Photographer Reimagines Local FruitCEFR A2
25 Dec 2025
Adapted from Janine Mendes-Franco, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Anton Acosta, Unsplash
Marlon Rouse is a Trinidadian photographer who began in print media and news photography and later worked in corporate, food and portrait work. This year he started posting a striking set of fruit photographs on Facebook and on his website.
The images move away from the familiar Caribbean food look of appetite and abundance. Instead, Rouse presents the fruit as specimens or organisms. He uses lighting, framing and scale to make the pieces appear almost anatomical or like alien life forms.
Rouse says the series is an enquiry into memory and youth and that he found the phrase "sacred objects" while reading poetry. He hopes to publish a book and will continue to explore light, form and his online gallery.
Difficult words
- photographer — a person who takes professional photographs
- print media — newspapers and magazines in paper form
- specimen — a sample used for study or displayspecimens
- organism — a living animal or plantorganisms
- anatomical — related to the body or its parts
- enquiry — a question or study to find information
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you prefer food photos that look appetising or photos that look like specimens? Why?
- Would you buy a book of these photos? Explain your answer in one sentence.
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