A picture is worth a thousand words…you just have to write them.

It was on my first trip to Italy, Tuscany to be exact, that I fell in love with taking pictures of food.My sister and I were on a culinary tour and I had taken my first DSLR. Not only did I discover that it took great pictures but I learned how a food picture can stir so many memories.  Memories of not only taste and texture but of feelings like joy. For many years several of my friends and family have made fun of how I can always remember what we ate at a restaurant, function or holiday but it is through food that I will recall the feeling of togetherness and joy we shared during those meals.

After returning from my trip I was very excited to create my first photo book with some images of the special places we saw but most of that book is full of pictures of the wonderful food my sister and I experienced together. You can imagine how puzzled I was when my friends showed little excitement over some of the pictures I showed them in my book. I even had someone ask me before the next trip I took if I could take pictures of something other than food.

When I shared this book with my friend, Holly she patiently looked over each page saying very little about what she saw.  It was the soda cracker picture that broke her composure.  “I am sorry Heather, but what the heck is this”.  I then had to explain that this wasn’t just a picture of a soda cracker.  It was a picture of a soda cracker with truffle oil on it.  The first truffle oil I had ever tasted.  When I see that picture I can remember the pungent earthiness of it. How the silky oil coated the inside of my mouth, surrounding each taste bud while creating a new and exciting sensation. I will also remember fondly that my sister shared this first experience with me so it will also be a reminder of how we felt that day.  The joy we shared sitting outside together in the Tuscan countryside eating crackers.

And that is why I want to share with you my pictures and thoughts on food I have experienced at home and in my travels.  Because apparently a food picture is only worth a thousand words if you share the words with those who didn’t get to experience the food with you.