jamie oliver It will happen. david chan and Christina Tosi Do it. Giada De Laurentiis and Emeril Lagasse I don’t know what to do with their hands, but they did it. Every chef puts on a white coat and sharpens a knife and suddenly feels like taking a photo with his arms crossed.
Chefs didn’t invent this pose. You’ll see executives, politicians, and anyone else justifying a professional headshot arm in arm. But it seems to be a particular problem in the culinary industry. Shutterstock has over 50 pages of stock images of him picking up on this metaphor, smiling, grinning, beaming with his arms crossed. This is such a waste, considering there are so many great options for how to use your hands in a prop-filled kitchen environment. catch a huge fish, light the frying panOr you can tuck your favorite knife between your knuckles. Pretend to be Wolverine.
So why are chefs up in arms? To get to the bottom of this confusing limb rash, I called in an expert. First, there was Melanie Dunia, a portrait photographer who has taken pictures of people like Anthony Bourdain. iconic bone shot) and Thomas Keller. Dunaire chalks up that look to self-defense.
“This is probably a reflex that comes from self-defense and creating distance between yourself and the camera. When you have a big black camera lens pointing 12 inches from your face, it feels intimidating,” she explains. Masu. Aren’t we all just kids who are nervous about class photo day?
But this stance also conveys something less unpleasant to the viewer. Mark Borden, an expert on human behavior and body language, explains that this pose exudes an aura of arrogance (which may be true for some chefs, but it’s probably the best way to hide it). ). It also sends a signal to the kitchen staff.
“Modern figurative poses reflect the language of professional kitchens: aggressive and military. [There are] command, firing, brigade, chef [with] You have sharp steel in your hands,” Borden says. He explains that he is “known as an aggressive leader.” Chef Marco Pierre White He is the poster boy for this style, gordon ramsay He is also guilty as per the indictment. His arm-in-arms style fits the tough-guy act both chefs have tried to promote in the past. (White is also a fan. plant your arms It’s like he’s preparing to use the counter as a pommel horse. )
“The crossed arms gesture suggests upper body strength, an insurmountable wall. [It’s] “It’s definitely the traditional military idea that when it’s hot, you have to be the leader,” Borden says. “It’s a nonverbal gesture that screams, ‘I’m armed and dangerous.’ Please don’t cross me.”
That look might have appeared when raw power over the kitchen staff was a chef’s crowning achievement. But as many restaurants flatten their organizational structures and rethink manager-employee relationships, it’s time for our photography to change, too.
Toronto-based photographer Daniel Neuhaus says many of the chefs he works with are acutely aware of the need to eschew last season’s styles. They just need a little help.
“I usually take portraits near the end of the shoot after I’ve observed them for a while, so I get a good idea of who they are and what kinds of behaviors they naturally tend to exhibit. And we’re going to ask them to recreate that,” Neuhaus says. So love what you like and what you do. Or just bring in props. “If a restaurant is architecturally significant, I like a background to compliment that architecture. If a restaurant uses interesting cooking techniques (like lots of fire or unique utensils), use that for portraits.” Neuhaus added:
Human limbs are inherently dangling and unwieldy, especially when you’re standing in front of a camera with nowhere to hide. The urge to cross your limbs, to literally erase your unfortunate hand from the picture, invades your psyche. Before I knew it, I started to look like Mr. Clean.
But chefs, you don’t have to look so bad in your headshot. (See what I did there?) You’re not a bouncer, a Fortune 500 CEO, or Gordon Ramsay. kitchen nightmare. Be physically open to the camera, staff, and customers. If you’re having trouble coming up with another pose, I’ll leave you with just two words. “Jazz Hand”.
Tiffany Lee I’m a BIPOC freelance journalist with degrees in communications and business. Additionally, she has a culinary background and is a recipient of a Clay Triplet and James Beard Foundation scholarship. She has reported on travel, food and drink, beauty, wellness, and fashion for publications including: VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, Business Insider, Dwell, Fashion Magazine, Elle (US), Departures, Travel + Leisure, Vogue (US), Food & Wine Magazine, Bon Appétit, Shape Magazine, USA TODAYetc.
