Wednesday Whim - Symmetry Breakfast

 images via Symmetry Breakfast (Michael Zee) via Instagram

The way to a person's heart is through his stomach. That certainly can be proven by Michael Zee's Instagram feed where he showcases symmetrical breakfast plates he makes for himself and his boyfriend, Mark van Beek. 

By chance one morning, Michael Zee noticed the breakfast plates he prepared (an omlette, avocado, salami and fruit juice) were symmetrical. In a move as simple as snapping a photo and posting said photo online, a social media star was born. Yet, as simple as the images appear, there is still quite a bit of prep work involved compared to his very first food photo post. Michael states that if a food item takes more than 30 minutes to make then he prepares it the night before. Otherwise, he wakes up earlier than normal to prepare the food and ensure a picture perfect meal is made. He posts the photo by 7:30am and they are out the door for the day by 8am. To keep things interesting, Michael researches global breakfast ideas to change up his menu.

More than just a devoted foodie and photographer, Michael continues this photo series because it is "...a declaration of love...both to breakfast and to Mark."

 

Wednesday Whim - Natural Silhouettes

 all images via Nikolai Tolsty via My Modern Met

The beauty of a silhouette is remarkably apparent in artist Nikolai Tolsty's work. Tolsty photographs a superimposed paper cutout over things found in Mother Nature (wet grass, bold colored flowers, fallen leaves, tree trunks, etc.). Each backdrop for each cutout is complementary and seemingly seamless. The sharp contrast of the white paper with colors found in nature allows the cutout to look full of life and dimension. The result of his work is simple and elegant.

Although it doesn't take much to see beauty in nature, Tolsty manages to elevate that concept.

Wednesday Whim - #whatmyhandsdoing

 all images via ponypork via Design Taxi

In an aptly titled series called #whatmyhandsdoing an Indonesia-based artist Romo Jack, known on Instagram as ponypark, shows off what his hands are, well, doing. 

In the photos ponypark's arms and hands are captured doing something...gathering flowers, collecting eggs, ironing clothes or organizing things neatly. The variety of action shots make the photos engaging and interesting, but the beauty in his photos come from how the photos seem to capture commonplace activities so easily. According to Romo Jack, 

Just like how my eyes are always seeing from the time I wake up from bed to the time I fall back asleep, my hands are also doing something every second. There might be thousands, even millions of things our hands have got to do.

So simple and so true.

For more, check out his brief interview here and his Instagram feed here.

Wednesday Whim - Minimalist

 all images via Adrien Leyronas

When it comes to photography, sometimes less is more. French photographer and current Network and Telecommunications student, Adrien Leyronas has proven just that. Focusing on a singular subject matter within his composition gives a clean and refreshing perspective in his photographs. Removed are the busy distractions that sometimes overpower the beauty in the simplicity. As viewers, we see the dreamy photographs that take us into a softer, quieter world.

For more, check out his Instagram account.

Wednesday Whim - Zhang Jingna

 (images via Behance) Photography by: Zhang Jingna, Styling by: Phuong My, Clothing by: Kwak Ji Young, Hair by: Daniel Wong, Makeup by: Derek Yuan, Modeling by: Kwak Ji Young

To put it simply, this photo shoot by New York based photographer, Zhang Jingna, for the Spring/Summer 2015 Phyong My collection is stunning. 

Jingna's work has been featured in Vogue China, Elle Singapore and the British Journal of Photography. She aims for perfection during her shoots in order to reduce editing during her post work. In her words, post work becomes pretty straightforward with this method. Her aesthetic leans towards the romantic without the overly glossy effect that comes with high-fashion photos. For her, the magic happens when she combines lighting and the models together. During her shoots, she tries to capture the models as they are "graceful with a quiet, steady strength, also a little sad, and, most important, heatbreakingly beautiful." 

Jingna's style serves as a perfect combination for the use of luxurious materials and the romantic aesthetic of the brand, Phuong My. The modern silhouettes combined with the dreamy backdrop of roses (by Padma de Fleur & QA Pham) creates the amazing visuals that showcases Jingna's preference for more illustrative and painterly photographs.

Wednesday Whim - Food Gradients

images via Brittany Wright via Bored Panda via Laughing Squid

The organization-obsessed in me is absolutely in love with these photos from Seattle-based photographer, Brittany Wright. She carefully curates foods by color and shape to create a gradient of hues in her series, Food Gradients. Her goal is to cook everything and she sees food as an art and an opportunity to do something creative. She spends a lot of time at the market buying things she needs and allows the environment and ingredients inspire her.

To keep up with her creations, you can follow her on Instagram or even purchase limited edition prints for your home.