Garrett King
The Dallas Punk Rock Photography Queen Focuses Her Lens On BurgerFi’s Beyond Meat Options — And Grits Things Up A Bit, As Expected.
Welcome to a new pandemic-era series on Central Track called Photographers On Food, in which we provide various Dallas-area photographers a small budget with which to buy themselves takeout or delivery from a local restaurant they love, and then ask that they shoot that order in a creative way before chowing down. In publishing these photos, we hope to to help keep food on the table of local photographers and to highlight some great area dining establishments that are working through these times the best they can.
Over the course of the past few years, Dallas photographer Vera Velma Hernandez has capably established herself as one of the area punk rock community’s top image-grabbers — and not just through her work with us here at Central Track, but across the area board.
But food photography is a new venture for the young photographer, she concedes.
Still, as you can see in the below, vegan-friendly photos she submitted to this series of the East Dallas burger shop BurgerFi, she was able to get her core aesthetic across well into this new medium just fine.
See how she did it — and why she chose this spot — below.
The Photos:
The Interview:
What restaurant did you choose?
Burgerfi
Why this restaurant?
My sister had told me that they had a rad Beyond Meat burger-and-fries combo, so I figured why not!? I wanted to try and support a spot I hadn’t ordered from previously.
Walk us through your order.
I got the vegan Beyond Meat burger with mustard and jalapenos, plus a side of Cajun fries. I usually like my burgers mad plain — just the “meat” and bread — but I was feeling adventurous this day. They told me that their cajun seasoning was really good, so I took their word for it.
What’s the best memory you’ve got of this place?
Well, after reassuring me that their burger was vegan, they asked me if I wanted to add cheese and bacon to it. That was pretty hilarious. Also, they were playing Blondie’s “Hanging on the Telephone” while I waited for my order. That was rad!
How did you decide to shoot it this way?
I was on my way to Mineral Wells when I stopped by to pick up my order. I’ve never taken food photos before, and it was a nice day, so I took the meal outside and just used the surroundings I could find for it.
How do you feel about how the photos came out?
I dig them! I felt kinda silly cause people kept driving by. But I’m stoked on them. They’re ridiculous!
Where can people see more of what you’re working on?
My Instagram page — @vicious_velma — is probably best.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Um, wash your hands! Listen to Wyldlife! And stay rad!
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