Falls Restaurant at Sheen Falls Lodge Bringing the Landscape Inside

Mark Treacy, Executive Chef at Falls Restaurant in Sheen Falls Lodge, is a very passionate chef who knows his producers by name and works closely with them. From the start he was clear that the photographs needed a true sense of place.

The restaurant looks directly onto the waterfall and the surrounding Kerry landscape, so we built the shoot around that. I photographed the dishes on stone slabs chosen to echo the rock and water outside the windows. The texture of the stone and the warm directional light gave every plate a natural depth and weight, connecting the food to the land around it.

Among the dishes we captured were early-evening snacks like a choux bite topped with aged cheese, a briny oyster crowned with caviar, and the rich wild-mushroom ravioli finished with a pour of truffle broth. Later courses included seasonal fish from Portán Fresh Fish in Kenmare and a dessert of rhubarb and soft vanilla meringue. Each plate carried the same link to the surrounding landscape that Mark wanted to celebrate.

For lighting I used a carefully balanced mix of sources to shape the mood. Key lights and subtle fills worked together to catch steam rising from the ravioli, the glint of caviar on the oyster and the fine textures of the delicate snacks served before the starters. Shadows added quiet drama and gave the highlights room to breathe.

This was a two day shoot. Day one focused on the dishes. Day two followed Mark into the forest and onto the water to meet local producer Portán Fresh Fish in Kenmare, whose sustainably caught lobster and crab feature on the menu. I photographed Mark foraging among the trees and later with the Portán team as they landed their catch, grounding the images in the same provenance that defines his cooking.

The result is a collection of images that reflects Falls Restaurant as it is, a kitchen deeply connected to the land, the sea and the waterfall just beyond the glass.