A successful photo takes just the right combination of ingredients mixed together with some tender loving care. A few years ago, San Francisco- and Reno, Nev.-based photographer Shea Evans found these ingredients in the form of…actual food ingredients.
He said it best: “Every photographer is interested in creating personal interpretations of the world that they see.” While cooking with scallops and leeks (as he is a proficient cook as well), Shea saw an interpretation of these ingredients that he had never noticed before (below left)— the beauty of the similar shapes and contrasting colors. This is what started the Deconstructed Flavor project.
After the first experiment, Shea continued to photograph the ingredients of a dish before making it, by basically taking the flavor palate and spreading it over a cutting board, table or parchment paper and photographing it.
Shea takes full ownership over this project, not working with any food styling or art direction:
I’ve tried doing some with simply “pretty” ingredients and I’ve failed every time. I think what makes them successful is that they’re flavors that work together in a dish (blueberries with mint and ginger, leeks and scallops, tomatoes and basil) and the mind, perhaps unconsciously, knows this. I don’t work with a creative director or food stylist for these images, they’re purely personal work, it’s all me. There were plenty of failures along the way. But I continue to make them and look forward to the surprises and challenges that working with a new flavor palate brings.
Shea worked in the restaurant industry for years before he began photographing food, so this project came naturally to him as he brings photography and cooking together for a unison of two great passions:
With this series I continue to learn about color balance and contrast in imagery, about looking for a frame that will make the viewers eye move around it, creating a dynamic image with a static subject. It has also taught me more about food styling, the little things like which ingredients are okay for 20 minutes, and which ones will “die” in a matter of a minute or two. It’s taught me that for some projects you don’t even need to leave your house and you can do them with a minimal amount of gear. There’s a real sense of satisfaction when I create one I like, one that makes me look at the final image just a bit longer. It’s also a kick to see someone’s reaction who hasn’t seen them before, there’s a shock and a pause that happens, usually before a big smile. That’s always nice. I’ve turned a few into prints for friends and family and next month will start hanging some for sale in restaurants and other smaller venues. That’s the great thing about personal projects, you never know where they’re going to take you.