PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2023
NEW ZEALAND REGIONAL WINNER
&
FINALIST IN THE THE PHILIP HARBEN AWARD FOR FOOD IN ACTION CATEGORY
RESTAURANT PHOTOGRAPHY CLUB
INTERVIEW
MAY 2023
If you could do a photo shoot with someone, living or dead who would it be and why?
It would be Donna Hay. She’s the whole reason I ended up out here and why I’ve made a career in food photography. She was always a huge inspiration, so I left Denmark back in 2009 to pursue a dream to shoot for Donna Hay magazine in Australia. Instead, I met my husband and ended up in New Zealand. I know the magazine doesn’t exist anymore, but she’s still one of the biggest food stylists of our time and just has such an amazing eye, I’d still love to work with her sometime!
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
HOME MAGAZINE
THE SHAPE OF CONNECTION INTERVIEW
APRIL 2023
Award-winning Auckland-based food and lifestyle photographer Manja
Wachsmuth's work is direct, evocative, and beautiful. Behind the seeming
simplicity of her vivid images is an artistic narrative that underscores both her
professional and personal projects.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
WOMEN’S WORK, 2023
THE SHAPE OF THINGS EXHIBITION
ELLEN MELVILLE CENTRE
PECHA KUCHA
AUCKLAND ART GALLERY TOI O TĀMAKI
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022
OFFICIAL SELECTION
ADVERTISING / BRANDS CAMPAIGN CATEGORY
THIS IS GOLD FOR AMEX NZ
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022
OFFICIAL SELECTION
ADVERTISING / FOOD & BEVERAGE CATEGORY
CHOCOLATE COCKTAILS FOR LIQUORLAND
SPOTLIGHT AWARDS 2022
SHORTLISTED
ADVERTISING CATEGORY
CHEERS TO ALL FOR HEINEKEN
AMEX NZ VIA
DENTSUMB SYDNEY
THIS IS GOLD
DIGITAL, PRINT & OOH CAMPAIGN
D-PHOTO MAGAZINE
ISSUE 103 COVER SHOT
MAY 2022
Manja Wachsmuth, the food photographer behind chef Monique Fiso’s outstanding Hiakai book (Penguin Random House, 2019), shares some of the war stories, technical tips, travel advice, and the visual secret sauce that helped turn this book into an instant classic of local cuisine.
HEINEKEN VIA
SAATCHI & SAATCHI
CHEERS TO ALL
DIGITAL, PRINT & OOH CAMPAIGN
ADC 101ST ANNUAL AWARDS 2021
ADC 101ST ANNUAL AWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY JURY
I've had the absolute pleasure to be selected as a judge for ADC One Club 101 Award's, photography category. This legendary & prestigious award is the oldest in the advertising industry, and to be selected alongside some of the worlds top photographers, is an immense honour.
I can't wait to see all the beautiful work and be inspired by outstanding photography from around the globe.
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2021
AWARDED 3RD PLACE
BOOK / OTHER CATEGORY
HIAKAI
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2021
HONORABLE MENTION
FINE ART / OTHER CATEGORY
SHARED KITCHEN
DESIGN ASSEMBLY 2021
ARTICLE ABOUT HIAKAI & NEW ZEALAND NATURE
How did your collaboration with Monique Fiso, Lucy Corry, Tracy Berno come about?
I first met Monique in my backyard digging up a hāngī. Back in 2017, I noticed this young chef that had returned to New Zealand from New York with the purpose to elevate Māori food culture into fine dining. I could see a really strong resemblance between that and what had happened to the Scandinavian food scene 15 years ago with René Redzepi’s NOMA restaurant.
So I asked Monique to dig up a hāngī in my backyard for the purpose of a magazine article and that was the beginning of a long journey that essentially led to the creation of the Hiakai book.
Aside from Hiakai, what shoot (or shot), personal or professional, are you most proud of and why?
Definitely The Bug Project. The Bug project takes inspiration from fine dining restaurants and Dutch still-life masters. I wanted to create a range of food images that explores the unexpected. With food stylist Fiona Hugues we created a range of recipes where at a first glance you see a beautiful and delicious recipe you wouldn’t hesitate to cook at home, but with a closer look, you discover that the food has insects, that are either part of the recipe or have come to eat the food before you. This is a series of 10 images that are both recipes and portraits of some of the insects utilised in the recipes.
Parts of this project has been exhibited twice, both here in New Zealand and in Denmark, my home country, counts 6 International photography awards and I guess is the beginning of a journey for me where the food photography that I work with has some deeper meaning and explores some of the ideas and values that are important to me. In this case sustainability. Not just related to food but in life in general.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
LÜRZER'S ARCHIVE 2021 / 2022
200 BEST AD PHOTOGRAPHERS WORLDWIDE
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS MAGAZINE 2021
ARTICLE ABOUT PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARDS
A fierce determination to create beautiful and gripping food images has paid off for Auckland-based photographer Manja Wachsmuth. Manja recently received two awards in the prestigious Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 20201, the world's leading celebration of the art of food photography and film.
The striking image she made of an octopus for Monique Fiso's book, Hiakai: Modern Maori Cuisine, won second place in the 'One Vision Imaging Cream of the Crop' category. A shot taken during the grape harvest at Waiheke's Tantalus Estate received second prize in the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year's people section. Manja says being recognised in the awards, which attracted over 80,000 entries this year, is a huge coup.
"In a competition as tough as this one, being shortlisted let alone actually winning a category is an immense honour. I couldn't be more proud to put New Zealand on the map in a highly regarded competition that attracts the best food photographers in the world."
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
ONE CLUB FOR CREATIVITY ADC 100TH ANNUAL AWARDS 2021
AWARDED BRONZE
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021
AWARDED 2ND PLACE (2)
ONE VISION IMAGING CREAM OF THE CROP
&
ERRAZURITZ WINE PHOTOGRAPHER – PEOPLE
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2021
COMMENDED
ERRAZURITZ WINE PHOTOGRAPHER – PRODUCE
CAMPAIGN BRIEF
ARTICLE ABOUT RECENT PINK LADY & ERRAZURIZ AWARDS
Wachsmuth says being recognised in the awards, which attracted over 80,000 entries this year, is a huge coup: “In a competition as tough as this one, being shortlisted let alone actually winning a category is an immense honour. I couldn’t be more proud to put New Zealand on the map in a highly regarded competition that attracts the best food photographers in the world.”
‘Styling’ the octopus that features in Hiakai: Modern Maori Cuisine (Penguin Random House NZ) was a fiddly, time-consuming and slimy task.
Says Wachsmuth: “In food photography, an octopus is usually presented inside out to expose the suction cups on the arms. I wanted to get this guy looking a bit more like a monstrous beast, pushing the boundaries of the camera frame.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
C2A CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS AWARD 2020
WINNER, PHOTOGRAPHY
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
C2A CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS AWARD 2020
WINNER, PHOTOGRAPHY
THE BUG PROJECT
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2020
HONORABLE MENTION
FINE ART / OTHER CATEGORY
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2020
HONORABLE MENTION
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
BEAUTIFUL DECAY
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS 2020
AWARDED SILVER
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
BEAUTIFUL DECAY
( Parts created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS 2020
HONORABLE MENTION
FINE ART / STILL LIFE CATEGORY
THE BUG PROJECT 2.0
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PERSONAL PROJECT
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
PR CAMPAIGN & ARTICLE BY
CUISINE MAGAZINE
By Kelli Brett:
The restaurant and hospitality sectors are very close to our hearts at Cuisine. These industries made a valiant and impressive effort to survive across the various levels while we were all asked to stay home and fight Covid-19… (edited by MW).
Manja Wachsmuth explains...
The strong message of supporting your local restaurant has been circling social media a great deal during the period of Covid-19 and it gave me an idea. I wanted to show my support in the best way I could. Through my art. I wanted to see if I could get the local restaurants to see that the message also relates to how they support their local artists, interact with food media and, of course, every other business that provides a service to them within their local area. #supportlocal is the theme for this personal photography project...
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2020
SHORTLISTED
WINE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR - PEOPLE
&
FOOD FOR THE FAMILY
LONDON INTERNATIONAL CREATIVE COMPETITION 2020
HONORABLE MENTION
PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGORY
THE BUG PROJECT
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
THE FOODIES – NZ FOOD WRITERS GUILD AWARDS 2019
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
EDITORIAL & COMMERCIAL CATEGORIES
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2019
AWARDED 1ST PLACE
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGORY
THE BUG PROJECT
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2019
HONORABLE MENTION
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGORY
PRIME PROTEIN
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PX3 – LE PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE PARIS 2019
AWARDED GOLD
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGORY
THE BUG PROJECT
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
PROGEAR
PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE MONTH FEATURE
JUNE 2019
Most of your work is centered around food and lifestyle. Tell us about what led you into this line of photography?
"As mentioned earlier, I was never really that keen on photographing a lot of people based work. In the early days, I guess I studied light, shapes and textures, doing lots of street photography - I didn’t realise that, that was initially what I was doing, but I know now that it was. I just liked to photograph things on my path on black and white film and watch the magic appear in the dark room. When I started my apprenticeship, my boss was specialised in shooting objects and food, so it was natural for me to go that way. It suits my personality well. I’m a bit shy and introverted so I do well with detail oriented work that requires focus on the subject and not so much interaction with people. That’s a skill that I’ve developed more over the years, but food still remains my main focus and priority, except now I like to think of it as food and all things foodie related. Food, products, produce, restaurants interiors, chefs portraits, landscape. It ticks all my boxes."
READ THE REST OF THE INTERVIEW HERE
COPENHAGEN PHOTO FESTIVAL & AUCKLAND PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL 2019
FOTODAGE VIBORG, STATUS:19
THE BUG PROJECT
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019
SHORTLISTED
ONE VISION IMAGING CREAM OF THE CROP CATEGORY
HUHU BEETLE"
( Created in collaboration with
Fiona Hugues )
NZ HOUSE & GARDEN MAGAZINE
BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURE
Since arriving in New Zealand from Denmark 10 years ago, Manja has won a reputation as a top food photographer, renowned for her rich, moody images. She has worked with NZ House & Garden for eight years, usually as part of a team that includes a food stylist, a props stylist, photographer and assistant.
The trickiest food to photograph: Ice cream. On one memorable shoot my freezer was playing up so I bought dry ice to keep it cold. Unfortunately, the dry ice froze it rock hard and it was impossible to take scoops. Now I ask the food stylist to make three times the amount to ice cream to ensure we get the right shot.
Any sneaky tricks? Food photography has a reputation for employing trickery like potato starch made up as ice cream scoops so they don't melt, but we don't do any of that. It's very genuine and we always have great leftovers for dinner.
How did you get started? My career was borne out of shyness. When I first began my apprenticeship I shied away from photographing people. I liked the control of working with inanimate objects.
My style is: For moody, natural lighting as it makes the colours of the food really pop. I also like images that have a setting or personal touches, like a hand in the shot. It gives a sense of place and life, which works well for editorial features.
ADOBE CREATE MAGAZINE
ARTICLE ABOUT TRENDS IN EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
( Thanks to
Christina for mentioning me and my
salt story )
IPA INT'L PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2018
HONORABLE MENTION
ADVERTISING / FOOD CATEGORY
( Chef's Series for Miele Australia — Recipes: Michael Meredith, Food Styling: Fiona Smith, Production: Dish Magazine Team, Tangible Media & Image Centre )
AIPA'S FIND A PHOTOGRAPHER BLOG 2018
ARTICLE ABOUT ME BY LARA WYATT
Manja’s journey with photography started as a young teenager, at the age of around 14. She knew she wanted to be a professional photographer, but being somewhat shy and reserved, Manja wasn't sure if she had the right disposition for the industry. Fortunately, she gained an apprenticeship with a commercial photographer who specialised in food and still life. The stars definitely aligned, and Manja discovered a niche that suited her personality perfectly. “I always wondered how was I going to do this, not wanting to get into press photography or weddings. And then I discovered advertising and commercial photography. That was my calling. That was where I discovered I could stand in a corner and shoot on my own!” She says with a laugh.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
NZ MPA WEBSTAR MAGAZINE MEDIA AWARDS 2018
AWARDED BEST COVER & PEOPLES CHOICE
DISH MAGAZINE COVER
PINK LADY FOOD PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR AWARD 2017
AWARDED HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR IMAGE "WHITE PIZZA"
FOOD AT THE TABLE CATEGORY
NZ MPA MAGAZINE AWARDS 2017
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER FINALIST
PORTFOLIO OF WORK CREATED FOR NZ HOUSE & GARDEN MAGAZINE
FOOD PHOTO FESTIVAL 2017
IMAGE SCREENED
VEJLE, DENMARK
NZ MPA MAGAZINE AWARDS 2015
AWARDED BEST PHOTOGRAPHY
LIFESTYLE CATEGORY
FABULOUS FUNGI FEATURE, DISH MAGAZINE
D-PHOTO MAGAZINE
ARTICLE ABOUT TRENDS IN FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
EXCERPT
Manja Wachsmuth carried out her education in Denmark, which involved a four-year apprenticeship, one year focusing on the technical side of photography and three years carrying out an apprenticeship. her boss was a specialist in food, and she says it was natural for her to progress into food photography. Since moving to New Zealand six years ago, Wachsmuth has shot fo Dish, NZ House & Garden, Homestyle, and a range of other food/lifestyle magazines, as well as doing more advertising work for the likes of Beef and Lamb New Zealand.
"I've always been interested in doing still life; I've never really caught on to doing people or fashion," Wachsmuth says. "Everyone else seems to be really keen on doing fashion photography, but I've always been really keen on doing my own thing."