Microphotography opens up a new world for food lovers (3)

Photo courtesy of Once Upon A Bite

“When your look at the mouth-watering foods that exist on this planet from different perspectives, you’ll find there are too many wonders that have never been seen before,” a voice on a documentary said.

“Once Upon a Bite,” the new food documentary series in China that takes a look at Chinese and international foods, has become an instant hit for providing a new, multidimensional way to analyze and explore the history and culture behind food.

What makes the series even more unique is that there are lots of macro and micro shots presenting the hidden texture and variation of different foods. One can see natural edges on the surface of pepper skin, encounter strange forest-like designs in century eggs, and see the delicate texture that forms when soy milk meets marinated water.

“Not only do photos record what the eye sees, they also note what the mind sees. A camera is an extension of the eye as well as the brain. The brain can see the invisible. It can see the past, the present, and the future,” said Zhu Wenting, a micro photographer and a graduate of Tsinghua University.

Although microphotography makes up less than three percent of the documentary, the team spent a lot of time trying to get the perfect shots. For instance, in the fourth episode, there are several shots of penicillium growth that appear for 10 seconds. That short moment took the team four months to complete.