The photos you’re about to see on this page were taken with my freshly unboxed, two-day-old Sony FX3, paired with a Zeiss 35mm f/1.4

From the get-go, the FX3 is what you would call a video-focused “cinema” camera from Sony. In this instance, “video-focused” means its photography capabilities have been somewhat minimized to further enhance its video performance. If I’m not wrong, the Sony FX3 can take photos with a limitation of 10 megapixels… or is it 12?

So, I decided to put it to the test—to take photos of ingredients on the table before filming a chef preparing them into mouth-watering dishes of all sorts.

I must say, the FX3 does take beautiful photos—tasty photos.

However, every time I chance upon these photos, I get rather emotional. (They were taken many years ago.) Look at how beautiful they are up close and personal. The colours somehow complement one another, and the level of detail they bring is incredible. These ingredients weren’t arranged for a photoshoot; they were simply placed randomly on the table. Seeing how messy the rest of the table was, I decided to take some up-close shots of them, just for fun.

So why are a bunch of everyday, go-to ingredients my favourite photos?

Here’s my story—and how these photos taught me about life.

Picture this scenario:

We plant seeds in the ground, nurture them, take care of them, and watch them grow into bite-sized beauties. Then, we “murder” them, taking them away from their families, dissecting them, and turning them into dishes that either harm or nourish our health. The more we “modify” them—adding preservatives, deep-frying, or using unhealthy methods, the more they harm us. On the other hand, the more we keep things “natural” and “original,” treating them with a healthier approach, the more they benefit us.

It’s like life.

And in this instance, we are the ingredients.

First, we grow up with love and care from our parents, generally speaking. Then, we leave them, and slowly we become sponges—absorbing what life brings to us, or what we choose to consume.

The more we consume negative content, influences, habits, or behaviours, the more we modify ourselves—deep-frying ourselves, bathing in preservatives. Similarly, the more we stay true to ourselves, to our beliefs, the less we harm ourselves.

It’s funny how I see these photos this way, but it’s true and that’s how they became my favourite photos to this day.

Little beauties, each carrying a strong lesson within especially when you imagine them being sliced up and tossed into the fiery pan of doom.

We were all once a healthy, juicy, tasty tomato. And along the way, life happens.

The question is: are you still that juicy tomato, or have you become a deep-fried one, served as a side dish to a ribeye steak?

Thanks for reading.

Feel free to reach out if you’d like to have a conversation, or subscribe to my email list for more articles like this.

The Stories Behind My Photos (Series 1)

The Importance of Family Photos (Before its too late)