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Food styling at the Yeoville Market

 

The Yeoville market is filled with food, clothing and people. Of course it would have been the easier way of representing the Yeoville market as a whole with human features in my work. But with the harassment I was getting there from male stallholders, I had to think on the spot and shift my narrative, to focusing on something that would not lead to people asking me, “Why are you photographing in my space?” or, “Baby you look nice, leave me your number”. I had to think of a non-invasive project and food grabbed my attention. Food was all over and food does not speak; I was looking for a way I could make it talk. For this, texture and food styling made sense. Texture in photography refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variance in shape, tone and depth of colour. Texture brings life and vibrance to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring. While food styling on the other hand is the art of arranging food so that it looks tasty and fresh. This is important in a number of situations, particularly when the food is being photographed. For instance, the pictures of food that you see in cookbooks, magazines, advertisements, and menus have been styled. So, that’s exactly what I did. I bought a few edible items from the Yeoville Market, took it home and styled it as if it was a part of a recipe book.