Photographing food markets

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I like to venture into wet markets to photograph all the exotic foods I see. I live in in Cebu City, Philippines, but I never get tired of going to the market and seeing what new foods I can find. Just when I think I have seen everything, I find new images to take. I love to see food in its raw form and everything is so fresh. The fruits, vegetable, meats and seafood.

I also enjoy walking around the markets because of the people I see there. It is a common place for people to gather and makes a great place to photograph faces and people doing ordinary life activities. Everything in the market environment makes for great photography. I am fortunate enough to live only 30 minutes from a good size wet market in Cebu City. I like to go down at least once a week and take photos. I fee alive and I'm always surprised to see what images I able able to capture, always different. I try to get there in the morning when the light is not too harsh and people are bustling with the start of a new day. Additionally, in the morning harvests have just arrived from the provinces and seafoods are fresh from the fishing boats.

I would encourage travelers to venture into the markets and spend some time there. Sit down at a local stall and have a cup of coffee watching all the activity around you. If you are into photography you will be sure to get some good images. I like to use a 60mm macro lens for up-close shots of the food and a wider lens for photographing people, etc. You will be sure to find some exotic foods to eat too if you are into that. Enjoy.

You can see more images of mine from local markets at http://www.jacobimages.com/v/images-stock-photos-asian-food. At the moment I am away from Cebu City, but will be back in October of this year. I can't wait to get back to the market and see what I can find.

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Photos

Calamansi (Calamondin)
Calamansi (Kalamansi) are used in various food dishes throughout southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines. They are frequently used for calamansi juice (served hot or cold). Calamansi juice is similar to lemonade.

Philippine Mango
Sweet Philippine mangoes, Cebu, Philippines
The exact origins of the mango are unknown, but most believe that it is native to Southern and Southeast Asia owing to the wide range of genetic diversity in the region and fossil records dating back 25 to 30 million years. Mangoes retain a special significance in the culture of South Asia where they have been cultivated for millennia. It has been the national fruit of India, Bangladesh and Philippines.

Bananas on a truck
Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple and red. Bananas can be eaten raw though some varieties are generally cooked first. Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy. Unripe or green bananas and plantains are used for cooking various dishes and are the staple starch of many tropical populations. Banana sap is extremely sticky and can be used as a practical adhesive. Sap can be obtained from either the pseudostem, the fruit peelings, or the from the flesh.

Selling seaweed at open air market
eaweeds are extensively used as food by coastal peoples, particularly in East Asia. Seaweeds are any of a large number of marine plants and protists.

Dried Fish (Daing, Buwad)
The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years. The method is cheap, the work can be done by the fisherman and family, and the resulting product is easily transported to market. Cebu, Philippines

Winter squash ready for shipment
Winter squash or kalabasa (Tagalog). Kalabasa is just a filipinized version of the Spanish Calabaza which literally means squash.

Capsicum pepper
Sili labuyo (Tagalog); Capsicum pepper, chili bird pepper, bird

Lechon (Roasted Pig) at a market ready to be sold
Lechón (Tagalog: Litson and Cebuano: Inasal) is the Spanish word for suckling pig. In the Philippines, it connotes a whole roasted pig, lechón baboy. Chicken and beef, are also popular. The process of lechón involves the whole pig/piglet, chicken, or cattle/calf being slowly roasted over charcoal.

Coconut oil in rum bottles
Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a tropical oil with many applications. It is extracted from copra (derived from Malayalam word "kopra" which means dried coconut). Coconut oil constitutes seven percent of the total export income of the Philippines, the world's largest exporter of the product.

Balut (duck egg) for sale on market street
A balut (Trứng vịt lộn or Hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese, Pong tea khon in Cambodian) is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. They are common, everyday food in some countries in Asia, such as in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Popularly believed to be an aphrodisiac and considered a high-protein, hearty snack, balut are mostly sold by street vendors at night in the regions where they are available. They are often served with beer. The Filipino and Malay word balut (balot) means "wrapped" – depending on pronunciation. This food however is uncommon in Malaysia.