If you have been following my 2016 #WE35 adventure, then you know that each month is a new topic to photograph. For April’s “Beauty is in the eye of the photographer” #WE35 expedition, I wanted to share my favorite things from Passover Seder. I love both photos so much I can’t decide on which is better. :-)
April’s topic is called “Beauty is in the eye of the photographer.” The idea is to photograph something that isn’t attractive to the masses and to make it look appealing to you, the photographer.
Timing happened to work out, Passover Seder was going on in April. Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday because of the food. My three favorite food items during Passover are matzoh ball soup, charoset, and horseradish.
Matzoh ball soup looks delicious already, so I skipped over it for this project. Instead, I focused on the two other dishes.
Charoset (pronounced HAR-ROW-SET) is traditionally made of apples, nuts, red wine, and cinnamon. There are so many variations on this traditional dish. But it’s purpose is to resemble the mortar (brick) used in Ancient Egypt.
The next dish is horseradish. I wish I had photographed horseradish before it was made, while it was still in its root form. Because horseradish is hideous before you cut off its skin and make it into this beauty.
Horseradish is typically served in its white food processor chopped color. However, many people prefer adding a little flavor to this dish. And that’s where the red color comes in. Beats are earthy, yet slightly sweet. Adding a beet to horseradish causes this nearly neon red color to come take over the white shavings of the root. And if the radish is kept to a minimum, it doesn’t take away from the heat in the dish.
Both are ugly to look at but so tasty.
And both pair well with matzoh.
Wow, what an inventive idea! I’m definitely going to try this out and start looking for some of the “ugly” things I come across and ignore. Are you approaching the project with the intention to fit “ugly” subjects into the shooting style you already have, or as a way to broaden your style?
Neither of these dishes look ugly anymore (in fact, I’m getting a bit of a craving for charoset right now!). You’ve caught them looking totally fresh and delicious, before they start to settle into the dishes. When photographing foods, especially ones that don’t have a ton of natural gloss or shine, I’ve found that timing to be crucial. I think it’s charming how incidental and impromptu these look.
Did you prepare any of the foods before shooting, or just shoot them as-is? I’ve always relied on a spritz of water or oil to liven up the shot, so I’m curious if you used any of those tricks here.
Hey Sara,
I’m doing this project to keep my skills up. Practice makes permanent.
I didn’t make the dishes myself, but they were prepared for the Passover Sedar, so I photographed them before the Sedar started.