Masterclass "Culinary Photography and Styling" with Ilian Iliev
On October 5 and 6, Dynaphos organized and hosted a two-day Master Class "Culinary Photography and Styling" with Ilian Iliev.
Ilian Iliev is a photographer, lecturer, and published author with thirty years of professional experience, more than 15 solo exhibitions in Europe and Asia, and 4 author's books awarded the "Gourmand Best of the World" certificate. He shoots from his culinary studio based in Cambridge, UK. Ilian teaches culinary photography and styling at HRC Culinary Academy, and also conducts master classes worldwide.
The first day began with a theoretical part, covering basic principles and techniques in culinary photography.
Then came the practical part – studio work. It included cocktail shots, for which the Nanguang Compac 200 studio light was used.
To capture the movement of falling ice in the drink, we used the Speedster QT600II, which, with its short pulse, allowed us to achieve the desired effect.
On the second day of the course, we were joined by the head instructor at HRC Culinary Academy, Victoria Baltitute, who has worked at Hilton and other prestigious restaurants in Bulgaria and abroad. Victoria started at the academy in 2013 and has since worked in Europe and the USA. In 2015, she won 1st place in a pastry competition in the USA, organized by ACF. She works at Nikolas 0/360 restaurant, which was nominated for Best Restaurant in Bulgaria in 2017, and also has awards for original cuisine, best wine list, etc.
She prepared two gourmet dishes, after which the course participants styled and photographed their own plates. On both days, we had the opportunity to taste and photograph the incredible cocktails specially prepared for us by Mario.
On the second day, we used entirely natural light for the photos.
A faithful assistant throughout the master class was the Manfrotto 055XPRO3, which provided us with the necessary stability and precise camera positioning.
We took photos with a Sony a7III with a Samyang AF 50mm f1.4 Sony FE lens, and for macro shots – Sony FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G.
The weekend was intense, and we certainly gained valuable knowledge and impressions.
Victoria's culinary creations were unique, and Ilian is a professional and a wonderful teacher.
We look forward to our next meetings with him!
