The 10 Best Food Blogs For Photos
10. Island Menu
The Story
Samuel Shelley is a photographer and graphic designer, while Catherine Miller is a self-professed beginner and amateur, both in the art of photography, as well as in that of cooking and baking (other than sweets, which she has definitely mastered). Together they are the team behind Island Menu, the food blog that teaches us all there is to know about Tasmanian produce and traditional recipes. They buy and use foods that are in season and they always strive to buy locally – this, in turn, obviously lends a sustainability bent to their blog. It’s worth mentioning that Sam is very passionate about fishing in all kinds of waters, be they salty or fresh, and that his years in Sweden have definitely influenced his cooking style, especially when it comes to cooking seafood.
The Blog
It has an exotic, eco-friendly blend, and aside from the delicious looking recipes (most of them for fish and seafood), it also brings readers a wonderful assortment of Tasmanian landscapes and sea-scapes. It makes our list because it’s a quasi-complete foray into the culture of a land situated very, very far away, which we probably wouldn’t get much of a chance to visit otherwise. Island Menu caters to all foodie tastes, as far as a cooking blog is concerned. If you’re into fish and seafood, you’ll be glad to know that they provide both foods for special occasions, but also day-to-day courses, which you, too, can whip up inside your own kitchen, without too much of a hassle.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4/10
DA – 39
Alexa Rank – 1,885,584
Fans & Followers – Island Menu has got 2.5k fans on Facebook and growing each day!
Foodie Philosophy
“We hope to share recipes that are simple yet full of flavor and present them in our photographs in a way that is both sincere and honest. We don’t claim to be the greatest cooks in the world – far from it – we just love creating new recipes and taking photos.”
Sam and Catherine are driven both by their love for local foods and recipes, from their native land of Tasmania, as well as by their passion for creative expression. If you enjoy taking culinary trips to exotic lands, you will definitely enjoy their blog, which is rife with local flavor… as you can well see by the pics below.
Signature Recipes
9. Lingered Upon
The Story
Alice Gao is a professional photographer, a foodie, a bit of a baker, and a huge fan of restaurants. Her blog, Lingered Upon, takes you on a whirlwind journey of Alice’s life, lived in New York, but with travels to Denver, Iceland, Paris, and just about everywhere else in between. Wherever Alice goes, she also samples the best restaurants, bistros, and cafés, either because she has to shoot them professionally, or just for a night/afternoon spent breaking bread with friends. Since she is of Asian heritage, she often features some staples of Asian cuisine, including dumplings, tea, and lots of exotic sauces and seafood courses. While most of her photos are not of her own food, she does sometimes grace us with recipes that she adapts herself; for the rest of the time, though, we’re happy witnessing her amazing life, journeys, and the wonderful food they all include.
The Blog
The blog takes its name after a line from T.S. Eliot’s The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which speaks of capturing a moment in time. Alice does just that: she snaps up lovely moments, restaurant interiors, fun cooking sessions, festive dinners, and lots more. A lot of the entries on her blog consist of take-outs from professional shots which she does for the magazine Serious Eats. You can be sure that she’s always got the sweeps on the coolest restaurants in town – and you can also take part in her lunching and brunching, thanks to her iPhone photo series on Sunday brunches. From snazzy French restaurants to the best places for having a stack of pancakes, you can be sure you’ll find all sorts of dinner menu inspiration on her blog. Aside from food photography, she also does some lovely interior photography, which you can also admire on the blog.
Blog Metrics
PR – 4/10
DA – N/A
Alexa Rank – 1,414,499
Fans & Followers – Alice is on Facebook, with 3.4k fans, but she can also be joined on Instagram (over 600k followers), Twitter (where she has close to 3.8k followers), and Pinterest.
Foodie Philosophy
“I think of food as still life and interiors as still life. And I even often approach portraits as more of a still life.”
Alice Gao’s blog is largely about featuring beautiful restaurant dishes and recipes, so check out her work, with a small sample below and more on her website, from where you can also buy selected prints of her work.
Signature Recipes
8. The Food Dept.
The Story
The Food Dept. is a creative army of foodies, who are in charge of one of the best new food blogs out there. There’s four of them and they each have a lot of experience in cooking, styling, photographing, publishing, and generally just creating amazing food stories and experiences. The team behind the Food Dept. blog consists of Petrina Tinslay (photos), David Morgan (food styling), Anne Marie Cummins (creative direction), and Sally Courtney (chef). They’re based in Sydney and also take on collaborations and commissions. Recently, the blog has also featured guest artists, such as guest chef David Morgan and Brett Stevens for photos.
The Blog
Each entry on The Food Dept. blog reads like a visual story – there’s usually a central theme to it, such as spring Italian cooking, or the American Diner. Then come the courses (a burger, cola float, fries, and a sandwich for the American Diner entry, for instance). Last, but definitely not least, you get the recipe for one of the amazing courses on the menu, which you can easily recreate right at home. The main concept behind this entire culinary blog revolves as much around trends, as it does around stories.
Blog Metrics
PR – 3/10
DA – 54
Alexa Rank – 1,747,368
Fans & Followers – You can join the ranks of the more than 2.2k fans they’ve got on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
Foodie Philosophy
“Our passion for food has spilled over here at the Food Dept., giving you fresh on trend food experiences and tasty dishes that we know you will devour.”
The Food Dept. food blog experience is as much about keeping it cool and up-to-date as it is about creating dishes that look delicious. If you want a food blog that’s bound to keep you informed on all the latest foodie trends, then this one is what you’re looking for.
Signature Recipes
7. Tartelette
The Story
Helene DuJardin left her position as a pastry chef with an upscale French restaurant back in 2006, which is also when she started her amazing cooking blog Tartelette. She’s French, loves dogs, is passionate about photography and has been living as an expat in Birmingham, Alabama for a while now. She’s also a published author, of a book called Plate to Pixel¸ which teaches food styling and which you can buy online. For a while now, Helene has been working as a food stylist and photographer for a major publishing house, and discovering the challenges of working on big projects. The story of Helene and her blog got a new chapter in late 2008, when she discovered she suffered from Meniere syndrome, which basically makes her allergic to gluten, sodium, and cholesterol. Since then she’s been gluten free and this has also influenced her blog… for the better!
The Blog
Helene’s blog is a cornucopia of amazing cookies, tarts, pies, doughs, macaroons, cupcakes and the like – and they’re not all sweet! It also includes a great selection of savory dishes, among which genuine quiches and sandwiches, and you can also check out her blog if you’re into ice cream and/or sorbet. Since her diagnosis, she’s started specifying which of the recipes on Tartelette are gluten free, in order to help those who suffer from similar issues as she does. Among other things, the blog includes one of the best tutorials for macaroons we’ve ever come across online, so be sure to check it out, for a hint on how to deal with this trendy dessert recipe.
Blog Metrics
PR – 6/10
DA – 69
Alexa Rank – 172,583
Fans & Followers – The photographer’s page has got well over 10k likes on Facebook, and her tweets are followed by more than double that same number of people
Foodie Philosophy
“A blog devoted to food photography, fresh seasonal ingredients and celebrating life!”
Since Helene has training as a pastry chef, but has been forced to cut down on cholesterol and gluten, the blog is a healthful option for all those who want to enjoy interesting ingredient combinations of the finer things in life. Check out our selection of recipes below!
Signature Recipes
6. Sprouted Kitchen
The Story
The story of Sprouted Kitchen is the story of Hugh and Sara Forte. Hugh does the photography on the blog, with a Canon 5D2 (with a Canon 50/1.2 lens), as well as a Canon EF 12 II Extension Tube for the tighter shots. Hugh loves Nutella, cheeseburgers, bacon, coffee, “and all things Sprouted Kitchen (luckily)”. Sara has worked at two farms and a grocery store and this has taught her that organic, seasonal, whole foods are what makes the best kind of cooking. She’s into ice cream, tea, eggs, leeks, greens, and toasted, unsalted pistachios. Together they started the blog and have since even released a cook book, in the early fall of 2012, titled Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods. You can buy the book, published at Ten Speed Press, online.
The Blog
As Sara explains, in the About section of the blog, the book is a pretty accurate echo of the blog, in the sense that it includes most of the categories of recipes that you can also find on the website – breakfast recipes, snacks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The main thread that binds all these ideas is the fact that they are mostly vegetarian and based on fresh produce, but, as the author guarantees, they “are straight forward, adaptable and full of enough color and flavor to warrant serving to company”. The blog doesn’t include product reviews or giveaways, but, as Sara states, they will include a link to a particular product that they have used successfully in any blog post that mentions it. All in all, as the blog’s Facebook tag line indicates, the blog is all about whole foods and it aims to encourage people to eat real foods.
Blog Metrics
PR – 5/10
DA – 67
Alexa Rank – 121,109
Fans & Followers – well over 18.5k fans on Facebook, plus some 11k followers on Twitter for Sara, who manages the website’s account
Foodie Philosophy
“I get inspired when food is the purest form of itself. A peach from a farmer’s market at the end of August tastes exactly like a peach should. I’ve worked at a grocery store and two farms, and can attest to the fact that eating seasonally will change your take on everyday cooking. My intention is to make food taste good through using natural ingredients: whole grains, healthy fats, natural sugar alternatives and the like.”
If you’re into fresh, green, healthy foods, then Sprouted Kitchen is definitely the culinary blog for you. Most recipes have an air of freshness and healthfulness about them that is sure to win over even the most diehard fan of greasy treats – especially since they all look so simple to make. Check out our photo selection below, which includes breakfast, dessert, and a salad.
Signature Recipes
5. Happyolks
The Story
Kelsey and Shaun met as teenagers and have been together ever since. They’ve also started Happyolks together – a cooking blog which puts Kelsey’s writing and cooking talent to good use, while also showcasing Shaun’s knack for food photography and video. When it comes to the their relationship, couldn’t possibly dare put it better than Kelsey: “he’s my best friend, great love, and the hardest working, most passionate man I know”. Meanwhile, Kelsey does the produce cultivation and cooking and guides herself by the motto I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart. The two and their blog are based in Denver, Colorado.
The Blog
The blog has amassed a large number of food recipes and photos over the years and its categories, which include main courses, desserts, breakfast, snacks, and salads, keep expanding. So does the community that loves and supports Happyolks, to whom the blog’s authors are very grateful. As Kelsey puts it, the blog has made her realize that there are thousands of people out there in the world who share their passions, interests, and goals, and their love and support is what keeps the two going.
Blog Metrics
PR – 5/10
DA – 54
Alexa Rank – 410,194
Fans & Followers – Check out Shaun and Kelsey’s life together on Instagram, where over 4k other fans are doing the same, or join their Facebook community of nearly 10,000 fans
Foodie Philosophy
“My goal with Happyolks is to celebrate the experience of creating a wholesome meal and the happiness that inherently grows from it. In the garden, at the farmers market, and from the heart of our kitchens, we have a chance at each mealtime to express our gratitude to the earth, the day, and one another.”
There’s a definite rustic tinge, as far as food blogs go, on Happyolks, but that doesn’t mean it’s in any way less sophisticated (or delicious looking, for that matter), than any other one of the culinary treasure troves on our list. Check them out and let us know what you think of their dreamy food photos and great dinner ideas.
Signature Recipes
Our list of the 10 best food blogs for photography continues on the following page >>