Feasting...on pixels

I love the incredible heart stopping beauty of the
edible imagery of food...!

I adore the aromas of fresh herbs I clip from the plants on my terrace garden.
I love the way their glorious scent lingers on my hands.

I add them to a red sauce set to simmer and they continue to swirl and perfume my home.

I love the sassy, pungent red and green peppers I pick just outside my door.
Their glossy skins and sensual shapes seem to smile as I chop them into a fresh salsa.

I tend to swoon over the ethereal perfume of sweet white peaches and Rainier cherries as I turn them into a peach and cherry compote.
Their preservation in a cheerful glass jar will infuse light and sweetness into future dark winter mornings.

But more passionately, I love to photograph food…!

To me, there is something amazing about capturing a delicate and fleeting moment in the life of a perfect handful of cherries or the artful presentation of a chef’s special creation that is totally irresistible to me.

For a long time, I have desired to improve and become more skilled at producing beautiful images of food. I sought to experiment with new ways to photograph the deliciousness if only, at times just to catalog the experience of the food for myself. But that seemed a bit self-serving and was not inspiring me to the dedication and discipline I need to progress and define my 'voice' as a food photographer.

I have a great passion for all types of food, ingredients, cooking techniques and all food-related items. I have collected many antique dishware and odd food related gadgets for years. I find them charming, a bit quirky and filled with colorful life and personality that makes them very endearing. And even if they were the so called 'uni-taskers' (hey Alton) of their day, there is always something unique about each item that seems to speak about the food that was prepared with their help in a time that has passed.

I love to eat what is fresh and in season, that is the type of food I enjoy the most.
But I am always very interested to try a new dish, a new technique or a new spin on a time honored cuisine. I love to know about the food I eat...where it comes from, where it was grown, who are the people that grew it or raised it or how it is made.
Does it reflect its place of origin?
How did it come about to look the way it does today from a gastronomic, scientific or historical perspective?

I spend a great deal of time each and every day (perhaps too much)reading about food.
I love to read what is written by people that are as passionate about it as I am.
I posses hundreds of books on food; food science, nutritional anthropology, way too many cookbooks, restaurant histories, "Molecular gastronomy" and food trivia all spilling out of my over-loaded bookcases.

My culinary inspirations have long been Julia Child, but also Paul Bocuse, Patricia Wells, M.K.Fisher, Alice Waters, Alton Brown, Ferran Adria and many, many more.

I also love to shop for food, especially in the fresh in the Farmer's Markets that are near my homes in Chicago and especially in Paris.

From May to October you can find me in the outdoor markets and marchés photographing the beauty of a fresh picked crop, talking to the growers and buying as many fruits and veggies as I can carry to my house or appartement.

As I started to pursue my passion, photographing images of food each day, it seemed to follow that I wanted to share this work.
I wanted the you, my visitors, to be able to taste the essence and personality of the
food that I capture on these digital pixels.

There was no “perfect time” to begin a blog.
But I needed to begin...

I present to you what I am: an out of work architect, interior designer, former ER -RN,
free-lance photographer, abstract artist and life-long foodie...

the time has come to give birth to this blog.

Under a lovely shade tree near the pond outside my door, I am spreading a clean, but worn linen cloth on a impossibly long table.
On that table am setting out my images and thoughts as an optimistically joyful and delicious smorgasbord for you to enjoy.

I hope that you, my visitor, will approach without fearand taste this feast I offer you. I will be gathering all the delicious beauty I see for your enjoyment.

Today, as the torch is lit for the the XXIX Olympiad, I begin my quest,as well.
It is with some trepidation, but with great enthusiasm that I begin this blog.

Welcome to Feasting...on Pixels.