From Plate to Picture: A Focus on Clint Scerri Harkins

Q. Your portfolio showcases a remarkable ability to capture the essence and character of food. How do you approach the process of styling and photographing a dish to ensure it looks as enticing as it tastes?

A: Working for several years in food photography helped me to develop my own sense of aesthetics, which involves the styling, the camera settings and the full understanding of the client's will and expectations. Besides these crucial elements, I firmly believe that plating plays the main role when it comes to food photography.

The ideal plating is the expression of the Chef’s concept about the plate, which takes shape through the key elements that build the dish in its final form. Before taking any action, it is important for me to speak with the Chef, in order to capture the mood I need to portray through my photography. Lighting becomes essential to enhance the peculiarity of the plate and needs to be studied and designed specifically for each dish.


Q: Working across two distinct culinary cultures in Malta and Italy, how do the unique food traditions and aesthetics of these regions influence your photography style and the way you portray food? How do they differ from a client perspective?

A: Living in Italy for the past two years has made it easier for me to understand, appreciate and respect the raw material. Italy offers an incredible variety of small and big food-related realities where to look and learn from.

The passion and dedication for food is something you can immerse yourself in with all your senses anywhere you go, which is truly inspiring for me. All these new inputs helped me to understand my clients here, and understand each other from an artistic point of view.


Q: Food photography requires a keen eye for detail and an understanding of lighting and composition. Can you share some of your go-to techniques or tips for aspiring food photographers looking to elevate their work? What inspires your style?

A: Generally speaking Photography is all about light! I do not have any standard or rule I recommend to follow. I would suggest to anyone who’s starting food photography to work on understanding light, research on recent styles of plating and moods that suits the Chef’s idea.

Always share your thoughts and impressions with the clients and last but not least… in your free time go out to eat at good restaurants and get inspired! Having 15 years experience in the catering industry has given me knowledge and quite a boost in the full understanding of restaurant dynamics, its concept and final output.