PECHA KUCHA TALK
AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TĀMAKI
PECHA KUCHA
OFFICIAL SELECTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2022
THIS IS GOLD FOR AMEX NZ
ADVERTISING / BRANDS CAMPAIGN CATEGORY
OFFICIAL SELECTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2022
CHOCOLATE COCKTAILS FOR LIQUORLAND
ADVERTISING / FOOD & BEVERAGE CATEGORY
SHORTLISTED
SPOTLIGHT AWARDS, 2022
CHEERS TO ALL FOR HEINEKEN
ADVERTISING CATEGORY
THIS IS GOLD FOR
AMEX NZ
DIGITAL, PRINT & OOH CAMPAIGN VIA
DENTSUMB SYDNEY, 2022
COVER SHOT
D-PHOTO MAGAZINE, 2022
ISSUE 103
Manja Wachsmuth, the food photographer behind chef Monique Fiso’s outstanding Hiakai book (Penguin Random House, 2019), shares some of the war stories, technical tips, travel advice, and the visual secret sauce that helped turn this book into an instant classic of local cuisine.
CHEERS TO ALL FOR
HEINEKEN
DIGITAL, PRINT & OOH CAMPAIGN VIA
SAATCHI & SAATCHI, 2021
ADC 101ST ANNUAL AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY JURY
ADC 101ST ANNUAL AWARDS, 2021
I've had the absolute pleasure to be selected as a judge for ADC One Club 101 Award's, photography category. This legendary & prestigious award is the oldest in the advertising industry, and to be selected alongside some of the worlds top photographers, is an immense honour.
I can't wait to see all the beautiful work and be inspired by outstanding photography from around the globe.
AWARDED 3RD PLACE
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2021
"HIAKAI"
BOOK / OTHER CATEGORY
HONORABLE MENTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2021
"SHARED KITCHEN"
FINE ART / OTHER CATEGORY
ARTICLE ABOUT HIAKAI & NEW ZEALAND NATURE
DESIGN ASSEMBLY, 2021
How did your collaboration with Monique Fiso, Lucy Corry, Tracy Berno come about?
I first met Monique in my backyard digging up a hāngī. Back in 2017, I noticed this young chef that had returned to New Zealand from New York with the purpose to elevate Māori food culture into fine dining. I could see a really strong resemblance between that and what had happened to the Scandinavian food scene 15 years ago with René Redzepi’s NOMA restaurant.
So I asked Monique to dig up a hāngī in my backyard for the purpose of a magazine article and that was the beginning of a long journey that essentially led to the creation of the Hiakai book.
Aside from Hiakai, what shoot (or shot), personal or professional, are you most proud of and why?
Definitely The Bug Project. The Bug project takes inspiration from fine dining restaurants and Dutch still-life masters. I wanted to create a range of food images that explores the unexpected. With food stylist Fiona Hugues we created a range of recipes where at a first glance you see a beautiful and delicious recipe you wouldn’t hesitate to cook at home, but with a closer look, you discover that the food has insects, that are either part of the recipe or have come to eat the food before you. This is a series of 10 images that are both recipes and portraits of some of the insects utilised in the recipes.
Parts of this project has been exhibited twice, both here in New Zealand and in Denmark, my home country, counts 6 International photography awards and I guess is the beginning of a journey for me where the food photography that I work with has some deeper meaning and explores some of the ideas and values that are important to me. In this case sustainability. Not just related to food but in life in general.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
REAL LIFE. STILL LIFE: WHEN FOOD BECOMES ART
FOOD STYLING & PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
-
Together with
Fiona Hugues and
Pink Lady® Apples New Zealand I am proud to bring this food styling and photographic workshop to the
F.A.W.C! Winter Series, June 2022. More info to come.
200 BEST AD PHOTOGRAPHERS WORLDWIDE, 2021 / 2022
LÜRZER'S ARCHIVE
ARTICLE ABOUT PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MAGAZINE, 2021
A fierce determination to create beautiful and gripping food images has paid off for Auckland-based photographer Manja Wachsmuth. Manja recently received two awards in the prestigious Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 20201, the world's leading celebration of the art of food photography and film.
The striking image she made of an octopus for Monique Fiso's book, Hiakai: Modern Maori Cuisine, won second place in the 'One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop' category. A shot taken during the grape harvest at Waiheke's Tantalus Estate received second prize in the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year's people section. Manja says being recognised in the awards, which attracted over 80,000 entries this year, is a huge coup.
"In a competition as tough as this one, being shortlisted let alone actually winning a category is an immense honour. I couldn't be more proud to put New Zealand on the map in a highly regarded competition that attracts the best food photographers in the world."
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
AWARDED BRONZE
ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY ADC 100TH ANNUAL AWARDS, 2021
"BEHIND CLOSED DOORS"
AWARDED 2ND PLACE (2)
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2021
ONE VISION IMAGING CREAM OF THE CROP
&
ERRAZURITZ WINE PHOTOGRAPHER – PEOPLE
COMMENDED
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2021
ERRAZURITZ WINE PHOTOGRAPHER – PRODUCE
ARTICLE ABOUT RECENT PINK LADY & ERRAZURIZ AWARDS
CAMPAIGN BRIEF, 2021
Wachsmuth says being recognised in the awards, which attracted over 80,000 entries this year, is a huge coup: “In a competition as tough as this one, being shortlisted let alone actually winning a category is an immense honour. I couldn’t be more proud to put New Zealand on the map in a highly regarded competition that attracts the best food photographers in the world.”
‘Styling’ the octopus that features in Hiakai: Modern Maori Cuisine (Penguin Random House NZ) was a fiddly, time-consuming and slimy task.
Says Wachsmuth: “In food photography, an octopus is usually presented inside out to expose the suction cups on the arms. I wanted to get this guy looking a bit more like a monstrous beast, pushing the boundaries of the camera frame.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
WINNER, PHOTOGRAPHY
C2A CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS AWARD, 2020
"BEHIND CLOSED DOORS"
WINNER, PHOTOGRAPHY
C2A CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS AWARD, 2020
"THE BUG PROJECT"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
HONORABLE MENTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2020
"MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH"
FINE ART / OTHER CATEGORY
HONORABLE MENTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2020
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
"BEAUTIFUL DECAY"
AWARDED SILVER
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS, 2020
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
"BEAUTIFUL DECAY"
( Parts created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
HONORABLE MENTION
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS, 2020
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
"THE BUG PROJECT 2.0"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PERSONAL PROJECT ARTICLE
"BEHIND CLOSED DOORS"
PR CAMPAIGN RUN BY
CUISINE MAGAZINE, 2020
By Kelli Brett:
The restaurant and hospitality sectors are very close to our hearts at Cuisine. These industries made a valiant and impressive effort to survive across the various levels while we were all asked to stay home and fight Covid-19… (edited by MW).
Manja Wachsmuth explains...
The strong message of supporting your local restaurant has been circling social media a great deal during the period of Covid-19 and it gave me an idea. I wanted to show my support in the best way I could. Through my art. I wanted to see if I could get the local restaurants to see that the message also relates to how they support their local artists, interact with food media and, of course, every other business that provides a service to them within their local area. #supportlocal is the theme for this personal photography project...
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
SHORTLISTED
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2020
WINE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR - PEOPLE
&
FOOD FOR THE FAMILY
HONORABLE MENTION
LONDON INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE COMPETITION, 2020
PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY
"THE BUG PROJECT"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
THE FOODIES – NZ FOOD WRITERS GUILD AWARDS, 2019
EDITORIAL & COMMERCIAL CATEGORIES
AWARDED 1ST PLACE
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2019
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGRORY
"THE BUG PROJECT"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
HONORABLE MENTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2019
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGRORY
PRIME PROTEIN
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
AWARDED GOLD
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS, 2019
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGRORY
"THE BUG PROJECT"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH FEATURE
PROGEAR, 2019
Most of your work is centered around food and lifestyle. Tell us about what led you into this line of photography?
"As mentioned earlier, I was never really that keen on photographing a lot of people based work. In the early days, I guess I studied light, shapes and textures, doing lots of street photography - I didn’t realise that, that was initially what I was doing, but I know now that it was. I just liked to photograph things on my path on black and white film and watch the magic appear in the dark room. When I started my apprenticeship, my boss was specialised in shooting objects and food, so it was natural for me to go that way. It suits my personality well. I’m a bit shy and introverted so I do well with detail oriented work that requires focus on the subject and not so much interaction with people. That’s a skill that I’ve developed more over the years, but food still remains my main focus and priority, except now I like to think of it as food and all things foodie related. Food, products, produce, restaurants interiors, chefs portraits, landscape. It ticks all my boxes."
READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW HERE
"THE BUG PROJECT" EXHIBITED IN DK & NZ
DURING
"FOTODAGE VIBORG, STATUS:19"
COPENHAGEN PHOTO FESTIVAL & AUCKLAND PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL, 2019
SHORTLISTED
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2019
ONE VISION IMAGING CREAM OF THE CROP CATEGORY
"HUHU BEETLE"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURE
NZ HOUSE & GARDEN MAGAZINE, 2019
Since arriving in New Zealand from Denmark 10 years ago, Manja has won a reputation as a top food photographer, renowned for her rich, moody images. She has worked with NZ House & Garden for eight years, usually as part of a team that includes a food stylist, a props stylist, photographer and assistant.
The trickiest food to photograph: Ice cream. On one memorable shoot my freezer was playing up so I bought dry ice to keep it cold. Unfortunately, the dry ice froze it rock hard and it was impossible to take scoops. Now I ask the food stylist to make three times the amount to ice cream to ensure we get the right shot.
Any sneaky tricks? Food photography has a reputation for employing trickery like potato starch made up as ice cream scoops so they don't melt, but we don't do any of that. It's very genuine and we always have great leftovers for dinner.
How did you get started? My career was borne out of shyness. When I first began my apprenticeship I shied away from photographing people. I liked the control of working with inanimate objects.
My style is: For moody, natural lighting as it makes the colours of the food really pop. I also like images that have a setting or personal touches, like a hand in the shot. It gives a sense of place and life, which works well for editorial features.
ARTICLE ABOUT TRENDS IN EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
ADOBE CREATE MAGAZINE, 2019
( Thanks to
Christina for mentioning me and my
salt story )
HONORABLE MENTION
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS, 2018
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGORY
( Chef's Series for Miele Australia — Recipes: Michael Meredith, Food Styling: Fiona Smith, Production: Dish Magazine Team, Tangible Media & Image Centre )
ARTICLE ABOUT ME BY LARA WYATT
AIPA'S FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER BLOG, 2018
Manja’s journey with photography started as a young teenager, at the age of around 14. She knew she wanted to be a professional photographer, but being somewhat shy and reserved, Manja wasn't sure if she had the right disposition for the industry. Fortunately, she gained an apprenticeship with a commercial photographer who specialised in food and still life. The stars definitely aligned, and Manja discovered a niche that suited her personality perfectly. “I always wondered how was I going to do this, not wanting to get into press photography or weddings. And then I discovered advertising and commercial photography. That was my calling. That was where I discovered I could stand in a corner and shoot on my own!” She says with a laugh.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
AWARDED BEST COVER & PEOPLES CHOICE
NZ MPA WEBSTAR MAGAZINE MEDIA AWARDS, 2018
DISH MAGAZINE COVER
AWARDED HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR IMAGE "WHITE PIZZA"
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD, 2017
FOOD AT THE TABLE CATEGORY
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER FINALIST
NZ MPA MAGAZINE AWARDS 2017
PORTFOLIO OF WORK CREATED FOR NZ HOUSE & GARDEN MAGAZINE
IMAGE SCREENED
FOOD PHOTO FESTIVAL 2017
VEJLE, DENMARK
AWARDED BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
LIFESTYLE CATEGORY, NZ MPA MAGAZINE AWARDS 2015
FABULOUS FUNGI FEATURE, DISH MAGAZINE
ARTICLE ABOUT TRENDS IN FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
D-PHOTO MAGAZINE, 2015
EXCERPT
Manja Wachsmuth carried out her education in Denmark, which involved a four-year apprenticeship, one year focusing on the technical side of photography and three years carrying out an apprenticeship. her boss was a specialist in food, and she says it was natural for her to progress into food photography. Since moving to New Zealand six years ago, Wachsmuth has shot fo Dish, NZ House & Garden, Homestyle, and a range of other food/lifestyle magazines, as well as doing more advertising work for the likes of Beef and Lamb New Zealand.
"I've always been interested in doing still life; I've never really caught on to doing people or fashion," Wachsmuth says. "Everyone else seems to be really keen on doing fashion photography, but I've always been really keen on doing my own thing."