Resources

**THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION** sorry for the mess

I’m really new to food blogging and would never have been able to get my site going as quickly if it weren’t for other food bloggers who provide resource pages such as Pinch of Yum and The Endless Meal so I wanted to let you know what products and services I am using.

Ginger Bear Kitchen is hosted through Blue Host. They make it super easy to integrate with WordPress and if you decide to host with Blue Host, they give you your domain name for free. They offer a killer dealer at $4.95 – $6.95 per month, depending on how long you sign up for.

Want your site to look awesome? Check out Thesis Themes! It allows you to customize your WordPress site without needing to be a coding genius. Thesis allows you to start from a blank template or use skins that already have a structure. They also provide great SEO (search engine optimization). Thesis allows you to have a professional looking site without having to spend lots of money on a designer. I didn’t use Thesis Themes from the very beginning, but I’m so so glad that I switched.

Food Photography

I am continuing to try and improve my food photography and knowledge of my camera and have been reading lots of different books and websites. Tasty Food Photography from Pinch of Yum has been particularly useful. The layout and simplicity of the e-book is great. Unlike some other books, it is concise, making it less daunting. Click here to check it out! The e-book includes video tutorials for editing using Photoshop and Lightroom, as well as food blog specific tips such as creating diptychs for your blog. The tips on how to fit photography and good lighting into your busy weekday schedule was also especially helpful.

This is another food photography book that I have used, Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling by Helene Dujardin. This book goes more in depth than Tasty Food Photography does in some areas, such as lighting, and seems to be aimed at food photography in general instead of more food blog photography. The combination of both books has helped me to improve my food photography and ultimately helped me get photos published on Food Gawker and Taste Spotting!

Food Blogging

You pay someone to keep your site running on the internet.  I use Bluehost for this. After shopping around, I found Blue Host to be the best deal. They give you a free domain name if you host with them also. If you don’t want to take the step of paying to host your site yet, you can host for free with WordPress or Blogger but your url will have an add-on behind your name (for example, http://gingerbearkitchen.wordpress.com or http://gingerbearkitchen.blogger.com). It’s up to you.

Cookbooks

One of the reasons I started food blogging is because of reading Smitten Kitchen. When Deb’s cookbook release was announced I bought it months before it would arrive at my door. The book holds true to her blog with beautiful pictures and amazing recipes. Check out The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook!

Other cookbooks on my shelf include Silver Palate Cookbook (although an older version), The New Basics Cookbook, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust (a Christmas present from Aunt Maribeth..remember mexican wedding cookies?), and of course the cookbook my mom put together for me a couple years ago full of my favorite recipes of hers.