A photo essay on food and people—“Hungry Planet: What the World Eats” from Time Magazine

This story offered great insight through the photos and captions. Peter Menzel and Faith D’Aluisio went around the world to capture families with their pantries laid out on the counters and tables of their homes. They researched what the items cost, broke down the weekly food budget for each of the families, and documented the project in a book called Hungry Planet. Their work was exhibited at The Nobel Peace Center. Here are some photographs and captions from their work:

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village. Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03. Family recipe: Mushroom, cheese and pork.

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp. Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23. Favorite foods: soup with fresh sheep meat. 

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo. Food expenditure for one week: $31.55. Family recipe: Potato soup with cabbage.

Germany: The Sturm Family of Hamburg. Food Expenditure for One Week: € 253.29 ($325.81 USD). Favorite foods: salads, shrimp, buttered vegetables, sweet rice with cinnamon and sugar, pasta.

Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City. Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25. Favorite foods: sashimi, fruit, cake, potato chips. 

Mali: The Natomos of Kouakourou - Food expenditure for one week: 17,670 francs or $26.39. Family Recipe: Natomo Family Rice Dish.

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina. Food expenditure for one week: $341.98. Favorite foods: spaghetti, potatoes, sesame chicken.

A few elements are outstanding in this photo essay. First, the sheer effort to travel around the world is exceptional. I may not have that ability, but I can be thorough in taking as many photos as needed to tell a story adequately. Shooting photos for quantity is a significant part of capturing the fewer number of quality photos that go into the finished product.

Second, the information surrounding each photo is brief but illuminating. It tells a story in itself and adds to the visual impact.

Third, the variety of subjects is held together by the theme and manner in which these pictures were staged. Many more of my photos will be action shots in some way, but I need to find elements that hold the pictures together as a cohesive whole. The food and families were carried over in each of the photos from this essay. Perhaps the shoes and the person (Greg) will be what ties my photos together.

I’ve been considering letting the shoes tell the story. When I snapped a photo this morning of a pair of boots Greg had just shined, I thought to myself, these shoes are almost personified in the photograph. When I get down to floor level and look up on them, they speak about the experience they just had, almost like a person getting out of the shower or a date for prom coming to the door. You can’t help but be impressed by the transformation. How can I develop that idea in the photos I shoot?

Source: D’Aluisio, Faith and Peter Menzel. “Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.” Time Magazine. 20 Sept. 2013. Time, Inc. Web. 12 Oct. 2013.