Food photographer based in the South of France, Mathilde is our guest today and she talks about her job, as well as her first photography workshop which took place this month of May.
Discover his work on her website and Instagram page.
Hello Mathilde! Thanks for taking the time to participate! First of all, could you introduce yourself and tell us what you are currently doing ?
I am 31 years old, I am the mother of two little boys. I live in Montpellier (south of France) and have been a full-time food photographer since 2019.
Why and how did you decide to convert to food photography?
I did a master's degree in accounting and finance and then worked as a financial controller in Saint-Ouen for three years.
When my first boy was born, I moved to the south of France. From that moment on, I no longer wanted to find myself in an office. I wanted to have my own business, at my own pace and do things as I desired.
I was passionate about cooking and baking and I was considering retraining in this field but I had some blockages with that.
At that time I loved photography but I never imagined I could develop skills in this area.
It was my partner who suggested this idea to me, I thought about it for a long time and then I started to train myself. When I discovered food photography, it was absolutely obvious that this was what I wanted to do!
Please share an anecdote from one of your shootings!
As a young mother who adapts her professional life to her family life, I had to take my milk pump on a performance that went on forever!
How do you approach your photo compositions in terms of color? What are your favorite color associations?
I have long worked with colors by feeling. Now that I am also a coach in food photography, I force myself to use colors correctly.
I have a small color wheel in my studio and I mostly work in complementary and triad colors.
I love photos that have a lot of character!
Could you give a tip or two for color matching? Dos and don'ts.
I think it's important to quickly validate with a color wheel that the colors are consistent, and not to associate saturated colors with pastel colors.
I really wanted to share this passion and create beautiful images with other people.
In this profession we are often alone and even more so at the moment. I wanted to do my own event and it turned out really well.
© Mathilde Boclet, photo taken during May workshop
What gear do you normally have with you during a restaurant shooting? Especially in terms of lighting.
A reflector / diffuser whether for natural or artificial light, a remote cobra flash associated with a softbox and a tripod.
Tell us a bit about your first workshop!
I did my first workshop on May 20th.
It was a real challenge for me because I am very shy and I hate to show myself or speak in public. But I really wanted to share this passion and create beautiful images with other people.
In this profession we are often alone and even more so at the moment. I took part as a trainee in a workshop in Paris and it did me a lot of good to share a day with "people like me", I wanted to do my own event in the south of France and it turned out very well.
I think we'll do one per trimester and I'll also be doing one-to-one trainings in the meantime.
And finally, what is your favorite dish of French cuisine? And would it make a good subject for a photo shoot?
I think it's important to quickly validate with a color wheel that the colors are consistent, and not to associate saturated colors with pastel colors.
© Mathilde Boclet
Too difficult to choose, I don't like a particular dish, I like to be surprised.
I was a very, very picky kid with food and even today, being able to get me to eat something I'm not used to is a real challenge! If I had to name one thing that is only found in French cuisine, it would be the french bread!
Thank you very much for your time!