DMBLGIT April 2011 Winners!

What a great month it has been, hosting the prestigious food photography event DMBLGIT ( Does My Blog Look Good In This) the brain child of Andrew of Spitoon extra, and claimed by food photography lovers around the world! Gorgeous pictures greeted me in my inbox every day and left me gasping in rapture. I am so inspired now to learn more about photography and improve my skills so thank you all for that! 

I would also like to thank the wonderful judges this month: Zoe Francois, Shaheen Peerbhai, Ria Mathew, Dario Milano as well as honorary Judge Helene Dujardin who also generously shared their favourite food photography tips in my previous post.

After careful evaluation of all the 43 stunning entries we received this month, the judges scored each photo according to edibility, originality, and aesthetics. The entries with the 3 highest scores when all categories were combined were chosen as the overall winners.

First Place: Ghoriba- Moroccan Almond Cookies by Soma Rathore. This picture was taken with a Konica Minolta Dimage A200. I love the textured back ground of the picture, as well as the almond slivers which almost look like scattered petals! 

Second Place: Apple Butter Pots de Creme by Asha Pagdiwalla. This was taken with a Nikon D5000, 50mm Lens

Judge Shaheen fell in love with this incredible photograph and this is what she had to say:

"The one photo that still comes back to my mind after going through the whole bunch is Asha's. It's gorgeous."

Third Place: Apple cake by Pamela Rodríguez. This was taken with a Canon EOS 350D, 50 mm f/1.8 Lens Is it just me or are you suddenly craving apples too? 

Asha and Pamela both were overall winners last month too! Well done!

Category Winners: These are the highest scoring photos for each category, after excluding the overall winners,

Originality Category winner: Butter Paneer Curry Naan Pizza 

taken with a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS with EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens by 

Xiaolu Hou who was the previous host at her wonderful blog 

6Bittersweets 

I am personally thrilled that Xiaolu also received the fourth highest scores from the judges, not only because of her gorgeous photographs, but because she is an amazingly sweet and generous person, with ready tips on everything from photography to macarons to woks! 

These are some of Judge Dario's comments on it when it was submitted to him for critique on his awesome photography blog:

"Commend you for doing something different... The food is great looking, rustic and country, I love it!"

Edibility Category winner: Yeasted meringue coffee cake by Pavithra Elangovan Taken with a Canon Rebel Xsi / 18-55 mm. Love the shiny glaze and browned tops! Wish I could pick one up right from the photograph! 

Incidentally Pavithra is also one of the top 5 selected Daring Bakers selected for the best edible container contest, so do go vote for her over at the Daring Kitchen! 

Aesthetics Category Winner (Tie): Fruit fusion by Nisha, Taken with a Canon EOS 500D, Tamron 17-55mm. Perfectly lovely summery shot!

Aesthetics Category Winner (Tie): Navy bean stew by Harini Taken with a Canon EOS 350D with 50mm1.4F lens. So hearty those beans look in that lovely rustic bowl and it does sit well on that board that her son brought back for her on his way back from school- how sweet! 

Apart from the winning entries, one of these wonderful entries which did not make it to the winning list, but also deserves mention, was personally picked by honorary judge Helene Dujardin, author of the Food Photography bestseller Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling for the Host's choice award: 

Host's award selected by Helene: Gule Kambing Kacang Hijau (Surabaya-Style Goat Mung Bean Curry) by Pepy Nasution. Taken with a Canon Digital rebel XTi and Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM


Helene's comments: "They took a very difficult subject and not only made it look appetizing but they made it their own. The color scheme is good, the composition has movement. It draws the viewer in different steps. The only thing I would suggest is to maybe to be aware of the highlights/blown outs on the whites in the background. I also would suggest to reduce the visibility of the cutlery which takes away a bit from the main subject. Maybe off to the side to hide some of the silver reflections or wood."


Thanks once again to all the wonderful Judges for sharing their time and insight to support us aspiring photographers, and to all the wonderful participants for so much beauty and such a feast for the eyes! 

Do feel free to comment on these gorgeous pictures here or in the DMBLGIT Gallery, I would love to hear your thoughts, and I am sure the photographers would love to hear from you too!

I would also like to apologize once again to  Patricia Scarpin of one of my favourite baking blogs Technicolor Kitchen  and Vania Samperuru of the lovely Our Family's Favourite Recipes  whose gorgeous entries I missed because they somehow went into my spam folder :( I am so glad that this month's host the wonderful Prerna of one of my favourite blogs Indian Simmer, has generously agreed to include them in this month's entries. Do send in your entries for this month to her. Also Indian Simmer has recently been selected as finalist in SAVEUR magazine's Best Food Blog Awards in the Best Regional cuisine category so please do go and vote for her, if you haven't already! 

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Food Photography tips from the Judges of DMBLGIT ( Does My Blog look Good in This)

I am very often left speechless by the beauty of pictures taken by so many talented and inspirational bloggers out there. Hosting the prestigious food photography event DMBLGIT (Does My Blog Look Good In This) I thought would be a good way to have some of their talent rub off on me :) One can hope right? 

I am so grateful to have some of those bloggers who inspire me the most with their gorgeous pictures as much as their awesome collection of recipes, and wonderful warm personalities, agree to be the judges as I host this month. I also requested them to share their insights into what makes a picture look good enough to eat and here it is, in their own words! 



Zoe Francois is an extraordinary pastry chef and cookbook author of  the revolutionary Bread in 5 series which helped thousands ( including me) around the world to get over our intimidation of yeast and bake bread at home, with about 5 mins of active effort! Her new cook book Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day is very eagerly expected soon and is already available for pre-order.
 She blogs at Zoe Bakes and also writes for  Cooking Channel’s blog, where she creates unique recipes and photographs them for their readers.

Zoe's Photo Courtesy Susan Powers 

Here are Zoe's favourite food photography tips:

"One of the keys to great photography is lighting. I shoot all of my photos in natural light. This means I bring all of my food to a bank of windows in my kitchen, to be sure there is sufficient light to shoot.

I almost always take my pictures with the light source (the sunshine) behind the food I am working with, because it creates more interesting shadows and contrast. This, however, requires that I use "fill cards" to bounce light back onto the food, if the shadows are too strong.I just use white foam core board, nothing fancy.

I usually move my camera around the table until I have found the lighting I like best. This will change as the sun moves. If the sun is particularly strong and shining directly on my food, I hang sheer curtains over the windows to diffuse the light. If it is too contrasty, the food will be very difficult to shoot."

She also shares some wonderful resources to read on food photography:

• Tips from three professional food photographers at The Kitchn
• The Pioneer Woman's 8 Helpful tips
• Vegan Yum Yum's Food Photography for Bloggers
• Helene Dujardin's awesome book: Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling

Shaheen Peerbhai is the smiling face and super talented young woman behind The Purple Foodie, which is one of India's most popular food blogs  and has been featured constantly in the media as well. She recently returned from a food and wine training program for selected food writers organised by the European Union and the Italian Government as part of the European Art of Taste (EAT) Program. 
Shaheen chooses to describe herself as "just another girl madly in love with exploring food. :)"
She has used a point and shoot Canon A570IS Powershot in the past and currently uses a Canon Rebel T1i / 500D

Here are her top tips:

"The most important thing for me is a good source of natural light. I shoot by my window when the sun isn't harsh either in the morning or late afternoon.

I'm from the camp that believes that props tend to steal the focus from the food. I like those type of photos, but I find myself wanting to buy the props instead of wanting to eat the food. That said, I'm a sucker for two things: fabrics and plates. My house is now filled with an assorted range of single plates.

I love my 50 mm/f1.8 lens. It makes food look so good. It makes everything look so good! Of late, I'm enjoying playing with some macro filters I'm not big on editing photos - just minor colour correction in MS Photo Editor. 

I absolutely adore these two sites lately: Minimalista and What Katie Ate "

Ria Mathew really doesn't need an introduction here! She is a certified cake decorator, freelance food writer, stylist and a photographer who blogs at Ria's collection, a definitely awesome collection of gorgeous recipes, each one a winner! She is also of course my gracious co-host for The Kerala Kitchen our monthly cooking event to share and preserve the cuisine of Kerala, and a good friend and a blogger I really admire, and also a previous DMBLGIT winner.
She had these wonderful tips to share about how she takes such beautiful pictures both with her point and shoot and more recently with her Canon Rebel T2i :


"Natural lighting is the best. I've never had luck with a light box hence I don't use artificial lighting.

So basically you will need good natural light & a bouncer (white board) and you are all set to go. If you have a tripod, use it as it will give you images which are much more sharper than a hand held camera.

 Favourite props:  I'm a person who uses whatever is lying around me at that time.No matter how much I plan, I've always noticed, it never works the way I wanted. So I just go with the flow.

I just look around my favourite food blogs for inspiration and stay away from photography dedicated websites. I feel they give out a lot information, which is really good but it just passes above my head.

Many of us feel that we need an expensive camera to get a good photograph, which is so untrue. Equipment does play a vital role but most importantly it's the person behind it. It's how creatively you bring your food in front of the camera and how well you control the light that decides the fate of the photograph in most cases. If you are good with editing softwares, you can even do magic with a dull photograph. 

When I started my blog, all I took were the close up shots of the food I made. But gradually I realised it's one of the terrible ways to go about things. Don't go too close to the food, instead move back, straighten up, feel relaxed and then take the picture.Give some space between you and the food. Walk around the table, click pictures, compare and see which ones are better etc. If you do this (which is what I do) eventually you will find an angle, a place where you think you can shoot the best pictures. 

If you have some favourite food photography sites, observe the way they take pictures and try to understand what makes their pictures special.Try to incorporate that  and see if it works for you. Eventually you will develop your own style of photographing food."

Dario Milano of Food Pixels is a former Chef and a professional Food photographer and stylist based in Sydney. He offers food photography tips and even critiques photos submitted by readers of his awesome photography blog  

Here is what he had to say:

What is your most favourite thing to shoot?

I like shooting any food ( and drinks ) and I enjoy the challenge to capture different foods with different lighting, lenses and angles; some ingredients are highly reflective, others have a more interesting texture; some are really colourful others have a more intriguing shape - the possibilities are almost endless when shooting food.

What camera would you recommend to a new and aspiring food photographer?

Any basic DSLR would be a good starting point; no need to spend too much for 2-3 thousand extra megapixels ( at least at this stage ). Just get a solid camera and learn how to use it in Manual (M) mode.

What is your favourite piece of camera equipment/ photography aid?

Without talking of the camera itself or the lenses, I'd say probably my favourite piece of equipment are my 6 Pocket Wizards : 6 wireless radio transreceivers ( transmitters / receivers ) that allow me to fire my flash units and trigger the shutter of my camera remotely.

What are your top tips for shooting food?

Find good natural light in your home/ studio

Learn how to use a flash off camera

Pay attention to props 

Don't overdo the food and in general keep things looking as natural as possible

Invest in a good, sturdy tripod

Read my blog  ( eh, eh ) 

Helene Dujardin has graciously agreed to pick the host's award of the picture that received high scores from the other judges but was not amongst the winning list. 
She is a former pastry chef, incredible food photographer and stylist who has shot for magazines and cook books and 
Helene's breath taking blog My Tartlette helped me (and many others I'm sure) achieve macaron success and her stunning pictures are always an inspiration. 


Tips from her would cover an entire book (or several bookshelves), so isn't it great that she has just come out with one? In just a few days since it's release it is already on the digital photography bestseller list! Go grab your copy, if you haven't already!


Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling
Book Description:
Food photography is on the rise, with the millions of food enthusiasts who document their meal as well food bloggers around the world interested in improving their photography and food styling, and this book should serve as your first course in food photography. You’ll get a taste of the visual know-how that is required to translate the perceptions of taste, aroma, and appeal into a stunning, lavish finished photograph.
• Learn how to work with your camera modes and settings
• Discover how to use natural light to capture stunning images
• Learn how to compose the most appetizing photo
• See how food stylists exercise unique techniques to make the food look attractive in the finished product
• Develop an after-capture workflow process to improve your food photos
Check out this awesome video of Helene as she talks about her book.


These people I have admired from afar for their awesome work, also amazed me by their warmth and friendliness. I am so glad that they agreed to share their tips and precious time in the midst of so much amazing stuff they are into. I am so glad to have them to judge amongst 43 gorgeous entries, each one a stunner- a tough job indeed! 


The winners will be announced shortly. Meanwhile here is a slideshow of all the entries that were received this month. Feel free to visit the gallery, drool a little  if you must :) and do leave comments on the ones you liked, I'm sure the photographers would love to hear from you.

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Announcing food photography event DMBLGIT (Does My Blog Look Good In This?) April 2011 edition

Update: Winners have been announced here

I am so thrilled to be hosting one of my most favourite events this month! I've had such a hard time keeping my excitement levels under control!

"Does My Blog Look Good in This?" popularly known as DMBLGIT is a food photography contest or rather THE food photography contest, which was started in 2005 by Andrew of SpittoonExtra. It's best described as a monthly food and drink photography event open to all bloggers who have posted a food photograph on their blogs during the previous month. At least 6 awards are given each month based on scoring of photographs in the 3 categories of edibility, aesthetics, and originality by 5 judges. 


This month I have the honor of having a group of really AWESOME people who have graciously agreed to  judge the event: Zoe Francois of Zoe Bakes and cook book author of the Bread in 5 series, food bloggers and friends Ria Mathew of Ria's Collection and Shaheen Peerbhai of The Purple Foodie, and food photographer Dario Milano of Food Pixels. Helene Dujardin of My Tartlette, who is also launching a much awaited book on food photography and styling Plate to Pixel will choose her favourite picture, from those that didn't make it to the winning list, but received high scores from the other judges. 


Do check out last month's breathtaking winning entries and gallery of all the spectacular entries over at the awesomely talented and sweet Xiaolu's site  6Bittersweets for some inspiration. Let me warn you though, you may experience awe, food cravings and a strong desire to bite your computer screen! 

General DMBLGIT Rules:

• Only one food/drink photograph may be entered per person.
• The photograph must have been taken by you.
• The photograph must have been posted on your blog between March 1st through March 31st, 2011.
• The deadline to submit your entry is April 20, 2011 at midnight, whenever that is in your part of the world.

Scoring:

The Panel of judges will choose 6 winners based on the following criteria:

Aesthetics: composition, food styling, lighting, focus, etc.
Edibility: does the photo make us want to take a big bite out of our computer monitor while drooling on our keyboard?
Originality: a photo that makes you stop, look twice, and think “Wow! I never thought of photographing it like that before.”

Three overall winners will be selected plus one in each of the 3 categories. Apart from this one photo that  stands out, but wasn’t chosen as a winner will also be picked usually by the host, but thankfully the lovely Helene who is a much more qualified person for that job, will be doing it this month! My post announcing the winners for this month will be published by May 1, 2011 

How to Enter DMBLGIT:

Send an e-mail with "DMBLGIT Entry" as the subject line to me at magpiemails [at] gmail [dot] com. In your email, please include:

• An attachment of a single qualifying food or drink photo you'd like to enter. It should be without text and no more than 500 pixels in width.
• Your name
• Your blog URL
• The title of the image/what it is
• The URL of the post containing the photograph
• The camera and lens you used
• Please also mention if you are a professional photographer or an amateur

Photographs will be loaded into this gallery in Picasa as I receive them. If you don't get an acknowledgment from me within 72 hours of sending your entry, please leave a message in the comments section of this post. By submitting a photo, entrants agree to their photo being redisplayed and altered in size on the host’s page and on the SpittoonExtra DMBLGIT page.

If you have any questions about this month's event, please feel free to email me. Anyone with interest in hosting a future edition of DMBLGIT should email Andrew with "DMBLGIT Host" as the subject. 


I can't wait to see each and every one of your beautiful entries! 


Update: Winners have been announced here

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