DMBLGIT March 2011: Judges and Awards

Wow, you guys! Can I just start off by saying what an unadulterated pleasure it's been to host this month's DMBLGIT photography event? Can you all please just pretend it's still March and keep delivering lovely food photos to my inbox? The other judges and I had a lot of fun drooling over your entries and a heck of a time picking out just a few for awards. Without further ado, let me introduce you to the wonderful judges of this month's contest.

MEET THE JUDGES:

Sala Kannan is a software services entrepreneur by day and food blogger/photographer at Veggie Belly by night. Her site features a wide array of vegetarian recipes reflecting the varied cuisines she's enjoyed throughout the world. Originally from India, she has traveled and eaten her way through over 36 countries, and currently resides near Washington, D.C.

Kris Ngoei is a graphic designer in Bangkok who has also unearthed a great talent and passion for baking as well as food decoration, styling, and photography. Having won a total of 8 awards to date, I can't imagine anyone more qualified to be a DMBLGIT judge. Please check out his stunning works of edible art on his blog, Bake in Paris.

Patricia Scarpin, of Technicolor Kitchen, has been baking since before her teens and blogs from Brazil in both English and Portuguese. She's a cookbook fanatic like me, and her comforting treats are always just the thing you wish were coming out of your own oven. Her lovely photos and sweet styling are also not to be missed.

Ashley Colbourne is the Canadian author of Butterflyfood, a blog featuring gorgeous edibles and photography that bursts with rustic charm. She has a love for old movies, vintage mystery radio, and taking photos of all things food. It's downright impossible to peruse her work without wanting to plop down at her table =p.

OVERALL WINNERS:

After careful evaluation of all 55 entries this month, the judges scored each photo according to edibility, originality, and aesthetics. The entries with the 3 highest scores when all categories were combined were chosen as the overall winners.

First Place: Citrus from my garden by Edda of Un déjeuner de soleil. Taken with a Pentax K-m and 50 mm f 1.4 lens.

Comments
“I'm absolutely captivated with the play of light in this. The colors are natural yet wonderfully vibrant, and the styling of the stems/leaves adds just the right amount of playfulness.”

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Second Place: Brunch Bruschetta by Asha Pagdiwalla of Fork Spoon Knife. Taken with a Nikon D5000.

Comments
“Love the gloss on those egg yolks! I almost feel like I could grab one right out of the screen and take a bite.”

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Third Place: Crepes with apple and raspberries by Pamela Rodríguez in Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain, of Uno de Dos. Taken with a Canon EOS 350D and 50 mm f/1.8 lens.

Comments
“Beautiful styling.”
“So beautiful, almost ethereal.”

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORY WINNERS:

Excluding the overall winners, these are the highest scoring photos for each category.

Edibility Category Winner (TIE): Chocolate Cupcakes by Asri of Food and Story. Taken with a Nikon D700.

Comments
“Nice color theme.”

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Edibility Category Winner (TIE): Raspberry and Pistachio Baked Cheesecake by Emma of Poires au Chocolat. Taken with a Sony Alpha A580 and 2.8/50mm Macro lens.

Comments
“Nice use of complimentary colors. Those glossy raspberries are really mouth-watering!”

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Originality Category Winner: Mac-candy apple in the snow by Mardi Michels of eat. live. travel. write. Taken with a Nikon D40 and 40mm lens, ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/160.

Comments
“Quirky and fun shot.”

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Aesthetics Category Winner: Chicken salad (tonno di cappone) by Virginia Spilucchino of Lo Spilucchino. Taken with a Canon EOS 500D and 60mm lens.

Comments
“Nice styling and choice of depth of field and textured background.”
“Lovely styling including the basket, folded cloth, and placement of the utensils.”

HOST'S AWARD:

As the host this month, I'm allowed to choose one winner that I think deserves an award but was not named winner in the other categories.

The art of Vietnamese coffee by Anh of A Food Lover's Journey. Taken with a Canon 30D and kit lens.

Comments
“Lovely capture of the human element.”
“I like the unique setting that includes prominent human presence but still keeps the focus on the drinks. It creates a lovely sense of human connection.”

THANKS FOR ENTERING!

You all were the ones who made this event a feast for the eyes and a joy to take part in. We only wish there were more awards to give out to the many beautiful photos we saw this month. Please do check out all the wonderful entries in this month's gallery!

The April 2011 edition of DMBLGIT will be hosted by Magpie of Magpies Recipes. If anyone is interested in hosting a future edition of DMBLGiT, please email Andrew with "DMBLGIT Host" as the subject.