Staying in inspires Madhu to explore her passion for photography in new and delicious ways!

When a COVID-19 circuit breaker had Singaporean creator Madhumitha restricted to the confines of her home she discovered a new passion–and talent–for food photography.

This delicious new hobby evolved from an interest in landscape photography, but as she could no longer venture outside, Madhu grabbed her camera and began photographing her food.

After taking the time at home to master the art of food photography, Madhu has now turned her lens to product styling and lifestyle images. While her personal work has developed a distinct moody vibe, Madhu is able to creatively flex between pastels and vibrant playful aesthetics.

Keep reading to meet Madhu and learn more about her creative evolution.

Mad about Madhu

I am a Business Strategy manager by day but I have always been interested in photography. I was initially into portrait and landscape photos. However, when COVID-19 hit and the Government imposed a ‘circuit breaker’, my husband and I primarily stayed indoors. With nothing else to photograph, we started taking pictures of the food we ate. Over time, we started ordering in food that we wanted to photograph, and started snapping pictures before eating.

I discovered Creatively Squared through other food photographers. The ability to connect with other photographers, participate in interesting monthly challenges, and learn from others were what prompted me to join. It is an amazing community if you want to learn and grow.

[#cta]

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I love to shoot food and products. Within food, I love to shoot drinks as it is the best subject for action/splash photography (I love shooting action shots!) and you can do so much with light when shooting drinks. Occasionally I do some portraits as well.

My style is generally dark and moody pics but have started experimenting with bright and airy / colorful frames as well, especially through my projects with Creatively Squared.

My favourite Creatively Squared project so far would have to be the Lifebuoy Shoot: We had to work with hardlight and water ripples. This is my favourite style and getting to try it in a product shoot was exciting and fun.

Tools of the trade

I shoot with Sony A7Riii and my go-to lens is Sigma 24-70mm. I use a Neewer tripod with extendable overhead arm and Lightroom and Photoshop are my must-haves when editing pics.

My go-to backdrop is the last hand painted backdrop I made. It has a cement like finish and love to shoot both moody and bright images with the same backdrop.

I do most of my shoots in the cozy studio we have set up at our home. I love to listen to music while shooting. I shoot with my husband who is my partner in photography. He is so patient, supportive and very creative. I also trouble him when I need someone to throw cookies into a cup of milk when I shoot.

My workflow is a mix of planning and winging it. There are times when I go in with sketches and detailed plans, there are times when I pick a subject and a couple of props, go with the flow, and play with the props till the scene feels right to me.

Inspiring Madhu

I've learnt a lot from Joanie @thebiteshot when I started photography and absolutely adore the way Rachel @twolovesstudio shoots drinks and uses color.

Madhu's Top Tip: Pay attention to the colors in the frame and play around with the light before you click.

Always learning

I recently made a shift to speedlights and want to learn to shoot with them over the next few months.

Thank you Madhu for letting us into your creator world and sharing your journey with us. You can keep us with Madhu's beautiful imagery (and tips!) at @ijos_by_madhu on Instagram.