Announcing DMBLGiT Judges and Indian Simmer Giveaway Winners!

Let me just start this post by telling you how excited and amazed I am to see all the gorgeous photos you guys have been sending. Every time I check email, my inbox has emails with DMBLGiT entries. Thanks so much for sending your photos for the contest. If you have not sent your entry yet then don’t worry, you still have plenty of time to pick a photo and send it to me. Entries will be accepted till 20th May. Just by looking at the photos, there is one thing I can tell already – the judges are going to have a very hard time picking a winner!

Speaking of judges, let me introduce to you a very talented group of photographers and my lovely friends whose work always helps me learn so much. I want to “officially” thank them for helping me judge the photographs and making my work a little easier. They were also kind enough to share a quick photography tip that they think never fails to help them, so please welcome!

Kimberly Taylor:
Kimberly is a very talented photographer and one of the sweetest persons I’ve ever met. She shares her life with her loving husband and gorgeous boys in their little farm on a hill. When asked to share a little something about her photography she says, ” I think my photography is an expression of what I love about life.  I photograph food and the places it comes from. I love natural light and shooting on location so that the experience of gathering the food is part of the journey”.

Photography Tip: Lighting is my number one priority – turn off the flash and if at all possible, use natural light.  Content is important, but lighting can make or break your photograph.
Website: Kimberly Taylor Images

Jenn Oliver:
Jenn is a scientist living in Switzerland who photographs and writes about making and converting recipes to gluten free on her cooking blog Jenn Cuisine.  She calls herself an amateur photographer very much still learning the techniques and methods of food photography (which I completely disagree with!). She loves creating images full of color and showing that gluten free food can look and taste both rich and flavorful. Checkout her photography tutorials which I found very helpful!

Photography Tip: Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Reading books and tutorials are great and there are many many helpful and informative resources available, but nothing solidifies new concepts learned like spending some dedicated time with your camera trying a bunch of different settings and arrangements.

Website: Jenn Cuisine
Email: jenncuisine[at]gmail[dot]com
Twitter: @jenncuisine
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenncuisine

 Joy
Joy is just a pure joy to talk to and joy is what you feel when you look at her breathtaking photography. I want to give a special shout out to Joy who is on a honeymoon with her lovely new husband and still has been tolerating all my stupid emails and chats with me online if I ever need help. Muaah to you Joy, have fun there! 🙂
She says,”I stumbled upon food photography by pure chance.  I’ve always had a life long passion for food and photography and thankfully with the support and encouragement of family and friends I’ve been able to combine the two into an exciting career.  Embracing the natural beauties of nature, life and love I wake up every day excited about discovering the allurement and artistry of food photography.”

Photography Tip: When shooting food, I always strive to use natural light opposed to artificial.  Never shoot under direct sunlight as it causes harsh shadows and flat lighting.  I typically shoot right by a north-facing window as the light will be soft, indirect and fairly even all day long.

Website: Joylicious
E-mail: joy [at] joylicious [dot] net
Also on Facebook and Twitter

Dario Milao

Who knows better about food photography than a former chef turned food photographer? Dario, once a chef, now has a very successful food styling and photography business of his own in Sydney. In his spare time, he writes a blog where he shares very useful photography tips (definitely not worth missing!)

Photography tips: Don’t overdo the food and in general keep things as natural as possible.

Website: Food Pixels
Twitter: @foodpixels

Again, thank you all for helping me out!

Alright, now the part you were looking forward to the most. Winners of the giveaway hosted on Indian Simmer last week. Here they are:

Esther: Thanks for your beautiful pictures and writing, as always! I’d looooove the Rudraksha beads and the box of Indian style peanut brittle please!
Marla: I follow your tweets too 🙂
Tyran: I would like to win the coasters

Congratulations guys! Please email me your information so that I can send you your gifts.
Now I need something in return as well, don’t I? Tomorrow, 12th May is the last day to cast your votes for the blogger you like most on Saveur Magazine‘s Best Food Blogs Award 2011. If you like Indian Simmer then please help me with your votes! Click on the icon on top right corner of the blog, register (if you are not a member of Saveur already) and vote for Indian Simmer in the Best Regional Cuisine category.