More about Debi Treloar

Debi is full of beans and endless energy. She manages to balance family life and a busy career in the world of photography. She is a calm person and must be a huge asset on shoots, when soufflés fail to rise or tulips start to wilt. But you do get the feeling that beneath the very calm exterior is a woman who is clearly highly organised and very talented.

The girl
Debi is from Zimbabwe and studied photography in South Africa. She started as an assistant to interior photographers and it wasn't until she met Fran Warde that she decided to turn to food photography. She still works on interior photography and doesn't prefer one to the other. She is interested in food and enjoys cooking but wouldn't want to change places and start writing about it.

The work
Debi has worked all over the world and you will see her work in magazines (Red, Homes and Garden, Country Living) and in publications for Reed, Collins & Brown and Rylands Peters & Small. At the moment she is working on a book on baking with Linda Collister and of course, Fran Warde's second book, which will be published next year.

Natural light
Debi's photographs are brilliant still lives. She only uses natural light when shooting, which cuts down the time available to her even more. Shoots are normally tightly budgeted to the number of films that can be used, so everything is carefully planned. The results are always spectacular. She can almost capture the sizzle or the steam of the dishes she is portraying.

And the crunch
Debi does admit that photographers do not get all the credit they should. They usually get a flat fee and have to surrender the rights to their work. Debi could syndicate some of her work and sell it to a slide library, where the images are bought by advertising and magazine groups. For this, the photographer will receive a royalty. However, Debi chooses not to do this.

Time off
Debi has recently returned from a six month sabbatical in Kenya where she and her family lived in a beach house. She was anxious to give something to her children that they would remember forever. Her two children spent their days catching fish and taking advantage of the freedom. Debi now realises how spoilt we all are to live in England, especially in London, where you can get such a wide range of food all year round from as many different cultures.

On return, the telephone started ringing immediately and she is back on the treadmill, with bookings for the next six months. Oh, the downside of success. But she just loves it.