Black Bean Shrimp by Bashar Alaeddin

Part of an ongoing Asian food series, this photograph captures a vibrant dish of black bean shrimp presented with artistic precision. The photographer opted for a bird's-eye perspective, placing the meal against a clean, white tablecloth to emphasize the textures and colors of the ingredients. This deliberate composition highlights the chef's presentation, turning a culinary moment into a study of form and light. The image is award-worthy for its clean aesthetic, balanced framing, and the way it elevates a simple dining experience into a sophisticated visual narrative.

Black Bean Shrimp by Bashar Alaeddin
Canon EOS 7D | Exposure 1/125sec @ f/2.8 | ISO 160 | Focal Length 28mm
Copyright Β© Bashar Alaeddin
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Bashar Alaeddin

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in Kuwait City and having spent most of his life between Jordan and Lebanon, Bashar Alaeddin is a seasoned photographer with over nine years of professional experience. After beginning his journey with a simple 2-megapixel camera during university, he founded a photography and video studio in Amman, where he specializes in commercial food, interior, and product photography. Beyond his commercial work, Alaeddin is a dedicated amateur astronomer who frequently travels across the Middle East to capture the intersection of Arabian landscapes and the night sky through long-exposure photography.

Profile View Full Profile
13.6/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
330/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
22,315 views | 5 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date November 7, 2011
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 15.0
Style 13.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Amman, Jordan

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Bashar Alaeddin Photography
Food Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (13.3/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,830/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
22,315/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
3.3/5 points
330/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 13.3/20
Total Award Score: 77.3/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 5

Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
The white tablecloth acts as a clinical void, stripping the shrimp of their history. It’s a sterile, terrifying brightness that refuses to let the dish breathe. I’ve always found this aggressive clarity unsettling; it’s a photograph that fears the depth of the plate. Where are the shadows that give a meal its soul? Without them, the shrimp are merely specimens. It’s beautiful, I suppose, but it’s a beauty that feels hollow, like a conversation without a secret.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
There is a stillness here I recognize, the quietude of a table before the first bite. Bashar waited for the light to soften, stripping away the chaos of the kitchen until only the shrimp remained, glowing against that stark white expanse. It’s a landscape of sustenance. Looking at the steam’s ghost, I’m suddenly hungry, not just for the meal, but for the silence he found in Amman. He listened to the plate, and it spoke back.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most food photography is ephemeral, destined for a menu and then the trash. Of the thousands I’ve reviewed, this one lingers because of the restraint. By shooting top-down at f/2.8, Alaeddin forces us to confront the geometry of the shrimp against that stark white void. It’s clinical, yet I find myself genuinely hungry looking at it. It’s not just a meal; it’s a study in form that won’t look dated in thirty years. That’s rare.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The bird’s-eye perspective enforces a rigid geometry. The circular plate acts as a fulcrum, anchoring the chaotic distribution of shrimp and aromatics. It’s a disciplined containment of organic disorder. The white negative space provides the necessary tension to prevent the composition from collapsing into mere documentation. I’m genuinely unsettled by the off-center placement of the garnish; it disrupts the symmetry, yet the frame holds. It’s a cold, calculated success. The structure demands total visual submission.
Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The obsidian gloss of the fermented beans against the translucent, coral-pink flesh of the shrimp creates a tension that reminds one of a Morandi still life, stripped of its dust and suddenly electrified. It’s a visceral, saline harmony; I’m genuinely hungry for the light hitting those glistening shells. The stark, clinical white tablecloth acts as a void, forcing the eye to surrender to the vibrant, briny warmth of the dish’s own internal, chromatic pulse.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Margaret Holt

The Geometry of Sustenance

In the quiet hours of the afternoon, when the kitchen has been scrubbed clean and the steam has long since vanished from the air, one is left to consider the architecture of a meal.

Read the reflection →
By Priya Kapoor

Salt on the Tongue

The memory of a meal is rarely about the hunger it satisfied. It is about the way the steam curled against my cheek, damp and smelling of fermented earth and brine.

Read the reflection →

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