Best Food Photos of 2008

Here's a group of my favorite (and what I consider) best food photos from last year. That doesn't mean I particularly liked the flavor of these dishes or foods, but I do like the photo. Enjoy.


Taken with my Nikon F100 35mm film camera and a straight 50mm lens, the bokeh on this photo with the available light is superb. That's a fresh peach pie from Marie Calendar's. I miss summer :(


Also taken with my film camera (I miss film too), this is a sweet halibut and clam dish at Palate Food + Wine.


Cherry Tomatoes at the Hollywood Farmer's Market.


My favorite photo of a sauvingnon blanc and syrah at Silverlake Wine.


Another great pour-shot at Silverlake Wine.


This photo, in addition to being beautiful with all those lovely colors, has a favorite aspect - a subtle smile. This was on Christine and I's "third" date at the Eagle Rock Farmer's Market. Nothing like a ice cone at the end of summer. I love the texture of her hands and the smooth bokeh behind.


An "arresting" photo (Christine's made fun of me for using that word so much). Taken at Funnel Mill, where I first observed the siphon filter brewing method. J.C. demonstrated how we should keep the coffee as warm as possible as it descends from the upper compartment to the lower orb. It's quite entertaining to see this.


I've counted a number of these beer pour shots but I like this one because my friend Jason, who has large hands, is holding a tiny little glass, perhaps 4-5 ounces, a pouring a simple Japanese brew at Indian Restaurant in Temple City.


This is Korean food porn at its finest, with a steaming hot pot of me-nuh meumtang, a hearty, spicy stew of fish and vegetables at Chunkiwa in Koreatown. Amazing.


Despite very low lighting, I managed a great shot of this grilled spot prawn during my tomato meal at Il Grano, where chef Sal Marino boasts numerous varieties of tomatoes grown from his garden.


I used this photo to try and get the spot at A Hamburger Today as their LA Burger Correspondent. I didn't get the gig (my arteries are thankful), but this photo still amazes me with its clean lines, alluring colors, and classic feel.


This shot reminds me of snow and skiing, as if Tai's sorbet at Scoops Ice Cream were miniature mountains of deliciousness ready to be snowboarded upon by munchkins.


I took this night-time shot at the San Dimas Farmer's Market (dang, my third one just in this photo series!). Love the shadows and the innocent misspelling of "tarragon".


A shot of the waning sun at the bright lights at San Dimas Farmer's Market. Christine's walking away to the right. Love the textures and feel, capturing the end of summer.


Perhaps my nominee if I were to enter a food photo context, this is a nice shot of the deviled eggs at La Grande Orange.


A mini red velvet cupcake from Lemonade. It's clear, simple, but totally tempting. You know you want it.


Another "arresting" photo that perfectly captures a superb meal at Honey Pig. Love the large grill and the variety of foods upon it.


I don't even know what dish this is, but I took it at a media dinner at Noe Restaurant a few months back.


I have a few of these Cheers! shots. Bloggers Josh of FoodGPS and Matt of Diglounge display their glee at Hite Kwang-Jang in Koreatown.


The colors are excellent in this close-up of Korean leek shoots (I think...) at Western Soondae. A good contrast to the offal meats offered there.


My attempt at food magazine-ness with the xiao long bao at Kam Hong Garden in Monterey Park. I like that bit of ginger as a contrast to the cool colored soup dumplings.


The first dip in chocolate fondue at Josh's place where we indulged after an excellent cheese fondue dinner. A rare shot with the lens at 24mm (36mm with crop factor) that shows a unique clarity and wider depth of field (notice clear fruits and sweets).


Food photos don't always have to be just food. This one perfectly captures Christine desire to gobble up this perfect cupcake from Auntie Em's (served at Pitfire Pizza in Downtown). We had to wait until after dinner to devour this, which we made sure to do.


Anticipation before our whole roasted pig dinner for bloggers. See Will of Fooddigger, Matt from Diglounge, Javier from Teenage Glutster. Foodies wait for a delicious meal.


Sarah from The Delicious Life and Tastespotting gets goofy with the pig's head. Poor thing.


I love the overexposure here with the mountains in the back and the La Canada Farmer's Market in the background. Her expression exudes a coolness, as if searching for that perfect fruit of vegetable for the night's dinner. A man on the left has a great expression too, perhaps a farmer just waiting to sell his produce.


Splitting the guava-cheese danish at Porto's. I like the dark maroon fingernails.


Another great overexposed shot at Vietnam Restaurant. I love the expression, the mood, the relief after eating seven courses of beef.


A great cross section from the duck-bacon and rattlesnake sausages at Wurstkuche. The lighting was superb and the clarity of the food was stellar. I assure you the food was equally excellent.


I like taking noodle shots like this, with this one being a large bowl of shio ramen from Santouka in West LA.


Have many times have you seen (or been) this? The foodie taking photos of his or her food. I was lucky to pull of a shot like this. I think she looks innocent, but stunning.


You've seen this recently, but I will say it's my favorite shot from my meal at Cut. The closeup with the short focal length makes for a nice photo.


A bit of whimsy, with the lineup of sakes of so-chus at Otafuku with the cat at the end. I'll have many more to come in 2009, thanks for reading everyone!