Every now and then, you come across a photography project that serves to both delight and reinvigorate our own creative efforts. Today, it’s an honor to share the works of Pierre Javelle and Akiko Ida – with their kind permission – for the benefit of students of our photography school.
Fun Food Photography With Miniatures
For over a decade, the duo have been conducting a playful photography project that combines the use of miniature figures with enticing culinary treats. Dubbed ‘MINIMIAM’ (a merging of the words minituare and miam, the French for ‘yummy’), Javelle and Ida have struck a fine balance between the best elements of microphotography and food photography.
Along with an expert eye for composition, the resulting shots are incredibly fun:
The couple met while studying the craft of photography in Paris, and it probably comes as no surprise that they later went on to work as commercial food photographers.
While all of the shots taken under the MINIMIAM umbrella – which has been running since 2002 – center around miniatures and the ubiquitous food elements, the project has so far been divided into a few different themed categories (namely ‘Fruit and Vegetables’, ‘War’, ‘Sport’, ‘Delicacies’ and ‘Varied’.)
Here are a few selected shots from the ‘War’ subcategory:
Japanese-born Akiko Ida is a self-confessed food obsessive, having grown up baking and inventing a wide variety of different kinds of bread before photographing them all for a home-made notebook (alongside a journal filled with tiny character sketches.)
Ida has since turned her passion into a globally renowned career, with an extensive biography of over 30 cookbook contributions and numerous international magazine publications.
Hailing from Burgundy in central France, Pierre Javelle started out with a passion for drawing and illustration before turning his artistic eye to the photographic medium.
Along with his wife, Javelle has also seen his work published in a multitude of gastronomic magazines and his still-life work is often used by major corporations.
We’d like to thank both Akiko Ida and Pierre Javelle once again for kindly giving us permission to republish their photography here. To check out more from the MINIMIAM project and learn more about the photographers, head on over to their official website.
