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An extreme close-up photograph of a smash burger, so close that it fills the frame edge to edge and overflows both sides, the top of the crown cut off by the upper edge of the frame and only a sliver of torn greaseproof paper showing along the bottom edge. The camera is straight on and very slightly below the burger, so the stack looms. The burger is two thin smashed beef patties with ragged, lacy, deeply browned crispy edges pushing out past the bun, two slices of melted American cheese slumped glossy between them, thin rings of white onion and the edge of a dill pickle coin peeking out, and a soft potato bun lightly dusted with flour. A pale pink burger sauce flecked with red spice runs down the front in two uneven rivulets, over the cheese and the crust, and one sheet of it has spilled over the lip of the bottom bun. A warm, raking light from the upper right catches the dusted flour on the crown, every crag of the crust and the wet sheen of the sauce, and leaves the gaps between the patties in deep shadow. A palette of caramel, amber, molten gold, near-black charred edges and pink-cream sauce. A short macro lens, focus on the sauce and the crust at the centre, the very top of the crown and the far edges softening. Avoid: sesame seeds, a glossy lacquered brioche bun, lettuce, tomato, bacon, a plate, a wooden board, any background visible, neat identical drips, a smooth sauce without flecks, dry unmelted cheese, a studio product look. Vertical 4:5 frame, the subject's visual centre at exactly mid-height and horizontally centred, a real unretouched photograph. No text, no logo, no watermark.

An overhead photograph looking straight down on a dark, mottled blue-grey slate counter with pale scuffs and worn patches. A cone of plain, unprinted greaseproof paper lies on a diagonal, its tip pointing to the lower left corner and its open mouth near the middle of the frame, and golden crinkle-cut fries spill out of it, fanning up and to the right in a loose, generous heap, a few loose fries scattered across the slate beyond it. The fries are uneven: some long, some broken, some darker at the tips, with crisp ridged edges, and flakes of sea salt cling to them and lie scattered on the slate, catching the light. At the lower right, a small matte black stoneware bowl holds a pale pink burger sauce flecked with red spice. About half the frame is empty slate. Soft directional light from the upper left rakes across the scene, so each fry and each salt flake throws a small soft shadow; the corners fall darker, and the shadows are matte. Cool slate grey-blue against the warm gold of the fries, with the pink sauce the only other colour. A normal lens, everything in focus from the cone to the bowl. Avoid: newspaper or any printed paper, text or type anywhere, straight-cut or skin-on fries, herbs, parsley, cheese, ketchup, a red and white checked tray, a wooden board, a bright or white background, glossy greasy highlights, perfect symmetry. Vertical 4:5 frame, the subject's visual centre at exactly mid-height and horizontally centred, a real unretouched photograph. No text, no logo, no watermark.

A candid photograph taken in a working burger kitchen at the end of service: a cook's open hand reaches down from the upper right edge of the frame and rests on the crown of a freshly built smash burger, all four fingers spread and relaxed across the top of the bun with the thumb to the side, pressing gently to settle it before it goes out; the soft bun dimples slightly under the fingers. A calm, relaxed hand, not a pointing finger. His hand and wrist are lean, with a few faded black line tattoos on the forearm and no lettering. The burger is two thin smashed beef patties with ragged, lacy, deeply browned crispy edges sticking out past the bun, two slices of melted American cheese sagging over the patty edges, thin rings of white onion and two dill pickle coins peeking out, a smear of pale pink burger sauce under the crown, and a soft potato bun lightly dusted with flour, slightly squashed. It sits on a torn, crinkled square of greaseproof paper with translucent grease spots and a small pool of grease and melted cheese under the bottom bun, laid on a brushed stainless-steel prep counter. The subject is the hand and the burger together: the burger sits low in the frame, its middle about two-thirds of the way down, with the hand descending onto it from above. In the lower left corner, cut off by the frame edge and out of focus, the patties of a second burger still being built, crusty and cheese-draped, with loose crumbs of crust on the paper. Behind, the counter recedes into a dim kitchen: the dark shape of an unlabelled steel appliance and a stack of plain paper sheets, both soft and blurred. One hard, low light from the left, out of frame, rakes across the counter so the steel and the paper flare almost white around the burger, and the bun's crown and the crust catch crisp highlights; the upper half of the frame falls into deep grey-green shade, and the wall behind is dark, with no window and no bright opening anywhere in the frame. A faint thin wisp of steam rises from the patty edge into the shade. The colour is nearly neutral and slightly cool, steel grey, cold white highlights and green-black shadows, with the only warmth in the golden bun, the cheese and the dark mahogany crust. A fast normal lens at close range, looking down at about thirty degrees, focus on the fingertips and the front of the burger, the background softly out of focus. Avoid: a studio product shot, a black seamless background, a warm amber glow over the whole frame, a glossy lacquered brioche bun, sesame seeds, lettuce, tomato, bacon, aluminium foil, a second hand, extra or fused fingers, a ring or watch, printed lettering or a logo on any box, paper or appliance, thick clouds of steam, perfect symmetry, a window, a bright wall or doorway, a single pointing finger, smoke. Vertical 4:5 frame, the subject's visual centre at exactly mid-height and horizontally centred, a real unretouched photograph. No text, no logo, no watermark.

Edit this photograph. Keep the camera position, angle, lens and framing, the stainless-steel counter, the greaseproof paper and its grease spots, the dim kitchen behind, the half-built second burger in the lower left corner and the hard window light from the left exactly as they are. The hand is gone: nothing enters the frame. The burger has come apart into its layers, and they float straight up above the paper in one clean vertical column on a single axis, with equal empty gaps between them, each layer level and seen from the same slightly high angle. Top to bottom: the floured top bun with its smear of pale pink sauce on the underside, the two dill pickle coins side by side, the thin rings of white onion, the first patty with its slice of melted American cheese, the second patty with its slice of melted American cheese, and the bottom bun, which still rests on the paper exactly where it was. Exactly one of each layer, six in all, nothing added and nothing duplicated. One single thin strand of melted cheese stretches between the two patties; no other drips connect the layers. The column rises from the bottom bun, its middle at mid-height, with the top bun well inside the top edge of the frame. Each layer keeps the crust, colour and melt it had in the burger, and the light from the left falls on every layer the same way. Avoid: a seventh layer, sauce as its own layer, sesame seeds, bacon, lettuce, tomato, a tilted or curving column, layers overlapping or touching, uneven gaps, the second burger in the corner moving or changing, a hand or fingers, a black seamless background, a warm amber glow over the whole frame, any printed lettering or logo. Vertical 4:5 frame, the subject's visual centre at exactly mid-height and horizontally centred, a real unretouched photograph. No text, no logo, no watermark.

One continuous locked-off shot, the camera does not move at all: same position, angle, lens and framing from the first frame to the last. A cook's open hand rests lightly on the crown of a smash burger on greaseproof paper on a steel counter. 0–2 s: the hand lifts straight up off the bun and exits out of the top-right edge of the frame; the bun springs back from the dimple. From 2 s on, no hand or fingers are anywhere in the frame. 2–8 s: the burger comes apart upward, one layer at a time, from the top down, each layer rising straight up on the same vertical axis and stopping level: first the floured top bun rises, with the pale pink sauce on its underside; then the two dill pickle coins lift; then the rings of white onion; then the first patty with its melted cheese; then the second patty with its melted cheese. A single thin strand of melted cheese stretches between the two patties as they part and stays unbroken. The gaps between the layers open evenly. The bottom bun never moves: it stays on the paper exactly where it was for the whole shot. 8–10 s: the five floating layers ease to a stop and hang still in one clean vertical column with equal gaps, drifting by no more than a hair. The window light from the left, the grease on the paper, the dim kitchen behind and the half-built burger cut off in the lower-left corner stay exactly as they are throughout. A faint wisp of steam keeps rising from the patty edges.

Edit this photograph. Keep the camera position, angle, lens and framing, the stainless-steel counter, the greaseproof paper and its grease spots, the dim kitchen behind, the half-built second burger in the lower left corner and the hard window light from the left exactly as they are. The hand is gone: nothing enters the frame. Change the burger to a single thin smashed beef patty with a ragged, lacy, deeply browned crispy edge, one slice of melted pepper jack cheese sagging over it, five thin slices of fresh green jalapeño on top, and a drizzle of bright orange chilli mayo running down one side of the patty onto the paper, under the same soft potato bun lightly dusted with flour. Everything else stays the same. Avoid: a second patty, American cheese, pickles, onion, a hand or fingers, lettuce, tomato, bacon, a different bun, a change of light or colour, any printed lettering or logo. Vertical 4:5 frame, the subject's visual centre at exactly mid-height and horizontally centred, a real unretouched photograph. No text, no logo, no watermark.