"Tables For Two" Photos: 5 Favorites

Zachary Zavislak, "Nur" (2017)

I relish “Tables for Two.” Among its many pleasures – the food descriptions, the evaluative criticism, the piquant details – are the photo illustrations. Many of them are inspired. Here are five of my recent favorites:

1. David Williams, “Van Da” (May 27, 2019)

I love the way the top of that luminous green bottle thrusts up into the shot. Most photographers would remove it before shooting. Williams uses it to jazz his double portrait with a translucent bit of jade.

2. Heami Lee, “Teranga” (May 6, 2019)

The star of this gorgeous shot isn’t the food; it’s the circular yellow-and-black table. What a yellow! Van Gogh would’ve loved it.

3. Dolly Faibyshev, “HaSalon” (July 1, 2019)

The rakish angle, the way the rough edge of the tabletop slashes the composition, the black-framed rectangles of sky and city street – all combine to make this shot impeccably original.

4. William Mebane, “Hanon” (July 22, 2019)

So many great Mebane photos to pick from. I chose this quasi-abstract still life for its elegant simplicity.

5. Zachary Zavislak, “The Fly” (April 1, 2019)

Like Mebane, Zavislak is a master “Tables for Two” photographer. The above still life features no less than twenty artfully arranged items (not counting cutlery). 

Who is the best “Tables for Two” photographer? There are at least seven candidates: David Williams, Dolly Faibyshev, Eric Helga, Krista Schlueter, William Mebane, Amy Lombard, and Zachary Zavislak. But for me it comes down to Mebane v. Zavislak. I give the edge to Mebane on the strength of his striking portraits. This one, for example, from Hannah Goldfield’s “Tables For Two: Sofreh” (September 14, 2018):