Foodscapes by Carl Warner

It's not uncommon to play with your food. Sometimes, (as in photographer Sayaka Minemura's case) you create cute culinary constructions using only what's in front of you. Carl Warner seems to have created a whole new level with his Foodscapes, which are complete landscapes made entirely from food.

Carl Warner is a commercial photographer who has worked in the advertising industry for over twenty years. He has done product and portrait photography on different commissions, although he is more of a landscape photographer at heart.

That natural tendency for landscapes translated well into his Foodscapes, a project that has kept him busy for over a decade. These colorful images were slowly amassed through advertising jobs from different agencies and as of this post, he has created over 50 eye-catching landscapes using foods and other products.

Warner's popularity soared in 2008 when he was featured in the Sunday Times, and pretty soon his mouthwatering creations were seen in magazines, television programs and even chain e-mails.

As you might have guessed, each scene takes an incredible amount of preparation and even more careful execution. Every aspect of the image is carefully set-up, from building rooftops to small pieces of vegetation. Warner's dedication to detail pays off every time as viewers unfamiliar with his work may glance them over and think them as actual landscapes. It's only when you take a closer look that you notice the substitutions; from broccoli for trees to watermelons for buildings to onions for balloons. Truly, the photographer has created entire landscape artworks made from the simplest of fruits and vegetables.

Warner's work begins well before the actual shoot; he has to look for the perfect fruit or vegetable to represent a specific kind tree or building. This sometimes means that he stares at vegetables at the supermarket in order to find the perfect prop. You can see for yourself that each piece of fruit and vegetable fits perfectly in the artwork.

Some of his more complex artworks can require several days and a team of model experts to assist with the production. In the London skyline scene at the very top for example, Warner worked with a team of five for three weeks in order to capture the essence of the city. His particular arrangement captures the most popular landmarks, from Big Ben to St. Paul's Cathedral to the London Eye. He spares no expense for his other Foodscapes as well.

Be sure to check out Carl Warner's website for more scrumptiously prepared Foodscapes. This behind-the-scene video shows how each layer of his landscapes from foods is carefully created. Most of these images have been collected in the book, Carl Warner's Food Landscapes. There's also the Carl Warner Food Landscapes 2012 Wall Calendar in case you're looking for some culinary inspiration for next year.