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Blogging & Food Photography

I want to start a blog.  Can you help me?

Yes and no.  I am...by no means...an expert on blogging.  Just by experience alone though, I can tell you that there are two things that you need to know before you start one.  Number one....which blog hosting program are you going to use (Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, etc...) and Number two...what is your blogging niche?  These two things will start you off on the right foot.

Do you do your own layouts for the blog?

Yes.  I do.  Unfortunately, I do not have monetary means to pay an outside source to help me with my layouts.  Everything I have done I have learned through Googling and reading.  I purchase digital scrapbooking kits off the internet and use/manipulate them with Microsoft Paint and Microsoft Office Publisher.

Do you take your own pictures for the blog?

The pictures that you see on the blog have been taken by both my husband and I.  I do take the majority of them since he is gone during the day, however, he has been known to take them also.  We are in no way professional photographers and still have lots and lots to learn about food photography.

What advice can you give someone about food photography?

The one thing that I can tell you about taking good food pictures....is natural lighting.  Find a place in your house where the sun comes through the window.....and use that as your picture taking spot.  I like to take my pictures early in the morning when the sun is brightest.  

Do you get paid to post for certain companies?  And how can I start doing this myself?

I do get compensated for my time when I do this (monetary and product wise).  Honestly, all the companies who I have ever had the pleasure of working with all have contacted me first for partnerships so I wouldn't have a clue as to how one would start doing this.

Cooking

Do you ever find yourself in a cooking rut?

I sure do.  Sometimes my ruts can last for days or even weeks.  It's hard to get out of them too. Usually I look to my wonderful collection of cookbooks and culinary magazines to send some inspiration my way.  Sometimes I even visit other cooking/recipe blogs to re-ignite that spark.

When a recipe calls for 2 cloves of garlic, does that usually mean the whole ball of garlic?  Or just the little pieces that you can break apart?

You can use 2 little pieces of the whole ball.  To make it even faster, you can also use already made minced garlic....which you can find in any grocery store in the produce area.

Personal

Is Libby your real name?  

It is my nickname.  My real name is Olivia.  I use Olivia while corresponding through e-mail so this may be why it confuses people.  Those who are close to me know me as Libby and rarely call me Olivia.  I like to think of all my readers as people who are close to me.  Plus, I don't know....Cooking with Libby sounds better then Cooking with Olivia ;)

Do your children really like to help you cook and bake?

Yes.  They really do...especially my daughter!  She comes up to me at least twice a week and asks to help me cook.  I don't discourage her either.  Children love getting into the kitchen and helping.  It gives them a chance to flex their creativity and also spend some one on one time with mommy (or daddy).  From stirring to measuring, there is always something for them to do to help out.