Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Food Photography by Enrique

Maria Victoria and Enrique at a hotdog stand during one of the family's trips. Inseparable.

There are two people at home who bring home brown-bagged food for dinner: the chef and the artist- the graphic artist.

My brother Enrique, though learned fine arts and photography from a prison house (metaphorically), closes many business deals. Sometimes I flip through commercial magazines and come across his work, which get me asking, did you really do this? Now, he just came back from hiatus at the big house in the province working on a coffee table book for a New York-based business mogul. Enrique though is very nonchalant about everything- he can earn bigger commissions than I do or sleep with his camera on a faraway island, or converse with the town mayor or drive half- asleep... he is just himself.

To tell a little about Enrique, he is the brother next to me. At thirteen, he went to the seminary. As the tradition of that seminary, there was always a talent show. Enrique had been bugging me – then a clumsy, chubby fifteen year old- to teach him how to play the piano. Ok, I had said, I’d teach you this easy piece called “Long, Long Ago”, an Irish folk song. Never having formal piano lessons, Enrique tried for days; like really tried to perfect the piece. Came the talent show and he was upstage seated at the Clavinova.

The lights at the audience dimmed.

The spotlight was on him.
Suspense.

Enrique concentrated on the keys.

Then –

“Twaaaaang….twaaaaang…”.

No Irish music. All fingers on the keys, Enrique had a total black out – but played anyway. I swear, my mother could have spanked me mad for leading my brother into such mess. Why, I should have said NO! - and save everybody from embarassment.

So much for the pianist dreams for both Foodhuntress and her brother Enrique.

I don’t know if our irony today was in any way related to that piano incident a long time ago. What is ironic is that Enrique had been shooting for other restaurants and not mine. Then he brings home the food after the shoot.


Like Ray and Pete’s Texas Smoke ‘Em at Greenbelt. Here are some of his un- Photoshopped pictures.



















Enrique's favorite. Stew in a skillet served with dinner rolls. After you finish the stew, he says, you wipe clean the skillet with the last of the rolls. Orgasmic.






Or some Italian restaurant somewhere…







The message is, if Enrique can shoot – or do big projects- so can you.


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think i need to take photography classes from Enrique. :-)

Is it a Nikon D60?

1Northeast said...

You already know how to shoot :)

No darling, it's a Nikon D40.