Picture This: Bringing ‘Salt of the Earth’ to Life with Manos Chatzikonstantis

In celebration of World Photography Day, NERD sat down with photographer Manos Chatzikonstantis to dive deep into one of his most cherished projects: Salt of the Earth.

Authored by Carolina Doriti and published by Quadrille, this book is a vibrant exploration of Greek cuisine and culture. Manos shares insights into the creative process and techniques that shaped this unique project. From the initial concept to the final shoot, discover how personal heritage, innovative lighting, and minimalist design came together to bring this culinary journey to life.

Project Data

Book: Salt of the Earth

Author: Carolina Doriti

Published: March 2023

Publisher: Quadrille

Art Direction and Design: Claire Rochford

Editor: Stacey Cleworth

"The book 'Salt of the Earth' is one of the projects I’m particularly fond of. It’s a book about food and a sense of place for a London publisher. I had previously worked with this publisher on an extensive project shot across Europe, Asia, America, and Africa for an established author, which established a strong sense of trust."

LBB> What was about the initial brief that intrigued you?

Manos> They approached me to discuss a project of a first-time author, a young Greek chef and writer. The idea was to do a book about off-the-beaten-track Greek recipes, in a fresh style, using a bright palette of colour. Having Greek heritage, for me, that was a special project to embark on!

LBB> What were your first steps when it came to breaking down the brief and formulating your ideas?

Manos> I suggested a minimal approach, with few elements, where the background surface would give the tone and shadows would be active styling elements. I imagined a book in a style influenced by contemporary photography where colour and light would be used to frame the food and simultaneously define a Mediterranean space of quaint beauty and simplicity.

LBB> And what were the ideas and influences that you wanted to bring together?

Manos> The images by the old master Herbert List were certainly an influence, the colour work by Alex Webb and Constantine Manos, and maybe even architectural photography utilising lines, shadows and vanishing points.

LBB> Tell us about the location or setting - where did you shoot and why there? 

Manos> As the author is based in central Athens we had to shoot there. Fortunately, she had a spacious flat with good light and we transformed a small part of it by the terrace into a studio. Surfaces had to be built, painted and plastered in various sizes. Fabrics were carefully chosen and crockery was sourced from Athens’ flea markets and garage sales. We had a travel budget and were able to head out to an island relatively close to Athens for a few days to get some location shots. 

Initially, we did a two-day shoot to establish the style and streamline the process of working together. The client was happy and we had very valuable feedback from the art director for the rest of the production. I believe that everyone involved must be on the same page and understand the situation and needs of the other parties. 

LBB> Tech specs - what did you shoot on? Any interesting elements in the lighting or lenses that we should know about?

Manos> I used a combination of natural light and a large cine light to manage the shadows. While Greece is known for its sunny weather, the sun doesn’t always cooperate, especially on a seasonal project with multiple shoots. To maintain consistency in the lighting style, I relied on this setup throughout.

I shot with a 50MP Canon 5DS to ensure high-resolution files for cropping while keeping the equipment flexible and transportable for location shoots. Most of the shots were taken with 50mm and 90mm lenses. For some location shots, I used Fujifilm cameras due to their compact size and excellent colour rendering. The food shoot was done tethered, and as usual, I worked with Capture One for real-time grading and colour correction before diving into more detailed edits later.

LBB> When considering the final shots, why this particular shot over any of the other takes?

Manos> Most of the shots were done in more than one version to give the designer space to work and choose the ones that matched best with the layout.

LBB> What is it about this project that stays with you? What made it different from anything else you’ve worked on?

Manos> The shoot was great fun and totally delicious too ( the perks of shooting food!). The author was an absolute pleasure to work with and, as we both loved the style of the book, the inspiration level was very high. 

See more from Manos here.