I’m not much of a late-night snacker, so when the alarm goes off at 7:00 a.m., it’s been a while since my last meal, and I can feel it. Of course, there’s always coffee, but a strong cup of Joe seldom agrees with my empty stomach.  

Walking into the kitchen, I fill my coffee pot with water and carefully measure out CC’s breakfast blend before pressing the “on” button.  

Then, my stomach starts to protest. 

Certainly, I could reach for cereal, grab a banana, and give in, but on those occasions when I have friends in town or am planning for a long run, I need more than processed grains to hold me over—I need protein.

Frittatas are a great way to answer a hungry stomach: filling and cheesy, they’re a warm welcome to the breakfast table when cereal just won’t do.  Because most frittatas rely on a heavy dose of eggs, milk, and cheese, this one-skillet dish makes an easy way to fill up first thing in the morning, without too much of the caloric guilt one might have with high-fat bacon or starchy hash browns.  

But what I especially like about frittatas is how easily they can be made in a pinch.  When you’re low on ingredients and need to go to the store, simply grab half a dozen eggs, leftover cheese, and last night’s vegetables, and get to work.  With a little prep and some time in the oven, breakfast frittatas reap big rewards before the coffee pot has had time to finish brewing.

For this recipe, I’ve selected my favorite greens, cheeses, and spring vegetables.  Whether it’s March or May, I always have eggs on hand, but other ingredients might vary.

Pictured: seasonal vegetables and greens make a great addition to any frittata.  Although I use kale and cherry tomatoes here, try locally-available heirloom tomatoes and basil for a quick substitute.

It would be harsh to use the term “bottom-feeding” here, but you get the idea: when selecting ingredients for your frittata, take advantage of what’s available in your fridge and throw it into your frittata just as you might a gumbo pot.  There’s plenty of room to play around—leftover roasted vegetables, neglected greens, excess herbs all have a place in that cast iron skillet.  In the past, I’ve made frittatas with a combination of roasted broccoli instead of kale, Cheddar instead of mozzarella, and egg whites for half of the eggs.

Many of my friends reserve frittatas for special occasions—a light Mother’s Day brunch or Sunday meal.  But, while you wait for that coffee to finish, combat hunger with something you’ll be glad you actually ate: high-protein, low-calorie eggs with your choice of ingredients will keep you fuller longer and offer a serving of vegetables before noon.  

Now that’s a great way to combat early-morning hunger.

Spring Frittata with Kale, Shallots, and Tomatoes

Yield: 4 servings

Experience the wide range of ways to bring life to this breakfast dish with a single change to vegetables, cheese, or spices one at a time Clearly Delicious’s Asparagus and Tomato Frittata with Gruyère Cheese, Elise Bauer’s Spinach Frittata with Goat Cheese, & David Lebovitz’s Kale Frittata with Spicy Sausage. 

Ingredients:

* cooking oil, such as vegetable or olive

* 1 cup kale, roughly chopped

* 2 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

* 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

* 6 eggs, beaten

* 1/2 cup milk (whole is best here, but I’ve also used skim as well)

* 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

* 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

* 1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed

* Salt and pepper, to taste

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

* 10-inch cast-iron skillet

1.) Preheat oven to 350F and lightly oil a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet (I used olive oil here).  Prep ingredients: roughly chop kale, thinly slice shallots, and halve cherry tomatoes.  Beat eggs together with the milk and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2.) Over medium heat, sauté the kale and shallots until the greens have wilted and the onions are tender and beginning to brown (about 4 to 6 minutes).  Throw in halved tomatoes and sauté 2 to 4 minutes more, until skin has puckered and tomatoes have begun to cook down.  Add garlic and mix to combine, cooking until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

3.) Pour egg mixture over sautéed vegetables, stirring to incorporate the eggs around the vegetables.  Sprinkle with cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir one last time.

4.) To cook frittata, you have two options: I choose to immediately transfer the skillet to oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or when a knife comes out clean and dish has set.  Or, to speed things up, continue to cook the dish on the stove top until halfway set, then transfer to your broiler at medium heat and cook until set (stove times will vary).

Remove skillet from oven and rest for several minutes before serving.  Serves 4 to 6.

*Cook’s Note: frittatas, or the Italian “omelette,” can be made a variety of ways.  My mother always cooked her frittatas on the stove top in a nonstick skillet, sliding them gracefully onto a plate when she was done.  Other variations suggest you stick with the cast iron skillet, but cook the frittata until it’s halfway set before transferring it to the broiler or oven.  Here, I transfer the dish to the oven, kick back, and relax once I’ve added the eggs.  My technique ensures that heat distributes more evenly with savory results that do not dry out (an issue that can occur without a skilled hand in the first two techniques).

-Helana

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Part 1: I Want to Be a Writer. Now What?

by Amy Laws
27th Annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival
March 20-24, 2013 

Pictured: The festival program and one of Tennessee Williams’ favorite drinks, which was given out in liberal amounts during the festival - Hendrick’s Gin 

“The Art of the Debut: Writers on their First Novel”
Q&A:  Authors Manuel Gonzales, Kristen-Paige Madonia, Ayana Mathis, and Moderator Susan Larson
Friday, March 22, 2013

_________

This year I volunteered at the 27th Annual Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in my hometown, New Orleans, LA.

I graduated from LSU in Creative Writing this December and then moved back in with my mom. After a day or two—or was it a week or two? or perhaps a month?—of lounging about my house and watching movies, I said,

“Well, I suppose I should do something about this writing career I presume to eventually have (something besides, that is, being part of the inspiringly talented team at Clearly Delicious).”

So, I signed up to volunteer at the festival. And, with my mom’s somewhat forceful encouragement, I decided to attend some of the events and panels at the festival.

Pictured: Me, posing with Tennessee Williams, (unfortunately just his cardboard cut-out.)

I may have been a little afraid that the there would be a group of elite writers who would turn a cold shoulder to someone as inexperienced as myself.

[You know these anxious feelings we sometimes get when venturing into unknown territory. Well, at least I know Cara and I do.]

How wrong I was!

I don’t believe I’ve been to any festival where the people were more welcoming, helpful, and friendly.

I walked into the Hotel Monteleone, the festival’s headquarters, and was taken aback by the beauty of the venue.

Pictured: Lobby of Hotel Monteleone

To the right:  the famous Carousel Bar. To the left: a huge sign pointing me onward to the Tennessee Williams Festival, as well as a fellow volunteer who was already on duty. She smiled, greeted me, and complimented my shirt—a Doctor Who/TARDIS shirt that my fellow writers and nerds appreciated greatly

Pictured: Festival sign

That morning, Friday, March 22nd, I knew what panel I wanted to see. I marched into the Queen Anne Ballroom, which was already half-full at 9:30 a.m., and found a seat to the right of the stage

Pictured: Queen Anne Ballroom in the Hotel Monteleone

My panel wasn’t until 1:00 p.m., and you better believe that I sat there, slowly moving to the front row between panels —eating a homemade sandwich at some point—until that time. I dodged legs and toes, while working my way to seemingly available chairs. When up close, I realized said chairs were occupied by umbrellas or programs. But then I spotted some ladies discussing empty stomachs and a possible lunch outing. So I hovered.

[I hovered like I’ve been taught to do at places like the Café du Monde when searching for a table. And my Café Du Monde-hovering-skills payed off.]

As you will be able to tell from my audience Q&A video later in the article, I ended up seated in the exact middle front row. Success!

After conquering my front row chair, I chatted with fellow writers next to me. Veterans of the festival and newbies alike were glad to talk about their festival experiences. People from 16 to 80 years old with different jobs and areas of interest all wanted to improve their writing. This range encouraged me, in that it erased all preconceived notions that you must perfect the craft of writing at a certain age. The crowd at the festival just proves the simple fact that you’re never too young or too old to start your journey as a writer.

Although I attended many panels during the festival and plan to write about each of the panelists (as well as the hard-to-navigate field of writing and publishing they discussed), I’d like to start with my favorite panel.

On Friday, March 22, I was willing to wait over 3 hours for—

“The Art of the Debut: Writers on their First Novel”

Pictured: (left to right) Authors Manuel Gonzales, Kristen-Paige Madonia, Ayana Mathis, and Moderator Susan Larson.  Video of insightful questions and answers from the Audience Q&A with the Authors. Don’t worry, video becomes less shaky after first 30 seconds.

The “Art of the Debut” panel consisted of first-time published authors who spoke of their personal woes and triumphs while writing and publishing their debut work.

Manuel Gonzales discussed his book “The Miniature Wife: and Other Stories” as well as “writing what you know” and how to write a collection of short stories.

Kristen-Paige Madonia discussed about her book “Fingerprints of You” as well as “writing what you don’t know” and how entering writing contests can help an aspiring writer.

Ayana Mathis discussed about her book “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” as well as her “love-hate relationship with writing” and her phone call from Oprah Winfrey.

Susan Larson moderated the panel by asking the authors questions and keeping them on topic. Susan is the host of The Reading Life on a New Orleans public radio outlet WWNO 89.9, and is the author of “The Booklover’s Guide to New Orleans.”

Pictured: (left to right) Authors Manuel Gonzales, Kristen-Paige Madonia, Ayana Mathis, and Moderator Susan Larson

7 Questions & Many Answers:

Below: All the questions from Moderator Susan Larson and a summary of the authors’ answers in bullet point format. My own comments and advice are listed after, “NOTES.”

Question: When did you know you were really embarking on your book?

• Manuel: “When you get an idea you can’t let go of.”

• Kristen-Paige: “When that idea becomes a product of frustration. Another product of frustration is publishing and the hardships of marketing.”

NOTES: Kristen-Paige discussed a book she wrote, which she and her agent were unable to get published. After much frustration, many feelings of doubt, and tears, what enabled her to move forward and start work on her new book was just knowing that she was “on to something.” But, just because you are “on to something” doesn’t mean that writing and developing that idea won’t be hard or perhaps even cause more tears.

Question: Where and how do you start your story or project? 

“The first line of the book is everything.”

-Susan Larson

NOTES: Susan had each author read the first sentence from his or her book. Barely a breath was heard as each author did so. Small “Ooh’s” and “Aaw’s” erupted from the audience as they finished. The audience’s attention was captured so much so that I and many others went to buy each author’s book after the panel ended.

• Manuel: “Don’t put a completely outlandish unexpected twist at the end.” Sometimes it is good to let readers know up front that something strange and outlandish is going on, and then continue to develop your character’s problems in that situation or setting.

• Kristen-Paige: “Start with the character and develop the character’s voice.” Write in the voice of the character a lot. That’s how you can figure out who the character is and how the character would respond to certain conflicts and situations you go through every day. And then start your plot.

• Ayana: “Know two or three important things about or wrong with your character.” Don’t obsess over the beginning of the book too much. You can go back to it after the entire plot plays out.

• Manuel: And sometimes what you start with ends up in the middle or near the end of the story.

• Kristen-Paige: “And that’s the beauty of cut and paste.”

NOTES: It really depends on what you as a writer are most comfortable starting with: character, plot, conflict, or setting. I even came up with one interesting sentence once, and ended up building a story around that one sentence. Whatever you choose to begin with, it is important to make sure you are disciplined. Keep writing, even if you go back later and decide to put none of what you’ve written in your final story. Anything and everything you write will help you to develop your work.

Question: How do you sell your book?

• Manuel: “Most importantly write what you want, and don’t worry about whether it will sell or not.”

NOTES: Make sure you believe in your work. Manuel was with his former agent for about 6 years. Manuel wrote his collection of short stories, and his agent kept delaying looking for an editor. His agent made excuses like “short story collections just aren’t selling right now.” Manuel was extremely distressed, and started to lose faith in his work. After two years of his agent not doing anything to get his book published, his friend simply suggested that he get a new agent. He did. Manuel’s new agent, P J Mark, sold his collection in a week. So, have faith in you work and don’t let anyone hold you back.

Question: Did you ever want to give up on your book?

• Ayana: “It’s a love-hate relationship.”
• It took a while to accomplish. The relationship between Ayana and her book was that of a “bad lover”:

“I love you. I want to be with you forever. Then, I hate you. Get out of my life. Then wait, I think I still love you.”

-Ayana Mathis, “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie”

• Ayana wrote her first book in graduate school and eventually sold it to an editor. In another year and a half it was published.
• Ayana got a call from Oprah Winfrey, herself, while she was in Paris no less, informing her that her first book was now part of Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club.

NOTES: You may need to spend some time away from your writings, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth coming back to. In fact, you should spend some time away from your story instead of trying to edit it every day. I find that editing becomes easier and faster once I spend a few weeks, or months, or years away from my writings. I go back to them with a completely new perspective and fresh outlook on ideas from story plots to sentence structures that help make my stories flow better.

Question: How does entering a writing contest help your development as a writer as well as your career?

• Kristen-Paige: When you do win a writing contest it helps to encourage and validate your talent.

• Kristen-Paige is the winner of the Tennessee Williams 2nd Annual Fiction Contest.

NOTES: When it comes to writing contests, look at previous winners and their stories to see what has been popular in the past. Also, research the judges to see what kind of works they have published. Keep the past contest winners’ and judges’ writing styles in mind, but still make your story your own, and not a copy of others’ works. Make sure you read all rules before submitting your story. If formatting is wrong or the word count is exceeded, your story will be thrown out.

Entering contests helps with practicing your craft even if you don’t win the contest the first time you enter. I have entered many fiction contests, but it was a few years before I actually won one. I recently won the Country Roads Magazine Fiction Contest. My story “The Living” will be in the June 2013 issue as well as online (link coming soon).

Question: How do you know when your collection of short stories is done?

• Manuel: “When you have a similar theme and voice in the stories. Notice an element you may be repeating and keep that in mind as you continue writing your collection.”

NOTES: Writing similarly themed stories may be easier than you think. We all go through many experiences and stages in our lives that affect our writing. Each experience (or theme) can lend itself to countless writings before you move on to a new life experience (or new theme) in a new line of writings. I started writing 5 years ago and I still find the same theme cropping up in my stories. One can see that my story “The Living” deals with the themes of death, loss, and denial. Yes, I have dealt with these themes in many of my stories, but always with different characters, settings, and situations so that the themes can be explored from different angles.

Question: How do you feel now that the public has something you wrote in their hands?

• Manuel: “It’s hard to explain it. It feels like they’re talking about someone else’s book and not something you spent all this time and heartache on writing, especially when it is a good review.”

• Ayana: “I’m moved by the generosity with which this book has been received. I got a letter from a woman and the last line of the letter said, ‘I want to tell you this: Never be discouraged.’”

• Kristen-Paige: “You are afraid you’ll get a comment like -

‘How do you have the right to write what you know nothing about?’ – but I push against writing what you know. I write things I know nothing about and no one has gotten angry with me yet. I was actually thanked for writing a non-MTV teen mom story.”

-Kristen-Paige Madonia, “Fingerprints of You”

NOTES: Both Ayana and Kristen-Paige discussed how meeting YA (Young Adult) readers is rewarding, and the feedback they receive amazes them. However, while doing a Q&A with YA readers, Ayana and Kristen-Paige are always wary of inappropriate questions that children and teens sometimes ask.

-Amy

—
Amy Laws is a recent LSU English and Creative Writing graduate, who couldn’t be happier than when she’s discussing a book or movie in depth. This March, Amy won the Country Roads Magazine’s short story contest with her story “The Living,” and will be published in their June 2013 issue.

Amy is one of our four Editorial and Writing Interns specializing in a wide variety of projects—articles and essays, recipes and recipe writing, and creative short stories–about living and eating in Louisiana. According to past teacher and mentor James Wilcox, Amy “has a nack for editing.”

Contact: amy [at] clearlydeliciousfoodblog [dot] com

_____

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Everyone knows mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and childhood dinners (usually as popular as macaroni and cheese amongst 5-year-olds), but with today’s recipe, Mashed Potatoes get an upgrade with the addition of creamed horseradish.  Horseradish Mashed Potatoes incorporate all of the wonders of good mashed potatoes–butter, cream, and plenty of salt and pepper–but possess a rich, restaurant-quality flavor.  

When done correctly, the horseradish enhances, but does not dominate the dish, and the flavors are familiar, but new.  I love my friend Lydia’s idea to infuse a regular batch of mashed potatoes with something as simple as prepared horseradish from a jar.  I now keep a jar of horseradish around for starchy vegetables that need an extra kick. When cooking, I prepare this side with these Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Pepper Sauce, Roast Turkey, or Spicy Cajun Pork Loin (“Dragon’s Tongue”).

-Helana

Pictured: Lydia’s Horseradish Mashed Potatoes, a creamy, buttery, spicy take on the classic American side dish.

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

Yields: 8 (1-cup) servings

Inspired by my best friend Lydia’s horseradish potatoes, this decadent side makes ample use of butter, cream, and, well, horseradish.  Always use red potatoes and keep the skins on for extra flavor and texture.  See past recipe (here) for my family’s traditional Mashed Potatoes, or here for a new take with Smashed Cauliflower.  Also checkout Bon Appétit’s version of Horseradish Mashed Potatoes (what they call “Perfect Potatoes,” (here) for a recipe that includes olive oil substitutions.

**Extra Cook’s Note: for my Fat2Fit listeners, let’s discuss how to make a Mashed Potatoes recipe healthier! I’m thinking of swapping out the butter altogether and using horseradish instead.  Please comment with your suggestions and cooking tips and tricks!

Ingredients:

* 2 pounds red potatoes (washed, not peeled)

* 2-3 tablespoons horseradish 

* 4 tablespoons butter

* 1/4 cup cream

* Salt and pepper, to taste

1.) Begin by prepping your vegetables: wash and quarter potatoes (do not peel), cutting into 1-1 1/2 inch cubes.  Place in a large pot filled 2/3 of the way with salted water.

2.) Boil potatoes over medium-high heat until a cube of potato smashes on a fork (around 20-30 minutes, but cooking times may vary due to the size of your potato cubes, stove, and/or cooking temperature).

3.) Strain potatoes and add to an oversized/large mixing bowl.  While potatoes are still hot, add horseradish, 1-inch cubes of butter, cream, and salt and pepper to taste.  Using a potato masher (a whisk will also work here), mash down the potatoes until they cream together.  Mix, smash, and repeat until creamy.*

*Cook’s Note: For creamy, perfect potatoes that are restaurant style, use a hand or standing mixer. One of my favorite ways to whip mashed potatoes into a frenzy is to use the whisk attachment on my KitchenAid Mixer.  If you have one, combine all ingredients in attached mixing bowl and set mixer to medium-high speed with whisk attachment (not paddle).  Continue to add salt and pepper until the flavor is just right.  

4.) Continue adding salt and pepper to taste. You may also wish to add a dash more horseradish, butter, or milk.  Personally, I like buttery mashed potatoes that require little else when plated, so mash and taste until you’re happy with the final product.  When I made these, Lydia said, “Yum! I could eat JUST THOSE POTATOES.”  I’d say this is when you know you’re done.

—

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And, pollen.

Since 2008, I’ve come to love Louisiana in so many ways.  Between our state’s year-round growing season, fresh produce, and regularly warm weather, it’s hard not to appreciate everyday amenities like these.  

[ In fact, I'm far too aware that while other food bloggers defrost their car windows each morning, I'm wearing running shorts surprisingly early in the year. Lucky me.... ]

But what I didn’t include in this glowing definition of Louisiana was pollen.

Pollen – that yellow, filmy stuff that gets on your car and makes you sneeze.

Louisiana has her fair share of ligustrum trees with their influential weather channel “high pollen alerts,” and I’m sorry to say that I’ve been quite under the weather.  Although I’d like to have ushered in finals and the first weeks of May with one late night on the porch after another, I spent most of my evenings in doors with a bad case of seasonal allergies, cursing those beautiful ligustrum trees taunting me on the patio.

Pictured: delicate white flowers bloom each spring in Louisiana as seasonal ligustrum trees cover the LSU campus and Baton Rouge.  Read more about this plant at the LSU Ag Center’s website (here).

And our state’s white, tiny flowers could only assault my sinuses for so long before my warm, but shady backyard beckoned me to return to my not-so-fancy (or super expensive) grill.

I’m fully aware of the irony of allergies and grilling outdoors, but as I get ready to head to Maine for the summer (that’s right – I’m leaving Louisiana for the first “extended” period of time since 2008!), I want to spend every minute I can sharing food and drinks with friends:

Pictured: my best friend Lydia after setting down a plate full of food. I’m thrilled to admit this photo wasn’t actually “staged,” but a practical way to carry your drink outside when you have full hands.  There’s something *very* Louisiana about this image….

I shared my first summer grilling experiences here last week with a recipe for BBQ Chicken Pizza.  This week, I’m using some of the leftover Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sauce over marinated pork loin chops from my local Albertson’s (have you seen those crazy, “Buy 1 get 3 Free” deals? Yeah, they’re sort of worth it).  

Pictured: some summer Pork Loin Chops on the grill, marinated in Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sauce (spicy-sweet) and a few splashes of  Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce.  Did I mention these (plus 3 more pounds) were about $10 at Albertson’s?

Grilling pork chops are just one of the many ways to bring out natural flavors hidden within the fat and meat, but the real trick is to avoid overly marinating or brushing the loin when it’s on the grill.  Here, I use a mildly spicy-sweet BBQ sauce from Stubb’s that’s brushed on before and after flips (usually about two brushes during the entire process).  Then, I splash a few drops of  Pepper Sauce on both sides right as the chops come off the grill.  You’ll be rewarded with a subtle, but spicy heat that pairs nicely with a cold beer.

Pictured: Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce, a lovely (but serious) condiment that I use as a final ingredient right as the chops come off the grill.  Sprinkle the sauce on meat, potatoes, or barbecue for sophisticated and quick heat.  In some cases (marinades and grilling), I’ve been able to use it as “liquid” pepper.

In January, the Gumbo Goddess and I received these small samples of Pepper Sauce from Puckett’s Boat House in Tennessee at Food Blog South.

Typically, I don’t review many (if any) of the freebies I receive at conferences or speaking events, but this sauce really stood out.  I like the idea of using an almost “liquid” pepper when grilling, although many would treat this sauce as a distant cousin to BBQ sauce (if not a version of BBQ sauce itself).  

For my taste, the Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce is too spicy for marinade use only, but works great as an add on to other marinades, homemade or otherwise.

But, before you grill and dress those pork loin chops, here are some key tips: 

1 – Use a Charcoal Grill.  The flavor is unrivaled and the cooking is fun.

2 – Cut Pork Chops at Home.  Although this is a new concept to me (introduced to me by my friend Heather’s father), one of the best ways to save money, is to buy a tenderloin and butcher it at home.  See this tutorial for cutting tips, steak sizes, and other FAQs. 

ALSO – checkout minute 16 of Alton Brown’s “Tender is the Pork” episode (here) for more tenderloin cutting tips and tricks.

3 – Use Quality Ingredients.  You may have a great discount price for your summer grill meat, or, you may not have access to a great butcher.  With a quality marinade (and pepper sauce, if you have it), low-quality meats can be brought to life.  I discuss other techniques (as with tenderizing) in my article on “How to Tenderize a Steak” here.

Since I only have two weeks before I leave Louisiana for a much-needed summer vacation in Maine, I’ll continue to get as much grilling in as possible, and I’ve got big plans for this little jar of peppery sauce.  If I have any left, I may try to share it with my family in New England, but I don’t believe their palates are quite used to southern spicy heat like mine….

Grilled Pork Loin Chops with Pepper Sauce

Yields: 3 servings (or, 3 (1/3-pound) pork loin chops)

Calories: 363.2 calories per servings (full nutritional facts here)

Prep Time: 5-10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

New to grilling? Checkout “How to Grill Perfect Pork Chops” at Serious Eats (here).  Although I love the detailed “Perfect Chops” and “Double Dose of Grilling” sections, I think the “Brine Time” can easily be skipped (sometimes, the pork just gets way too salty).  Also, note that the author, Joshua Bousel, grills Pork Chops with the bone in.  Here, I use Pork Loin Chops, a far more tender cut of meat.

So, skip the brine if you can help it.  In the past, I’ve followed Bon Appétit’s rule to brine before you pan fry or grill your pork chops (and I did so when reading up on this article earlier this spring).  But, 4 out of 5 times, the pork ends up too salty no matter how much I cut back on the salt or follow the directions closely.

Ingredients:

* 3 (1/3-pound) pork loin chops (1 1/2-inch thick, ideally)

* Salt and pepper, to taste

* Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce (or like sauce), to taste

* Puckett’s Boat House Pepper Sauce (or like sauce), to taste

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

* Charcoal Grill

1.) Rub pork loin chops with salt and pepper beforehand and rest (covered) in the fridge (preferably overnight).

2.) Brush pork loin chops in Stubb’s BAR-BQ Sweet and Spicy Sauce (or like BBQ sauce) on both sides.  One good slathering on each will do.

3.) For the grill: prepare coals for charcoal grill and warm to medium heat.  Depending on the size of my crowd, I use a “direct fire” or “two-zone” fire for grilling.  With direct fire, the coals are evenly lit and heat is equally disbursed.  With “two-zone,” one side of the grill is covered in burning coals and a few burning coals are sprinkled on the other side.  

4.) When grill is warm, grease clean grates (I use a paper towel dipped in vegetable or olive oil before I add the meat).

5.) Place cuts over high-heat and close lid.  Any fat produced may ignite the fire more and allow necessary blackening.  You’ll want the cuts to sit on each side for at least 5 to 6 minutes before flipping and brushing in another round of Stubb’s.  When the bottom has started to take a char, flip the pork loin chop, then brush all over with Stubb’s.  Close lid and cook until the bottom has also charred slightly and the internal temperature is at 135-145F.  135F is medium to medium-rare and 145F is well-done; cook pork loin chops based on your preferences for levels of done-ness.  

6.) Plate pork loin chops and dress in pepper sauce to taste.  

-Helana

—

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

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Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

The dedication to quality, useful images and expensive equipment would be a year or two down the road.  In fact, it wouldn’t be until late 2009 (or was it early 2010?) that I began to take capturing pictures seriously.

Amateur Gourmet Adam Roberts explained the “Beautiful Recipe Post” in his “10 Posts that Will Get You Traffic” talk at this year’s Food Blog South 2013.  It was smart and clever, with plenty of notes about how 99% of bloggers are regularly publishing beautiful pictures without the express worry of producing “quality” content.  

Basically, if you can afford a DSLR camera (Nikon or Canon), you’re good to go.  Just learn to point and shoot before uploading those images.

[Case in point here: "Healthy Nutella Rice Krispy Treats."  Terrible Writing + Beautiful Images = "Pinnable" Content; But, I digress....]

Pictured: “Healthy Nutella Rice Krispy Bars” by Chocolate-Covered Kate: The Healthy Dessert Blog: a great example of beautiful, “pinnable” content without the writing chops.  But, I have to admit the DSLR skills are pretty great here.

For several weeks now, I’ve been telling the Writing and Editorial Interns I would show them exactly how a dish goes from photo to blog.  It’s a process of plating, conceptualization, and a ton of other techy skills. My logic was this: it may be hard to understand even 10% of food photography based on one photoshoot.  But, simply witnessing the labor-intensive process behind a magazine or food blog might do them some good (especially if they go into publishing as Meredith Quinn has been want to do).

Last Friday, we bundled up on the patio to shoot a gluten-free Fallen Chocolate Cake from Bon Appétit:

Pictured: me standing on the patio table explaining to interns Erica deVeer and Meredith Quinn how the right angle and lighting mean everything.  Photo by Food and Writing Intern Tara Hebert.

Although we spent only 20-minutes styling and shooting this dessert (really, pennies compared to the hour-long shoots you’ll witness at major magazines and print pubs), I showed a few of the crazy antics that happened “before” a dish could be shot.  Whether we were tweaking a dish’s arrangement by half an inch or balling up a piece of paper to substitute for a fresh scoop of ice cream (that is, to test our settings before a real scoop of ice cream would could begin to melt), it was all quick and informative, emphasizing the labor that goes behind the cover images of those glossy food publications.

But, what I didn’t have time to get to was “post.”  

“Post” is an industry term that refers to what you do with an image once it’s shot.  Since most professional food bloggers shoot in .raw format, it’s easy to manipulate an image with expensive photo-editing software like Photoshop or LightRoom. Honestly, just learning one platform can be a bit of a chore (I still don’t know how to do half the things I’d like to do in Photoshop), but it’s a worth-while extra-curricular if you want your images to come alive.

Example: Erica deVeer’s Easter Sunday recipe for Chocolate Truffle Cake:

Pictured: “Before” and “After” shots of a Chocolate Truffle Cake .  Notice the enhanced saturation, sharpness, and clarity on the right? Although these changes may be subtle, they’re what transforms a “good” image into something that’s “great” and can be published in a variety of platforms.

Below, I’ve itemized 5 essential tips I cannot live without when editing an image in post, especially when using Photoshop.  Since including each tip in full creates a really long blog post, I’ve given you the tip, feature, and overview below with a link to the longer tutorial on a separate page here at the website.

For more tips, tricks, and photo inspiration, please follow me on Pinterest and my “Food Photography Ideas” board.

Tip #1: Exposure

(full tutorial here)

Exposure is one of the most important tips I can give anyone when they start working with a photo in post.  I won’t detail the more high-tech skills you’ll need to know when working with apertures / f-stops and how the numbers really don’t make any sense (the lower the f-stop the higher your aperture? Or in the words of Hélène Dujardin, “It’s just crazy!”)

But here’s what I can tell you when working in “post”:

Exposure Levels.

Follow the link here for the full 5-step tutorial where I explain how the “Levels Feature” on the Adjustments Panel makes all the difference in Photoshop.  

For this tutorial, I’m using images in .raw format and Photoshop CS12.1 x64,  iMac on OSX 10.6.8):

So, why does exposure matter? Well, here’s a (somewhat frustrating) food blogger tip: the number one reason my images have been rejected from FoodGawker in the past is “low lighting” or “under-exposed.”  

Tip #2: Blow Outs

(full tutorial here)

Fixing exposure is important, but it also creates (or encourages) some lighting problems—blow outs.

“Blow outs” is a slang term that refers to an area where whites and exposure are so bright, they’ve literally been “blown out” and no data is shown (just white, bright light).  Sometimes this looks pretty cool and you might be aiming for an over-exposed effect, but most of the time (as with visible, useful food photography), it poses a problem.  Why?

Well, blow outs are particularly troublesome if you were to go to print.  Not only would there be no digital information to be printed in this part of the image, but it also messes with white balance and photo composition.

Here’s an easy fix in Photoshop: correcting blow outs using the “Layers” Feature.

Again, to see how to use Photoshop’s “Layers” Feature, read up on the process here in a separate post.

Tip #3: Filter -> Gaussian Blur

(full tutorial here)

Two filters I always use when editing a food photo in post are 1 – “Gaussian Blur” and 2 – “High Pass.”  

In Tip #3, I discuss Gaussian Blur.

Photoshop’s filters serve a wide ray of functions and have infinite variables you can play with and fix.  For now, we’re just enhancing color and sharpening the image.  With Gaussian Blur, you can add a layer of sophisticated saturation that truly brings your image to life.  To read how to add, overlay, and adjust this filter, read the full article here.

Tip #4: Filter -> High Pass

(see full tutorial here)

The second of two filters I always use when editing photos in post is High Pass.  In LightRoom, this filter functions more under “clarity” and “sharpening,” but here, it’s all one function.

High Pass is fairly intuitive after you’ve gotten the hang of Gaussian blur.  Follow the steps for tip 3 and read the full tutorial for how to sharpen even the smallest details here.

Tip #5: Internet-Ready

(see full tutorial here)

Although this tip comes last, I think it’s one of the most important: saving files so they’re Internet and Print ready.  Honestly, discovering this feature took a lot of trial and error after slaving away on my images and just hitting “save as.”  In the generation that grew up using Microsoft Word, we all know that “Save As” updates a file with all of the new changes and features, right? Well, not in Photoshop.  In Photoshop, in order to (truly) save all of your adjustments, layers, tweaks, and filters, you’ll need to use the feature, “Save for Web and Devices.”

In this tutorial (full version here), I discuss preserving all of your data, but without saving the image as a Photoshop file.

—

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of Photosshop. Young is a certified Photoshop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Or, checkout these Useful Blogger Articles:

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana

—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

Although this tip comes last, I think it’s one of the most important: saving files so they’re Internet and Print ready.  Honestly, discovering this feature took a lot of trial and error after slaving away on my images and just hitting “save as.”  

For the generation that grew up using Microsoft Word, we all know that “Save As” updates a file with all of the new changes and features, right?

Well, not in Photoshop.  

In Photoshop, in order to (truly) save all of your adjustments, layers, tweaks, and filters, you’ll need to use the feature, “Save for Web and Devices.”

What it does: saves updated image in a .jpeg file that preserves your changes.  It’s fairly straight forward, but much more complex in terms of data nuts and bolts.  For a more comprehensive view of what the “Save for Web & Devices” command really does, checkout Joshua Johnson’s article here.*

*Note: pay special attention to Johnson’s discussion of “image size,” something I don’t get into in the steps below.

1 - Click on File -> Save for Web & Devices:

2 - Photoshop will prompt you and ask if this is what you really want to do because the file size will be much larger (3 to 4 times larger in most cases).  Select “Yes”:

3 - A funny screen will pop up with a ton of features.  Although I won’t go into what each drop-down box means here, they’re a great way to adjust settings for a jpeg (or other file types) and maximize the data you save.  For now, simply make sure you’re saving the file as “JPEG” and that the box, “Convert to RGB” is selected.  Hit “Save”*:

*Note checkout Johnson’s article on image size.  In most cases, you’ll want to adjust your pixels settings found in the bottom of this screen.

4 - Of course, save the file wherever you’d like.  It’ll be far larger than the original, and I always put my documents in an “Edited” folder with a .2 or -2 after it to indicate the change.  Hit “Save”:

—

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of Photosshop. Young is a certified Photoshop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Or, checkout these Useful Blogger Articles:

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana
—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

The second of two filters I always use when editing photos in post is High Pass.  In LightRoom, this filter functions more under “clarity” and “sharpening,” but here, it’s all one function.

1 – To apply the High Pass Filter, repeat your steps from Tip #3 (create new background layer copy).  Then, click on Filter -> Other -> High Pass:

2 – When the High Pass dialogue box pops up, set the Radius / Pixels to 10.0.  Click “Ok”:

3 – Like the Gaussian Blur filter, you’ll want to select “Overlay” for the properties.

4 – Select a manageable Opacity (here, 61%):

The opacity here is all about personal preference.  In some instances, dishes require as much sharpening as possible.  In others, they’ll require very little.  And, if you’re doing other kinds of photography–landscapes, portraits, or more creative work–sharpening will, again, come down to personal preference.  I chose “61%” because the image was fairly sharp to begin with, but I’d like to see the tulips in the background have a little more pop, some more texture in the cookies and the window pane:

From here, so long as the image is sharp enough and colored the way I’d like, I’m ready to hit “save,” but with the Photoshop feature, “Web & Other Devices.”  Read about this final tip here.

—

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of Photosshop. Young is a certified Photoshop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Or, checkout these Useful Blogger Articles:

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana
—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

Two filters I always use when editing a food photo in post are 1 – “Gaussian Blur” and 2 – “High Pass.”  Here, I discuss Gaussian Blur.

PhotoShop’s filters serve a wide ray of functions and have infinite variables you can play with and fix.  For now, we’re just enhancing color and sharpening the image.  With Gaussian Blur, you can add a layer of sophisticated saturation that truly brings your image to life.  

To add filters:

1 - Click on the bottom layer, “Background” and drag it to the second icon from the right, “Create New Layer.”  

You’ll have a “Background Copy” popup in the layers history:

2 - Once you’ve added a new layer, you can apply a filter.  I usually start with Gaussian Blur to enhance colors first (I’ll sharpen the image afterwards).  Making sure your “background Copy” layer is selected (you can tell by whether or not it’s highlighted, as with the image above).

Click on Filter -> Blur -> Gaussian Blur.

The blur pre-sets will pop up, and you can keep them at 1.0 Radius/pixels or adjust it to higher numbers like 10.0 or 50.0.  For this image, I changed the sets to “50″ (not pictured).

When you click “ok,” your image will be a glossy blur:

3 - You’ll want to change the filter to an overlay, so you can see through the blur and enhance colors seamlessly.  Click on the first drop-down box under the Layers History Panel (your Opacity drop-down box will be to the right).  Scroll down to “Overlay” and click to select this feature:

The image will darken and be super saturated:

4 - To tone down the saturation to a manageable amount, adjust the percentage of your opacity (drop-down box in the upper-right corner of your Layers History Panel).  Right now, the set value is “100%.”  Usually, I adjust to somewhere between 20-30% depending on the image.  For this picture, I dropped down the Opacity to 29%:

Now, it’s time to sharpen the image and make any final alterations before we save it for the Internet.  See Tip #4 Filter -> High Pass here.
—

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of PhotosShop. Young is a certified PhotoShop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Blogger Articles (useful):

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana
—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

Fixing exposure is important, but it also creates (or encourages) some lighting problem—blow outs.

“Blow outs” is a slang term that refers to an area where whites and exposure are so bright, they’ve literally been “blown out” and no data is shown (just white, bright light).  Sometimes this looks pretty cool and you might be aiming for an over-exposed effect, but most of the time (as with visible, useful food photography), it poses a problem.  Why?

Well, blow outs pose a particular problem if you were to go to print.  Not only would there be no digital information to be printed in this part of the image, but it also messes with white balance and photo composition.

Pictured: blow outs are the areas of extreme lighting or “white” in the image above.  I’ve pointed out a few areas where the blow outs are especially harsh.

Here’s an easy fix in Photoshop: correcting blow outs using the “Layers” Feature:

1 - Add a solid color or “fill layer” – right click on the “Fill/Adjustment Layer” icon at the bottom of your screen – this looks like a half black, half white circle:

2 - Scroll to the top of the box that pops up and select “Solid Color”: 

3 - When the box asks that you “pick a solid color,” select the brightest red with your icon (merely click on it and hit “ok”):

4 - Now, you’ll see an entirely red screen because you’ve simply placed a layer of red on top of your image:

5 - From here, you’ll want to adjust fill levels.  Right click on the top box under your layers history that represents the red colors layer you just added.  You’ll know you’re right clicking on the correct layer because the box next to your cursor will be red. Select “blending options” at the top of the drop-down box:

6 - In the new box that pops up, look at the bottom (“Blend If”) section.  Here, you’ll want to reverse the black and white sliders in the “underlying layer” section.  Note that your “start point” includes a white tab on the right and a black tab on the left:

Reverse the two sliders for “underlying layer.”  Here’s what they will look like when reversed (notice the sudden red spots in your image below?).  

Now, click “ok”:

7 - At this point, PhotoShop is highlighting where all of the blow outs occur, and you can fix these spots by adjusting your “levels” layer in the layers history panel.  To do so, right click on the “Levels 1″ layer and select “blending options”:

8 - A new box will pop up that looks similar to the red layer’s blending options.  Like this solid color layer, you’ll want to adjust the “underlying layer” using the arrows at the bottom of this box.  

Take the white arrow tab on the righthand side and move it all the way to the left until as much fo the red “blow outs” disappear as possible (note: some blow outs may not be capable of being resolved):

9 - Then, hit “option” and click (or, “option” + click on Mac, “alt” + click on Windows) on the white arrow.  The arrow will divid into two pieces.  Drag the right-side of the arrow tab all the way back to the righthand side of the underlying layer bar.  The image will suddenly become clearer, keeping fixed blowouts in tact and softening harsh edges that may have occurred in the last step.

10 – Now, click the icon next to the top “Color Fill 1″ layer in your layers history panel.  This hides the layer and turns off the red highlighting.

Your image’s exposures and blow outs are now fixed.  Time to add color pop filters and enhance sharpness.  See tips #4 and #5 for these tutorials (links below).

—

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of PhotosShop. Young is a certified PhotoShop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Blogger Articles (useful):

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana
—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman

I won’t detail the more high-tech skills you’ll need to know when working with apertures / f-stops and how the numbers really don’t make any sense (the lower the f-stop the higher your aperture? Or in the words of Hélène Dujardin, “it’s crazy!”)

But here’s what I can tell you when working in “post”:

Exposure Levels.

When working in Photoshop (or LightRoom), it’s easy to adjust exposure levels using the “Levels Feature” on the Adjustments Panel.  Here’s how:

1 - Open your image in .raw format using PhotoShop (pictured: CS12.1 x64, using iMac on OSX 10.6.8):

2 - Click on the icon for “Levels” (an exposure histogram that resembles mountains or spiky hills):

3 - When the histogram pops up, you’ll have three sliders placed along the left, middle, and right of the histogram.  You’ll also see where “Levels 1″ has been added to your layers history:

4 - Now, click on the slider on the right and slightly nudge it to the left until the image has brightened as much as you like.  For me, I want the dark spots to reveal texture in the frosting that’s currently missing.  I also want to be able to see the ridges in the cookies that encircle the cake.  Fixing exposure helps make this possible.  

And, to track how far you’ve adjusted exposure, the data in the box below will change numbers (for me, it’s moved from 255 to 215).  Watch as the numbers change and your image brightens:

5 – Great – step 1 (fixing exposure) is really that simple.  You’ve brightened the image, and the cake is more visible in dark spots. If you wanted to increase darkness or brighten highlights, fiddle with the sliders on the lefthand side and the center. Really, being comfortable with exposure means playing around with these settings and knowing what looks good to you.  

And, here’s a food blogger tip: the number one reason my images have been rejected from FoodGawker in the past is “low lighting” or “under-exposed.”  

As always, you can “hit the books” as they say to learn more about these five tips and tricks. Here are three of the food photography books I cannot live without:

—

1 – Hélène Dujardin’s Plate to Pixel (and here blog: Tartlette) 

*great for learning about nuanced lighting, natural lighting, and plating.  Dujardin has a great section on f-stops/aperture, ISO, and how to get creative in a traditionally mechanized field.

2 – Denise Vivaldo’s Food Stylist’s Handbook

*great for learning about industry tips and tricks, how to handle a professional photo-shoot, and what to have on hand.

3 – Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots

*worth the less than $14 purchase if only for her discussion of PhotosShop. Young is a certified PhotoShop specialist, and it shows with her screen shots and tips and tricks.

Or, checkout some Useful Blogger Articles (useful):

1 – “Tasty Food Photography” by Pinch of Yum

2 – “Photography on Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer

3 - Lynda.com by Lynda Weinman

-Helana
—

Directory:

Or, See: Tip #1: “Fixing Exposure”

Tip #2: “Fixing Blow Outs in Photoshop” 

Tip #3: “Filter -> Gaussian Blur”

Tip #4: “Filter -> High Pass” 

Tip #5: “Saving Images for the Internet”

—

Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/helana/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DancesWLobsters

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Clearly-Delicious/103136413059101

Tumblr: http://clearlydelicious.tumblr.com/

Instagram: http://instagram.com/helanabrigman