Tearing Flesh That's All So Soft

Before you continue reading, take a second to guess what this object is.

Though it may look like the inside of a mouth or...another body part...it is in fact a macro shot of a red bell pepper that I'd sliced in half today while making a salad.  (I'd pulled out most of the material in its core, which included the bulk of the seeds, before taking the shot.)  Like most photos in my gallery, this came from a sudden burst of inspiration, and it allowed me to explore the "macro" setting on my cell phone camera, something I'd never used to any great degree before.  I wasn't sure how clearly the photo would turn out, which is why I took multiple pictures (with and without flash) from distances ranging from 1" to 2" above the piece.  In the case of this image, the greatest contrast and clarity comes from the portions farthest away, so if I ever try a macro shot again, I'll certainly have to keep that in mind.

Although I buy red bell peppers for my salads on a weekly basis, this is the first time I've ever thought to photograph it.  I personally prefer red bell over any other color of bell pepper because of the refined taste that comes from a more mature specimen (they naturally change color as they age, going from green to yellow to orange to red), but they also make for some pretty interesting visuals.  Take note of how the bold red flesh, coupled with the pale ligaments that provide an internal framework, somewhat resembles the muscle and fat portions of a piece of beef.  This fact helped me to choose a title for this photo, which is a line from the Rolling Stones song "Blinded By Rainbows."