The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings

It’s the end of July, and in Chicago we’re in the unseasonably cool and wet aftermath of a brief heatwave. So it’s with consummate timing that as our month of celebratory posts closes, we can feature the work of my great friend Charlotte Bland in London. As our wedding photographer 8 years ago, Charlotte has pursued her passion while managing her day job. Her atmospheric art is wonderfully displayed in Hannah Schuckburgh’s The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings

“Ask a British person what the most important element of a picnic is and the answer may well be “umbrella”. Unreliable weather is part of the charm of eating outdoors in the UK and Brits are always prepared for every eventuality. Barbecues are conducted under coats held over glowing coals as rain comes in sideways, and garden tables piled high with food are often shielded with tarpaulins as the heavens open.

But while this stoic attitude to weathering the elements is commendable, it is sometimes better to bring the party inside. It’s easy to recreate a picnic lunch on the sitting room floor with guests sat cross-legged on rugs, within reaching distance of the same platters, glasses, napkins and flowers that you would use outside, and have a picnic with a difference by making the most of what you’ve got.

This is the theme running through the book The Set Table: The Art of Small Gatherings by Hannah Shuckburgh who suggests “using and reviving what you have” and how, if you “set a good table” and “gather some friends, everything else will fall into place”. I was lucky enough to work with Hannah, shooting the photographs for this book, capturing the skillful way she brings life to any meal setting, both indoors and out with the bits and pieces of crockery, linen and glassware that are collected over time.

One of my favourite shots from the book is of a simple sitting room picnic with afternoon tea served on a mirrored tray and balanced on an ottoman, the mismatched crockery glowing in the soft light of the impromptu, casual gathering. There are really simple elements to this picnic but it felt quite luxurious even though everything was just gathered from the kitchen, arranged on a tray and carried into a different setting. The focal point was a fruit tart, served with creme fraiche from Normandy in a jar so beautiful there was no need to spoon it into anything else and alongside this were a little brown teapot and patterned mugs.

It wasn’t the fruit tart – delicious as it was – that stood out when composing this shot, however, but the little blue and white milk jug that caught the afternoon light. That jug perfectly made the case for decanting everyday things like milk into simple objects to lift a gathering – even though as Hannah says, “it’s extra washing up” – and is an example of my favourite subjects to shoot: the ordinary things in everyday life that are actually very beautiful.”

Photographs courtesy of Charlotte Bland. For more inspiration from Charlotte visit her blog.

“Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.”
-Alice Walker