Chefs move to front and centre

The Shoot the Chef photo competition comes to Canberra this year for the first time, with Canberra photographers invited to snap favourite chefs.

The nationwide Fairfax competition has two prizes (each worth $2500) - a people's choice award, for which you can vote online at goodfoodmonth.com (''like'' your favourite photographs), and a critics' choice award, judged by a panel including Good Food Month festival director Joanna Savill, Fairfax Sydney photo editor Mags King and photographer Alexia Sinclair.

Also for the first time this year, amateur photographers are invited to enter, with photos submitted via Twitter (#shootthechef), Instagram or the Good Food Month website.

So far, three Canberra chefs have been caught on camera for the awards: Le Tres Bon's Christophe Gregoire, photographed by blogger Liz Posmyk; Michael Carey from Eightysix, photographed by Stella Zelnik; and Poachers Pantry chef Mel Hanns, photographed by Alan Benson. Judges are looking for skill and ''creative interpretation''.

Entries close on September 8.

Alexia Sinclair's tips for would-be photographers

■ Think about the relationship between the chef and the food.

■ Fresh ingredients retain their brilliant colour.

■ Uncomplicated dishes often have a great design aesthetic in photography.

■ Light is important to create atmosphere.

■ Certain ingredients have a natural history and rich relationship.

■ Often soft window light, with a shallow depth of field is used in food photography.

■ To quote Coco Chanel, ''Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory.'' The case is the same with photography and food.