)
Karen Thomas: A Few Of My Favourite Things
)
The BITE Collective director/photographer takes us through the items that keep her creativity flowing.
With two decades behind the camera, and a client list that includes M&S, Costa, Sainsbury’s and McDonald's, it’s fair to say Karen Thomas knows how to make food look good.
However, for Fave Things we're not interested in the tasty treats, more the terrific trinkets, and it's here that the BITE Collective director/photographer delivers as well, with choices including a surprising sentimental camera and the sexiest mug you'll see all day.
The Camera
I went over to my brother’s house for dinner a couple of years ago and, after dinner, he asked me what my first SLR camera was
I told him it was a Pentax ME, so he handed me a Pentax ME and said, 'Like this one?'.
I took it from him and started playing with it, as I hadn’t seen one in so many years, and I said, 'Yes, exactly like this.'
He then said, Yes, that’s the one', and I again said, 'Yes, like this one'.
He then said, more emphatically, 'No... that is the one'.
I looked at him blankly.
It turned out that I’d sold my camera to his best mate when I was about 15 or 16, and he’d kept it all this time.
Recently, he gave it to my brother to give back to me – around 35 years later.
I was really moved by the gesture, and it now sits on the shelf in my office.
The Little Books
I keep two notebooks on my shelf.
One is an early sketchpad by my friend Sarah Jane Moon, a brilliant artist whose work I collect.
Years ago, at her open studio, I spotted a box of old sketchbooks and asked if I could buy one.
I love seeing the early stages – scrappy ideas, loose lines.
They tell a story all their own.
The other book was a gift from my wife and close friends on a weekend away for my 50th.
During that trip, they filled it with sketches, memories, jokes – bits of our weekend scribbled in real time.
Every now and then, I pull it down, open a page, and it just makes me smile.
The Ceramic Pots
I’m a very hands-on photographer/director, but working on set doesn’t exactly mean getting your hands dirty.
That’s why I love ceramics – specifically, being on the wheel.
I’m pretty basic in what I make, but for me it’s more about the process and getting my hands messy and feeling the clay.
On a shoot, I’m always thinking about what’s happening, what needs to happen, and my head is in lots of places all at once.
When I’m on the wheel, trying to make a lump of clay do what I want it to do (which is a massive challenge), my head is purely in that moment.
It’s a beautiful form of calm meditation.
The Mug
During a shoot for my Lakeland Dairies client, everything was stainless steel.
While reviewing the playback, I kept saying, “It’s looking so sexy industrial.”
It became the running joke.
At the end of the project, my client handed me a gift: a polished steel mug with the words 'My Sexy Industrial Era' stencilled onto it.
Now it’s my go-to mug on set.
The Juggling Balls
I’m not particularly good at juggling, but I can do it a bit.
I used to do it more when I was younger, so I’ve been practising again at home.
I took them into the studio recently, as we often have moments between shots while waiting for sign-off, and sometimes, I, clients, or the team pick them up and give them a go.
I’m very focused during shoots – always making sure everything runs smoothly and that we’re lined up for the next shot or setup.
But a little moment of juggling now and then gives the opportunity for a quick, fun reset.
