Is it Food, or is it Art?

A recent NY-Times piece focuses on the increasing popularity of food photography, specifically people who obsessively document each meal they consume and often blog the results:

"Keeping a photographic food diary is a growing phenomenon with everything from truffle-stuffed suckling pigs to humble bowls of Cheerios being captured and offered for public consumption."

One such person profiled in the article is Nora Sherman: "Her impulse to photograph her food and do so artistically has made her a more adventurous eater. 'It's driven me to seek out interesting, photogenic foods,' she said."

Here's a picture of her recent work:
















And here's a picture of Chip's typical breakfast (yes, it's the legendary Bacon Explosion, which is basically bacon wrapped around a mixture of sausage and bacon):














According to the article, many digital cameras now offer a special "food" or "cuisine" setting to enhance such pictures.

Chip: "Food photography is totally art. I often find myself as aroused by a beautifully photographed chicken-fried streak as I do by a tasteful nude."