Food as Art: Introducing Melina Hammer

If my weekly food photography favorites posts haven't made it clear enough =p, I love to discover and share with you inspiring artists who photograph food and/or blog about it. On occasion, an artist comes along whose work is so exceptional that it's simply impossible for me to choose just one photo to feature. When isolating a single example of her work would be insufficient to communicate the range of her talent. I'm talking about someone just like professional food photographer, Melina Hammer, who recently joined the world of blogging with her aptly-named site, Licking the Plate. I had the pleasure of meeting Melina in person during my recent trip to NYC and can honestly tell you that she's as sweet and beautiful as she is gifted with a camera. At my request, she's agreed to share some of her gorgeous photos as well a bit of the inspiration behind her work. Please give her your warmest welcome (plus I highly recommend following her blog and Twitter to keep up with her culinary and visual exploits)!

I am firstly inspired by the authenticity of food, and I love highlighting the nuances of each gorgeous thing as it relates to its nature. Incorporating richly textured elements and special objects to cohere the beauty or mood of a story is another aspect that brings me great pleasure. The opportunity to cook something dynamic and showcase the complexity - or ease! - of how I got there, along with a drool-worthy spread of the goodies is a third element that plays a key role in how I shape my story telling through the lens.

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