for food photography.” Having travelled 36 countries in six continents for her passion of food, Sala has had the opportunity to not only eat various kinds of food, but also photograph them. With such experience, she has understood that each kind of food requires a certain approach to photography. “Tall foods like hamburgers or a stack of pancakes need to be shot differently from foods that have no height, like a pizza,” she says. The techniques also vary from food to food.“Indian food, for example, has a lot of liquid curry items. So, one must keep in mind that certain angles will reduce the reflection on the liquid’s surface.” Summing up why her love for food photography is perfect, Sala says, “The food doesn’t move or talk back to you. And at the end of the shoot, you can eat it!”
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