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A Literal Translation Lends a Daring Edge to the First Meal of the Day

Although breakfast is commonly consumed in a rush out the door, or slurped hurriedly before one dashes to catch the bus, the early morning meal’s straightforward composition of actions is often not considered. Madrid-based photographer Tessa Dóniga created the series Break/Fast after becoming intrigued by the deconstructed word’s literal translation to Spanish. Smashed cereal, a sliced bean can, and a quickly melting stick of butter all serve as subjects of the surreal photographic series, which highlight the different ways breakfast can be “broken.”

The project was first realized in collaboration with independent journal Polpettas and serves as a metaphor for how Dóniga views the world as a bilingual speaker. “The fact that I’m bilingual makes me wonder more,” she told gestalten. “When I try to translate some words into one language from another, I question myself. My challenge was to set in one image both terms in a visual composition that would be recognizable to the viewer.”

Like all of Dóniga’s uniquely styled series, Break/Fast was creating from scratch with editing in postproduction for some of her more high-flying effects such as hovering bacon or scattered eggshells. You can see more of her food styling photography on her studio’s website and on Instagram.