How a Camera Works
In the 16th century, it was noticed that if one placed a small hole to one end of a darkened room, an image would be projected, from the outside, onto the wall opposite the hole. Imagine it this way. You have a room, 10 feet…
Three Tips for Getting Started Shooting for Your Blog
1) Don’t use your on-camera flash. Because the light comes from the same direction as the camera, it creates harsh shadows and highlights as well as ugly, small and pointy, specular high lights. Also, because light “falls off” rapidly as the distance of the light…
Hard and Soft Light
Hard light casts dark shadows with sharp edges while soft light, if extreme, can eliminate the shadows entirely. Hardness and softness of light are determined by the size of the light source and its distance from what it is you’re photographing. So, the sun is…
Coq au Vin
I’m not going to give a recipe for coq au vin since I think we’ll become better cooks without one. More valuable is a description of the principles at play and an analysis of how the preparation works. Traditionally, a rooster for a coq au…
Chard Photograph
Recently I was asked to enter a picture in a photo contest for the International Association of Cooking Professionals who are holding their annual conference in Portland Oregon this year. I decided to enter a picture I took almost by accident when we were shooting…
Kitchen Simple
by James Peterson Essential Recipes for Everyday Cooking With Kitchen Simple, James Peterson, one of America’s most celebrated cookbook authors and renowned cooking instructors, delivers a definitive resource for the busy home cook. Elevating routine, weekday fare into exciting culinary creations, Peterson proves unequivocally that…
Cooking
by James Peterson 600 Recipes, 1500 Photographs, One Kitchen Education After two decades of teaching the fundamentals of home cooking, award-winning author James Peterson has distilled a career’s worth of knowledge into one master class: Cooking. Through more than 600 recipes illustrated by 1500 instructional…
Simply Shrimp
by James Peterson With 80 Globally Inspired Recipes If you look on plates and in bowls from Tokyo to Tijuana, chances are you’ll see a common ingredient, shrimp. Shrimp seem to end up in dishes all around the world, and for good reason: they’re simple…
Glorious French Food
by James Peterson A French Approach to the Classics In Glorious French Food, James Peterson explores the essential ingredients, techniques, and recipes of French cooking to uncover the underlying principles and connections that have helped define its unique culinary traditions. Through this broadened perspective, he…
Essentials of Cooking
by James Peterson The Comprehensive Illustrated guide to cooking techniques. In this unrivaled James Beard Award-nominated guide, one of America’s most widely respected cookbook authors distills his vast knowledge and experience into the more than one hundred essential techniques that every cook needs to know.…