The Fabulous Art of Food Photography

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Have you see the Sweet Paul blog and magazine? {sweetpaul.typepad.com and www.sweetpaulmag-digital.com/sweetpaulmag} It's easy to see why it was voted one of the best new online shelter magazines in a recent poll by Casa Sugar. In fact, the year before it WON the poll – even though it's technically a food magazine.

Full of sublime photography and gorgeous ideas for the home, including, of course, recipes, its key to success is that it's all photographed so beautifully. Look at the spread above, which was wittily named Before The Gardens Went Grey (as a tribute to Grey Gardens).

But now there's another fabulous chef/food stylist/photographer who's giving Mr Paul a run for his money. Béa from La Tartine Gourmande {www.latartinegourmande.com}

A French expatriate now living in Boston with her Irish-American husband and daughter, Béa compiles the most exquisite recipes and then shoots them in a way that could almost be cinematic. Her signature look is colour, but even when she shoots monochromatic spreads, they're still full of life and energy. It's not surprising she's been given a book deal. And the video the publishers organised to promote it is just beautiful! Even The New York Times loved it.

Go over and have a peek at www.latartinegourmandebook.com

At the moment, I'm putting together story ideas for a new online magazine that will be launched this year, only one that focuses more on lifestyle, destinations, inspirations and travel rather than predominantly food or interiors. I've started putting together some spreads for a Paris story – just photographs that I've done for various shoots over the past few years that I thought would add to the "flavour" of the piece (bad pun, sorry) – but then I realised my food photography isn't anywhere near as gorgeous as Béa's or Sweet Paul's! It takes a special kind of skill to shoot food, doesn't it?

(Chef's) hats off to those who do it well!