Off the top of your head, what do you think photographers do? Take pictures? Yep. What else? So much more!

As a business woman, I soon learned that if I was going to be a photographer who eats, I had to branch out. I learned not to rely on my clients for all my income. I had to rely on ME. When I tell my friends that I work 40 hours a week, they’re baffled. I know they’re thinking ‘but we’ve just spent the whole day hanging out! How do you work that much?’ I do the majority of my work at night. Most of my posts you read here on DPS or my blog were written well past midnight. And if you learn to branch out and stick your …

A Guest Post by Heather from eatwell.eatgreen.

Good food photography induces a physical response. A really great food photo makes you hungry, makes you salivate, makes you want some for yourself.

All in all, it’s no surprise that the big food photography sites on the web like Tastespotting and Foodgawker are known as the food porn sites. Whether you are a recipe blogger, trying to write your family cookbook, or just stuck at home on a wet afternoon, there are a few simple tips that can make your food photos truly seductive.

1. Pick physically attractive stars
Sure, beauty comes from the inside, but until someone invents taste-o-vision, visual appearance will remain a critical part of food photography. And that means choosing fruit without bruises, lettuce without brown edges and meat that …

Weekly Assignment
We started a set of motion assignments last week, and this week we finished up the first one, Water in Motion. As was to be expected, we saw a lot of waterfalls, a lot of water moving in sinks, but there were a few that really stood out, mainly because there was something different about them. Our winner this week was edrunyon‘s Self Portrait (a.k.a. Washing the Day Away). There are rare times where selective colour can work, and this is one of them. The idea that the grey is being washed away was conveyed really well. The water was exposed well, and the expression was great. It was something different from the usual. Our first runner up was Kathy G‘s Detergent. The play of the red and green along with …

Your challenge this week is to take a photograph (and share it) on the theme of Food. It should be something we can all do on some level as we all do eat so most days there should be some opportunity to capture that activity!

If you’re looking for some inspiration check out some of our archives on how to do food photography:

• Food Photography – an Introduction
• Getting Started in Food Photography
• 10 Tips for Mouth Watering Food Photography
• A Basic Food Photography Kit

Once you’ve taken your “Food” image, upload it to your favourite photo sharing site and either share a link to it below or embed it in the comments using the our new tool to do so. Please note it sometimes takes

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A Guest Post by Dario Milano of Food Pixels

Food is in front of us every day – 24/7. On our plates, in magazines, on TV and even on computer screens.

If we are not eating it we are talking about what we just ate or about what we are going to eat! We are what we eat; our diet reflects our lifestyle, our choices and our beliefs.

I am a food photographer and I love my job; but I haven’t always been just a photographer of food… I am actually a qualified chef and I spent 15 years of my life in kitchens around the globe; I love my food and I love to photograph it!

Let me give you 10 great tips for taking mouth watering pictures of food.

1. Choose fresh and locally grown ingredients,

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