"photos" news and stories

The prevailing food trends that say you should know exactly what you're eating and where it came from. This is generally accepted to mean that you should buy eggs are from free range chickens and beef from grass-fed, hormone-free cows. Whole Foods is reinterpreting that to mean that you should know the farmers who are responsible for producing the eggs, beef and produce that you are purchasing. They're introducing their customers to their producers by putting up pictures of the farmers in stores, which makes the shopping experience sort of like seeing the vendors at a farmer's market without having to interact with them in any way. The idea is not to make the farmers into celebrities, but to make sure that the customers know that they are buying locally and supporting these people by shopping at Whole Foods, not just supporting the store.

Whole Foods is supporting the farmers because it is driving their business, not just because they believe in the cause, but whatever the reason, the movement for buying locally is making a change for small farmers. Some report that nearly all of their products are now sold locally, whether through a venue like Whole Foods or direct to consumers, and that the increased interest in local foods and the willingness of consumers to pay slightly higher prices for them are, in many cases, saving these farms.

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There are many food bloggers out there who take stunning, professional-quality photographs of food for their websites. There are an equal number who seem to suffer a bit from poor lighting and blurry images, though. Photographers will get better with practice, but it helps to have a good eye for composition and the ability to hold the camera steady when you're trying to take pictures - especially ones of food, which tend to be from close up and trying to capture a lot of detail. It's safe to say that there are three major elements that will really help anyone looking to improve their photography: a quality camera, good lighting and a tripod or stand,

You're on your own for the camera, but the Photo Studio in a Box offers the other two in a neat little package. It includes an adjustable camera stand, soft light box and backgrounds, two high output table-top lights (to eliminate unflattering shadows and highlight the details of your subject) and a nylon diffuser screen. It also comes with a custom carrier so you can use the studio when traveling, although restaurants probably won't be thrilled if you try to set it up on the table.

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After a whole day of preparation, baking, cooking and waiting, the meal of the year finally came together. There was a brief struggle as I snagged the turkey platter for photographs before the bird could be carved, but that aside, everything went smoothly. The soup was light and refreshing, the side dishes - which included roasted green beans with caramelized onions, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing (baked both in and outside of the bird) and cranberry sauce - were all extremely well liked, and the turkey and gravy were just right. Of course, I was a big fan of the dessert - but that almost goes without saying.

Click past the jump for pictures of the whole meal!

We always try to cover the Does My Blog Look Good in This? photo competition, where food bloggers enter their best food photos from the previous month. This month's round was hosted by Food Beam, a blog that is itself known for lovely photography. The "best in show" photo was of the Blackberry Semifreddo Sandwiches pictured above, from the blog Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. The semifreddo is an ice cream-like mixture of blackberries, sugar and yogurt, with some whipped cream folded in, that is frozen and generally served by the slice, rather than in scoops. It makes a very elegant, but refreshing, summer dessert if you have a chance to try the recipe.

Be sure to check out all the winners, as there are multiple categories, including Originality, Best Food Styling, Best Lighting and Cutest. Hopefully, you'll be inspired to pick out your best food porn shot to enter in the next round of the competition, which is being hosted by Toast Point.

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All the Chicago beef and hot dog fans out there should appreciate this one. GreaseFreak.com is a photographic survey of meaty Chicago fare like beef sandwiches, hot dogs, chili, Italian subs, burgers and (shrug) turkey clubs. While the site's host, Peter Strazzabosco, claims to not be a fast food expert, he does a good job of outlining the qualities one should look for in aforementioned foods. He also rates each of his "intimate shots of greasy edibles" with stars for taste, presentation and ambiance. As you might imagine, the list of hot dog places is quite extensive.