A great food photo is more than just a thoughtful composition of a well-presented meal; it captures the smell, taste and, sometimes, atmosphere of the location, while leaving your mouth watering.
The photo we're looking at here captures all these elements, presenting an excellent understanding of food psychology and travel photojournalism. It was shot by food and travel blogger Zaeem Jafri, and recently won the Food category of the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Awards.
“I’d been told the best food in Korea is wherever you see a crowd of Ajummas [Korean term for a married or middle-aged woman] gathering, so when I spotted a large group pressing around a tiny stall in Namdaemun Market [Seoul], I was drawn in,” said Zaeem.
“What caught my eye first wasn't the food but the rhythm: a fresh batch of kimchi-mandu [traditional Korean dumplings] would emerge from the steamer, triggering a chaotic few minutes as people grabbed box after box, and then calm… until the next batch arrived,” he added.
With a Nikon Z6 and Tamron f/2.8 28-75mm in hand, Zaeem joined the queue, lifting his camera over the people in front to snap the frame at the moment a fresh tray brought a “rush of steam that engulfed the entire stall, and everyone’s eyes became completely fixated on the dumplings.”
Zaeem opted for a 1/160 shutter speed and an f/4 aperture, which perfectly rendered the crowd (which was “closing in”) slightly out of focus, and the wafting steam as it rose.
Shooting in aperture priority with auto ISO, the camera selected a sensitivity of 160 – and it looks like Zaeem used a little bit of creativity in post-production to dodge and burn, drawing attention to the woman holding the tray of fresh treats.
“It felt like a miniature stage show coordinated by the vendor in the photograph,” said Zaeem. “Those dumplings go from steamer to mouth in seconds, and I love how this photograph captures the energy of the moment.”
What I love is the journalistic storytelling of Zaeem’s creation and also how much it makes me want to explore this Seoul market and try the kimchi-mandu dumplings. But I’m going to stop looking at the photo because I’m getting hungry.
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