Strawberry Tart by Bashar Alaeddin

Captured for a boutique patisserie in Amman, this image reimagines traditional food photography by eschewing standard angles for a striking top-down perspective. The photographer chose a moody black-stone backdrop to contrast with the vibrant strawberry tart, deliberately offsetting a single berry to break the circular symmetry and add organic character. This creative decision transforms a simple pastry into a sophisticated study of form and texture. The photograph is award-worthy for its intentionality, demonstrating how a shift in viewpoint and a focus on atmospheric lighting can elevate commercial food subjects into compelling, artistic compositions.

Strawberry Tart by Bashar Alaeddin
Canon 5D Mark III with 100mm Macro f/2.8 | Exposure 1/160sec @ f/8 | ISO 800 | Focal Length 100mm
Copyright Β© Bashar Alaeddin
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Bashar Alaeddin

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in Kuwait City and raised between Jordan and Lebanon, Bashar Alaeddin brings over nine years of professional experience to his craft. As the founder of an Amman-based studio, he balances a diverse commercial portfolioβ€”spanning food, interior, and portrait photographyβ€”with a deep passion for capturing the landscapes and night skies of the Middle East. His work is defined by a unique fusion of technical precision and artistic curiosity, often reflecting his background as an amateur astronomer who seeks to highlight the ethereal beauty of Arabian nights.

Profile View Full Profile
12.8/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
247/500
SHARE
SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
13,984 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date June 30, 2013
66.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 11.0
Composition 17.0
Style 13.0
Skill 13.0
Photograph Location
Amman, Jordan

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Bashar Alaeddin Photography
Food Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.8/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,495/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
13,984/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.3/5 points
6/100 Review
Submissions
2.5/5 points
247/500 Submission
Jury Score: 66.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.8/20
Total Award Score: 78.8/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

Isabelle Fontenay Colour Harmony, Tone & Atmospheric Light Expert Review
The crimson of those strawberries, bleeding like crushed velvet against the obsidian slate, evokes the melancholic stillness of a Morandi still life, yet it’s the singular, displaced berry that truly haunts one’s eye. It’s a delicious, jarring dissonance; I’ve rarely felt such a sudden, sharp hunger for a shadow. The light doesn’t merely illuminate the glazeβ€”it caresses the fruit’s bruised, saturated depths, turning a simple tart into a profound, dark, and utterly intoxicating chromatic event.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most food photography is disposable, destined for a bin once the menu changes. Of the thousands I’ve reviewed, this one lingers because of that single, rogue strawberry. It breaks the tart’s rigid geometry, turning a commercial assignment into a quiet, human narrative. I’d hang this in my own kitchen. It’s the deliberate imperfection that ensures this won’t be forgotten in thirty years. It’s not just a pastry; it’s a study of how we disrupt order.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
There’s a quiet gravity here, as if the tart is a small, sun-drenched planet resting on a dark, cooling crust of earth. I’ve spent enough time in the desert to recognize that deliberate, off-center placement; it’s an act of surrender to the organic. The light doesn’t just illuminate the fruitβ€”it listens to the texture of the glaze. It’s deeply grounding. I find myself wanting to reach out, to touch the stillness of that single, displaced berry.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The top-down perspective enforces a rigid geometry. The black stone backdrop acts as a void, grounding the tart’s circular mass. It’s a calculated disruption. By displacing that single strawberry, the photographer forces the eye to navigate the frame’s periphery rather than settling in the center. I’ve rarely seen such a simple deviation create this much spatial tension. It’s cold, precise, and entirely necessary. The composition doesn't just hold; it commands the viewer’s absolute attention.
Sophie Delacroix Emotional Narrative, Viewer Response & Psychological Impact Expert Review
Before the eye identifies the pastry, a sudden stillness settles in the chest. That single, displaced strawberry creates a subtle cognitive dissonance; it’s an invitation to reach out and restore order. I’ve found myself returning to this, feeling the cool, dark stone against my fingertips. It doesn’t just document a tart; it triggers a quiet, sensory hunger. It’s the kind of image that lingers, haunting the edges of my memory long after the lights dim.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
Against that obsidian stone, the tart doesn't merely sit; it rebels. By casting the rogue berry into the periphery, Alaeddin forces us to confront the instability of perfection. It’s a haunting, claustrophobic geometry. I’ve spent hours staring at that deep, swallowing blackness, and honestly, it makes me feel profoundly lonely. Light here isn't a reveal, but a surgical incision. It’s a reminder that beauty is often just a fragile, temporary defense against the encroaching dark.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Yuki Sato

The Geometry of Grace

There is a quiet rhythm in the way things are placed. We often rush through our days, consuming without seeing, moving from one task to the next without acknowledging the deliberate arrangement of the world around us.

Read the reflection →
By Sven Lindqvist

The Weight of the Seed

We are taught to look for the whole. The perfect circle, the finished thing, the symmetry that suggests order. But order is a fragile illusion we construct to keep the chaos of the winter at bay.

Read the reflection →

Reviews & Comments

Share your thoughts about this award-winning photograph. Your reviews contribute to the community engagement score.

6 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The Cartography of TimeThe Old Lady at the Monastery, by Shirren Lim - Portrait Photography, Award Winning Photography, Photojournalism, Photography Awards, Documentary PhotographyInception, by Jyoti Omi Chowdhury - Documentary Photography, Photojournalism, Art Photography, Photography Awards, Online Photography CoursesThe Sting of Sudden Heat