Vancouver-based photographer Kamil Bialous had worked with Bon Appétit Magazine in the past. He was thrilled when he recently received a message from photo editor, Elizabeth Jamie asking him to shoot another story for the magazine. Kamil was even more excited when he heard the assignment was going to involve creating a photo essay about the small town of Tofino, British Columbia. The story was going to be about the chef from the local restaurant, Wolf in the Fog, creating a beach feast for his friends using Tofino’s bounty of wild food from the sea and forest. Kamil had visited this town in the past. He was especially eager to work on this assignment and take in the area’s natural beauty.
The location gets a lot of media hype as a tourist destination. Additionally, Elizabeth wanted the photos to maintain their authenticity and demonstrate the connection between wholesome foraged ingredients, fresh preparation, and people enjoying the meal in a natural setting. Given the incredible location, Kamil knew this wouldn’t be difficult.
Before the shoot was underway, Elizabeth handled most of the logistics from coordinating the travel, to accommodations and determining the gear required. On Kamil’s end, he just had to secure an assistant. Luckily for Kamil, Lindsay Henwood, who he worked with in the past, spends a good chunk of her time in Tofino, making her the ideal assistant for the project.
Tofino gets extremely busy in the summer because of its idyllic scenery. However, the fact that it’s so remote allows the natural landscape to remain relatively untouched. The small town is a few hours drive away from the closest major city. It requires a ferry ride to access.
That’s one of the things that makes Tofino so special… it’s literally the end of the road.
The shoot itself took place for a few very long days. The evening Kamil arrived, he did a quick location scout with the crew to find a backdrop for the “dinner fire scene.” The whole shoot took place within the Pacific Rim National Park. However, the rangers were a pleasure to deal with – super relaxed and helpful.
It’s pretty wild out there, so they were on set to make sure no bears or wolves got too close to the delicious food.
Some of the less adventurous crew members were a little terrified about that prospect. Luckily they had no extreme encounters. The only challenge here was choosing the location out of so many beautiful beachfronts.
The next morning the shoot was underway. Kamil accompanied the talent as they foraged for food in the morning light.
It’s exactly how I love to work – gorgeous light and scenery, talent that loves to explore, and generous time in which to do so. In the afternoon, we got into shooting the feature dishes, all of which were shot throughout that wonderful coast; secluded coves, rocky headlands with tide pools, and clean sandy beaches.
Alex Grossman, the creative director from Bon Appetit, was on the scene. His fluency in the visual language of the magazine was a huge help. This way, he could previsualize the layout options and suggest ideas accordingly.
After spending most of the day shooting dishes and the evening shooting landscapes to help provide visual context for the piece, they called it a day.
The next morning, the whole crew hiked 20 minutes into a remote cove in the national park carrying all the gear, props, and food. They essentially had a full kitchen with ice boxes, salmon props; everything they needed. The shooting took the whole day in that cove. They photographed the dishes and also shot the story of chef Nick Nutting preparing dinner for his friends.
Kamil’s challenge here was to juggle all the pieces fitting together inside his head. He had to figure out a way to tie in the artfully natural presentation of the dishes to the landscape, the people who live there, and the chef.
I find I can photograph more effectively when working viscerally, so I often let my instincts take over when chasing little light pockets, and interesting gradations to rocks or landscape. Photographing this way was also effective for the food/still life part of the shoot because as the crew was preparing dinner, it’s what they would do anyway; getting together and making a seafood dinner on the beach.
Elizabeth and the folks at Bon Appetit were very thankful for how the story turned out. Kamil was also super grateful for the supporting crew that helped him with the shoot.
It might sound cheesy, but the whole crew really busted their asses; stylists, everyone carried super heavy loads of gear, just trying really hard, you know?
When all was said and done, Kamil couldn’t have been happier. He got sunshine, a gorgeous dinner, and witnessed friends getting together at his favorite place on earth.
See more of Kamil’s work on his website.
Further Reading
Read more about Kamil Bialous.
Read more about Outdoor/Adventure photography.
Let us help you Find Photographers, source Stock Photography,
Produce Your Shoot — or just reach out to hear more!