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Cauliflower Tabbouleh by Ola Cedell

This vibrant interpretation of a classic Lebanese dish replaces traditional bulgur with cauliflower, creating a fresh, gluten-free culinary portrait. The photographer meticulously arranged the ingredients to evoke the dish's raw, earthy flavors, utilizing two studio strobes to sculpt the sceneβ€”a primary backlight to define the textures and a secondary light to soften the shadows. The result is an award-worthy composition that celebrates the vivid colors of the tomatoes and the crispness of the herbs, transforming a simple lunch preparation into a sophisticated, visually appetizing display of food artistry.

Cauliflower Tabbouleh by Ola Cedell
Nikon D800 with Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Exposure 1/160sec @ f/4 | ISO 100 | Focal Length 105mm
Copyright Β© Ola Cedell
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Ola Cedell

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Born in southern Sweden in 1969, Ola Cedell has cultivated a diverse international perspective through his time living in Australia and Germany before returning to his roots. Balancing a professional engineering career with a passion for photography since 1996, Cedell specializes in landscape and food photography, often creating imagery for the catering company Gazpacho. His work is deeply influenced by the natural beauty of southern Sweden and the culinary landscapes of the French Alps and Provence.

Profile View Full Profile
12.5/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
234/500
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SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
9,462 views | 4 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date May 17, 2017
65.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 17.0
Style 12.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
MalmΓΆ, Sweden

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Food Photography
Ola Cedell Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.3/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,260/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
9,462/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
2.3/5 points
234/500 Submission
Jury Score: 65.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.3/20
Total Award Score: 77.3/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 4

Mei-Ling Chen Pattern, Geometry, Abstract Form & Visual Mathematics Expert Review
The frame operates on a rigid triangular tension. The bowl’s circular rim anchors the lower quadrant, while the scattered herbs create a diagonal vector pulling the eye toward the upper right. It’s a precise 3:2 spatial balance that keeps the composition from collapsing into chaos. I’m genuinely struck by how the cauliflower’s granular texture disrupts the negative space. It’s a perfectly solved equation of organic chaos contained within a strict, geometric perimeter. Simply brilliant math.
Marcus Trent Human Truth, Documentary & The Decisive Moment Expert Review
You’ve lit this beautifully, but I’m looking for the person who’s about to eat this. It’s technically perfect, yet it feels like a sterile lab experiment. Where’s the mess of the kitchen? Where’s the hunger? I’ve spent years in places where food is a survival, not a sculpture. Because you’ve polished the life out of these herbs, I can’t find a pulse. It’s a pretty plate, but it doesn’t tell me who you are.
Amara Diallo Portrait, Human Story & Narrative Portraiture Expert Review
We look at this bowl and we don’t just see lunch; we see the quiet conversation between the earth and the hands that prepared it. Ola Cedell has listened to the ingredients, letting the light catch the crisp parsley and the vibrant tomatoes until they hum with life. It’s a portrait of nourishment itself. I’ve found myself lingering on the texture of the cauliflower, feeling a sudden, deep hunger for the simple, honest stories we share.
Victoria Ashby Wildlife, Nature & the Ethics of the Unseen Moment Expert Review
It’s a sterile, clinical arrangement. I’ve spent weeks in damp blinds waiting for a kingfisher to trust my presence, so this manufactured perfection feels hollow. There’s no risk here, no wild unpredictability. While the lighting is technically precise, it’s merely extracted, not earned. I find myself craving the messy, chaotic truth of a real ecosystem rather than this staged, lifeless bowl of cauliflower. It’s pretty, sure, but it’s entirely devoid of soul.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Marta Vidal

The Weight of the Harvest

I keep a small, wooden bowl in my kitchen that has lost its varnish to decades of use. It is scarred by the rhythmic scrape of a metal spoon, a map of countless quiet meals prepared in the hum of late afternoons.

Read the reflection →
By Amelia Cross

The Weight of the Harvest

There is a specific silence in a kitchen after the guests have left and the plates are cleared. It is not the silence of emptiness, but the silence of consumptionβ€”the quiet that follows the act of taking something from the earth and making it part of ourselves.

Read the reflection →

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