‘Twas a slow afternoon and I found myself giggling at my work desk after reading “Dissecting the Formula for Food Porn” on The Huffington Post.

Like the author, I personally enjoy food photos. I admit my own are lacking in artistry, however. I haven’t mastered the basic functions on our point and shoot, but I find joy and feel a sense of accomplishment by sharing my tried-and-true recipes, my newest culinary adventures, and, yes, even my often mundane WIAW eats.

There are true artists on the web (such as Edible Balance, How Sweet It Is, and Manifest Vegan) whose food photography I admire and wish to emulate; on the other hand, there are bloggers who offer a glimpse into their daily lives and personal love affair with food with simple photos from their smart phones. My blog undoubtedly falls into the second category–and that’s fine with me. (Although, if anybody wants to send me a DSLR and photography lessons for Christmas, I’d graciously accept!)

I’d venture to say that, in general, we write about and photograph food because we enjoy sharing and need a creative outlet. Our recipes (and even struggles with disordered eating, allergies, weight loss, etc.) are part of us, and we enjoy inspiring others to eat well or to try something new. I think we also enjoy the comradery, and yes, even the occasional “good job” or virtual pat on the back. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I do get a kick out of the formula she wrote:

• Put food on clean white ceramic dishes, preferably handmade, preferably on a white table. A whitewashed farm table is of course the most ideal.
• Add in a rustic looking tea towel and some other kitchen accoutrement (a whisk for baked dishes and a wooden spoon for soups).
• Take photo directly from above and if taking photo from a different angle, ensure at all costs a very shallow depth of field.

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And also:

• Place puddings and any type of raw nut butter in mason jars.
• Baked goods should have a photo of all ingredients, perfectly spaced out on a table, taken from above.
• Photograph any warm drinks in the hands of someone with hand-knitted fingerless gloves on.
• Wrap sandwiches in wax paper, or even better, more twine.
• Make sure cocktails have large ice cubes in them.
• Any dish that has anything sprinkled on top – powdered sugar, bread crumbs, etc. – should be photographed with some of the topping sprinkled on the side, as if you just casually missed the dish, but left a very clean and organized mess that makes the food look just a little more quaint.
• Always add a sprig of rosemary.
• Always increase your aperture. God forbid you have a large depth of field.

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It’s always good to poke fun at ourselves; for some, food blogging (as well as freelance photography and authoring cookbooks) is serious business. But for the rest of us? It’s all in good fun.

Which part of the formula do you follow most often?

For me, I tend to take photos from directly above my plate/bowl/glass and also photograph each ingredient as described (though not very many of these photos have made it on the blog).