Nick Tresidder

Nick Tresidder has a drive in studio based in Parnell, where he shoots a lot of his studio work with his Hasselblad H4D40. As one of the best food photographers around, he thinks if you get hungry by looking at his shots, he's done his job right!

Where are you based?

I have a drive in studio in Parnell. It's elevated at the back and has a ton of daylight. 

What inspired you to become a photographer?

I used to sit in Art Classes at school and try and fail to draw, photography let's me draw with light, which is great as I'm useless with a pencil.

What gear do you use?

Camera wise I shoot pretty much all my studio stuff with a Hasselblad H4D40. I've been shooting Hasselblads both film and digital right from when I started. Everything is shot tethered to Hasselblad's own Phocus software which is set up so the images come in pretty much as I like them to look. For looser stuff I have just added a Nikon D810 (with a D800 as backup). The D810 is a fantastic camera when you are on the move and I often shoot it alongside the Hasselblad for a different look.

 Lighting wise I have a mixture of flash built up over the years, in an Ideal world I would have a complete set of ProFoto or Bron gear but I make do with my old stuff mixed in with rather a lot of daylight.

If you had to choose one lens, what would it be and why?

It would be the Hasselblad 100 2.2. Great focal length for food and lovely bokeh. On the Nikon it would be the 85 1.8.

What attracted you to food photography?

Well I've always liked food and cooking and I think it makes you a better photographer if you know and love what you shoot.

 Apart from food, what else do you typically shoot?

I like shooting people and enjoy the directing side of that. I also really enjoy technical shoots like beer bottles where you can spend all day on one shot.

What has been your greatest challenge as a photographer?

The move to digital was a big step. I was an early adopted and trying to persuade my bank manager to part with $40K for a 6 megapixel digital back was a challenge. That aside the business of being a photographer is a complex one and you have to constantly adapt and keep up with trends. As photographers we are the sum of many parts so you have to pay attention to every last detail.

What would your dream photography job be?

Travelling through Italy shooting food and chefs would be up there.

In your opinion what makes a good photograph?

For food it's pretty easy, if a viewer gets hungry looking at the image then I've done my job right.

What motivates or inspires you to keep doing what you do?

I love my job. Every day is different, new people new challenges and I'm always learning.

If you weren't a photographer what would you be?

I'd be richer :). I've never really done anything else, but either a Chef or a film director would suit me.

What do you enjoy doing to take a break from photography?

I love to travel with my adorable wife and mostly adorable boys.

What tips or advice do you have for budding photographers?

This has always been a tough industry and it's getting tougher. Saying that, if you want a career in photography you can have it.

 You absolutely have to assist before becoming a photographer and in fact I think you will learn more on a weeks shoot than you would in a year studying. Contact photographers you admire and ask to come and meet them. Research what they do and what cameras they use. Do you know the difference between the battery for a 5D3 and a 1DX? If not find out. What is the current version of Capture One? Is it stable? You need to know the answers to these and hundreds of other questions if you want to be a successful assistant and all of this information is available free online.

 Once you have all the technical knowledge you can work on becoming a photographer, give it ten years or so. Be a sponge; be inspired by film, by art, by architecture, by everything. Collate images or random things and then look for common threads within those images, they might all be quite monotone, they might be formally composed, or feature lots of emotion. Once you start to see common threads you will have found your vision and once you have found that you can build a portfolio that reflects that vision.

Check out more of Nick's work on his website.