I didn’t think when I woke up that morning that I would be photographing such unusual and creative artwork, but that is how the day turned out!
It isn’t everyone who gets to see their own face in pizza, but that is exactly what happened to two-year-old Evan Williams after his mum, Gemma Morgan, entered a Facebook competition with Domino’s Caerphilly.
The Domino’s franchise teamed up with Welsh artist Nathan Wyburn to offer one lucky winner the chance to have a portrait created in the popular pizza foodstuff. Instead of having her own face recreated in pepperoni and cheese, Gemma opted to give the prize to her young son, Evan, who had recently spent time in hospital.
I was asked to take over the shoot at the last minute by PR company Peacock Media Group, when unforeseen circumstances overtook the freelance photographer they had engaged. I was at the Caerphilly branch of Domino’s within the hour, briefed and ready to go.
It was not the easiest shoot I have ever done… but there’s nothing wrong with a challenge! Communication with my subjects is always really important, because not everyone enjoys being photographed. It was quite tricky to reassure everyone this time, since some of the Domino’s staff had English only as a second language. Very gentle persuasion was the name of the game on this occasion.
Nathan, from Ebbw Vale, gave toddler Evan the star treatment usually reserved for celebrities such as Simon Cowell and Michael McIntyre. The artist created portraits of both men using toast and Marmite, while they were judges on Britain’s Got Talent. Nathan appeared on the 2011 season of the show and reached the semi-final of the competition.
As well as being a fun portrayal, much as the pizza portrait of Evan Williams was intended, the Marmite depiction of Simon Cowell was inspired by the statement that the record producer and television presenter is ‘Marmite’… you either love him or hate him.
Food used as art material has become his trademark, and Wyburn has also immortalised the Caerphilly-born comic of yester-year, Tommy Cooper, again using toast, for Y Galeri in Caerphilly town.
Since fascinating television audiences with his speedy form of food art, he has been commissioned to take the portraits of other household names such as Sir Alan Sugar, and Olympian Tom Daley. Nathan’s portrait of TV star Paul O’Grady was, appropriately enough, made out of dog biscuits.
Domino’s South Wales franchise manager, Shayban Alibrahim, was very pleased to turn over his kitchen in Caerphilly to Nathan Wyburn, and said, “It was an absolute pleasure having such a creative Welsh artist combining his love of art and Domino’s. His work was fantastic and we were honoured to have him visit.”
I was also pleased with this unexpected photoshoot, despite – or perhaps because of – the challenges it presented. I got some good shots through persistence and my extensive experience of photographing people. I edited and processed them in double quick time in order to deliver them online that same afternoon. All in all, it was a good job well done!
