I have always been a fan of concepts so simple that the simplicity is almost the subject. Paris' own Florent Tanent has come up with a gorgeous little series of food still lifes, entitled "La grande Epicerie de Paris", that showcase the minimalism as much as it does the food being photographed. I really dig some of these shots, hope you will too, Enjoy!
cool
I like the concept but think it lacks a certain "polish" to the images, imagine if it was more clean commercial look how cool they would be.
i agree, but at the same time would have to disagree. Yes it lacks the modern commercial polish, BUT the content and concept can override technique if its strong enough. In this case I would say it is :)
Seriously now, those could be considered fun snapshots but they're totally awful as commercial food shots.
I can't help thinking the background colours here do nothing for the subjects. They make the whole thing look a little dull and lifeless to me!
totally agree
You're right David, many of the pictures have a dull and lifeless quality. I believe it's due to the contrast between the original colors present in the scene. Most photographers tend to think of contrast in terms of adjustments in post-production, but contrast really starts with the actual objects in the scene.
Contrast is relative which means that the tones we consider highlights are always determined in relation to tones that are considered darker shades. This might sound obvious at first, but there's a bit more to it. The SAME tone can appear both as the brightest or darkest tone in a scene depending on what tones it is compared against. For example, a photograph that lacks a good white tone for a highlight may still possess a green color as it's brightest tone in comparison to the rest of the colors in the scene. In this case, the green becomes the highlight of the scene even though it is actually just a middle-tone in comparison to white. This is exactly the kind of situation that is happening in many of the featured food photographs. Many of the photos have a dull/lifeless quality simply because the brightest tone in the original scene is actually nothing more than a middle-tone in comparison to white. Similarly, many of the photos lack a black color or deep shadow which would provide a very dark tone. In the end, most of the tones in the photographs are actually just middle-tones and there's very little real contrast.
For anybody that might be interested, I' recommend a book by Josef Albers on the relativism of color. It's very accessible to folks that are new to color contrast relationships and it's a great read for photographers that are interested in learning more about the relationships of original tones within the scene.
My kid could do better.
They are just great... is the concept what matters... and the technic goes with it...! it's more an art photo than a commercial one.
despite all of the negative commits above, i like the idea and execution of the shots. the background does nothing but pull your eye to the subject which is, yes, not as clean as a commercial shoot but that is what really makes these shots great. The fact that the lines dont perfectly match up, or that the height may be a just off just adds to the authenticity of these photos. You can actually tell that these are photos and photos of food, unlike some commercial work where you cant tell if its a photo or a digitally rendered image. These photos are unique and done well, they look like what they should-different foods cut and photographed.
The concept is great and so are the compositions. But I am also not a big fan of the colors. To me it is a distraction from the subject matter.
seriously?
I am really surprised... i thought these were fantastic! The perspective and color choices are spot on
i like it )
For 'brilliantly minimalistic food still life's' look no further than Pret A Manger http://www.pret.com/