Food photographer in Valencia

A food photographer working in Valencia has to learn the local clock before the light. Many bars here serve almuerzo, the mid-morning sandwich, nuts and coffee ritual, from about nine until noon, so "before opening" for them means early morning. A rice restaurant runs on lunch, because paella is a midday dish in Valencia, and its kitchen is busiest from two. A dinner-led place in Ruzafa or the centre has its quiet hours in the late morning. The half day is fitted to whichever of those is yours. Rice also sets the pace of the shoot. A paella is photographed in its pan, straight from the fire, in the few minutes before the surface dulls, so we light the table before the first one is cooked and the kitchen sends each rice when we are ready, one at a time, rather than all at once.

When to book in Valencia

The half day is placed before your service starts, so it depends on what kind of place you run. A bar that serves almuerzo needs us from early morning; a lunch-led arrocería from about nine; a dinner restaurant in the late morning or early afternoon. Season matters less indoors, but it changes the menu: if you want rice dishes with artichokes or seasonal produce, shoot when they are on the menu, not after. Avoid the Fallas week, up to 19 March, when kitchens are flat out and deliveries struggle through closed streets. January and the first half of September, before the autumn menus launch, are quiet enough to give the kitchen time.