Nika's Culinaria - Eat With Your Eyes

(My food photo and blog bookshelf © 2006 Nika)

Things are settling down from the whirlwind of the birth and integrating the new little guy into our lives. Lots of cleaning has been happening (millions thanks to my mom who has been a HUGE help and who unfortunately just left today!).

With the cleaning came some much needed organization. One thing that came together was some of the books I use for culinary and photography inspiration.

I love reading the Culinary Institute of America's "The Professional Chef, Seventh Edition" and "The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef" books. These text books are jam-packed with very useful information that builds a good foundation for any cook. They also have some great pics.

I am going through my new "The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers", learning as I go.

The technical and artistic aspects of food photography are discussed in a clear and simple voice by Lou Mann in his book "Digital Food Photography".

But when I want to become truly inspired I look through some books I got recently from StockFood. These food photos are divine even though they are stock images!

There is much to learn from these catalogs of books if you pay attention to the details and try to put yourself in the pro-photographer's shoes.


(Close up of some of StockFood's catalogs © 2006 Nika)

Whats on your shelf?