A Week of Food Photography

If you are what you eat, then I am either a vegetable or a fruit.  Possibly an onion or a kiwifruit.  I eat a lot of those.

Eight days of before/after breakfasts, lunches and dinners of a 10 month old. 

A few months ago I decided to document Zaika's meals.  In part, I thought that it would be an interesting visual study, and in part because my mild OCD directed me to chronicle Zaika's eating preferences for future reference.  As many a great artist, I was inspired by feelings of dejection.  I would present carefully cut pieces of fruit and vegetables, lovingly assembled sandwiches; and I would be presented back with a pile of half chewed, multi-coloured mush, some of it smeared into my hair.  I spent several weeks photographing Zaika's food before and after meal times and eventually extracted just over a week's worth of chronologically accurate images.

I would love to repeat the experiment again, now that Zaika is older and has a better appetite and a much more varied pallette.  However, the level of dedication that this challenge presents is pretty daunting.  Three times a day for several weeks is a commitment.  Firstly I have to be very organised with the meals because we all eat together, and it's tricky to time everything perfectly.  Also, Zaika finds the contents of my plate to be more palatable than the identical culinary presentation on her tray, so a portion of her many a meal comes off my serving.  Lastly, the gastronomic envy bounces in both directions, and I frequently find myself finishing off Zaika's leftovers.  I'm like a family dog, crawling under the high chair, eating stray chickpeas off the drop cloth.  Exceptionally dignified.

Nom nom nom mmmm pasta