Roger Stowell, that’s me, has been a professional advertising and editorial photographer since 1968. I attended art school and studied fine art, though I have no idea why I chose to study fine art. I just thought that’s what you did at art school. I would still be struggling to finish my first painting had I not been offered the chance to assist one of London’s leading fashion photographers. My tutor’s advice had been ” ….why play houses when you can do the real thing..” so I did the real thing. In 1985, whilst engaged in shooting some accessories for Elle magazine, the art director, Clive Crook, asked if I would like to shoot a food feature for the magazine.From that day on I specialised in food photography. I have shot for most of the major magazines including Elle, Marie Claire, House and Garden, Red, Olive, BBC Good Food, The Sunday Times, The Observer and Telegraph Colour Supplement and others in France and America. Advertising clients include Heinz, Kellogs, MasterFoods, Danone, British Meat, Dolmio, Lindt, Findus and so the list goes on. From 1992 I directed TV commercials with Julian Seddon Films.
Storing garlic
In 2001 Jenny, my wife, and I moved to live in France permanently. We live in deep country in the heart of the Southern Vendée. In 2005 I met and fell in love with digital photography. I was never enthusiastic about dark rooms, so the ability to work on pictures without stumbling around a chemical filled, dimly lit cave was an epiphany. I now work on my pictures and run occasional Food Photography Workshops, here in France and in London.
Food, Photography & France 