Last month, in Broome, I was invited to photograph the recently completed home of Trish Pepper. Trish, a superb cook, is one of the caterers on the television production I was working on. Her house is an excitingly designed and dramatic statement that uses large open spaces and decks to take advantage of Broome’s tropical climate. The bold and bright colour scheme picks up its notes from the red pindan earth of the surrounding desert. There’s even a boab tree growing through the courtyard deck.
Trish Pepper's home in Broome, Western Australia
While showing her the results of the shoot on my laptop, Trish commented, “They are wonderful pictures. What a great camera!”. I couldn’t resist it! I just had to re-cycle/re-use that old and probably apocryphal story about the photographer and the titled lady admiring his pictures after dinner.
Having had dinner at Trish’s house and enjoyed her food every day while I was there, I could not hold back: “…and your food’s wonderful too, you must have a great stove”. Her response, “Oooops!”…I think we are still friends.
The delicious (groan) irony was that Trish really does work with a great stove. The production company had just installed a professional grade, La Germania and I can guarantee it’s good. On the Sunday I photographed her house, it was her day off and so for fun, I cooked in it for the crew, roasting five large chickens stuffed with lemon slices and rosemary.
If anyone is interested my “great camera” was a Nikon D300 with the Sigma 10-20mm wide-angle zoom lens. The chickens were served with a Greek avgolemono sauce (recipe here). And it’s a great looking house, Trish…
PS Special thanks to that consummate continuity person, Lesia Hrubyi, who hustled around ensuring that everything was neat and tidy.
Tasmanian Times
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