Deconstructed Recipes

Mikkel Jul Hvilshoj talks about his love and passion for still life photography, and how he came to creating his deconstructed photographs of food.

- Mikkel Jul Hvilshoj

I’ve always been drawn to still life as it fits with my calm temperament perfectly. It is a discipline where much time is spent on perfecting the light and composition to arrive at the final image that was envisioned. The journey is great but sometimes slow. At times, you end up exactly where you intended to, and at other times you have to dismiss your initial idea only to end up in a completely different yet better place.

Above all, I enjoy the challenge of photographing a product and transforming it to look a certain way. For instance, I was recently hired to shoot milk powder for babies—a rather unappealing product. However, it doesn’t mean that one can’t make beautiful images. It all boils down to the idea and its execution.

The Appeal of Minimalism

Over the years, I have developed a recognisable style that is minimalistic and clean, and that is what I get hired for today. I mostly do advertising photography where the product is the hero looking as exclusive and elegant as possible, often with a few props, just enough to tell a story.