Guess what!!

This week I'm honored to be the guest judge for @daveks' b/w photo challenge!

Mmmmmmm... homemade moist, dark chocolate brownies,
frosted with sticky and gooey dark chocolate frosting, with a vanilla-peppermint drizzle!  
Baked in a handmade cob oven, built from clay we hand-dug
from the earth at the @gardenofeden.

And what a challenge it is!!!

This week's theme is FOOD!

I really love food, but not just any food...real, nutritionally dense,
flavor packed, unusual, uber dank, one-of-a-kind,
mouthgasmic tongue and tummy surprising food!!!!! 

My favorite foods come straight from my garden at the @gardenofeden.

I guess I could call myself a foodie, and a vegetarian if I wanted to,
though I'm not much into labels.  
I also love fasting and eating very minimally at times as well.

Onion, jalapenos, sweet banana peppers and cayennes
ready for the Candied Jalapeno Pickles.   The BEST!

I used to spend a lot of time creating specialty vegan, vegetarian and raw dishes,
though now I definitely spend more time on Steemit,
while someone else brings on the goodness--oh the joys of community living!

I'm not one to use recipes, as I like making things up
with an eclectic bunch of ingredients on the spot.
I would consider myself to have a fine-tuned palate,
and feel any food worth eating, is food worth REALLy enjoying.

I also really love pretty food!

Photography is also one of my loves.
I've taken tens of thousands of photos all over the world ,
and share all my own originals on all of my posts.

A photograph I took of myself and submitted to the ArtAtSteemfest2 Exhibition -
"Stepping Into the Blue"

and guess what else.....

....I also REALLY love to build community,
both here on Steemit and at the @gardenofeden.  
I believe that coming together for common purpose really is our strength,
so I am honored to support this photography initiative that is doing just that!

Combining three of my strengths,
I feel I'm a real good fit to judge this week's food themed contest,
and am excited to delve into @daveks' challenge and all the amazing photos
by our own Steemian photographers.

I expect this to be an interesting challenge.
For me, one of the most amazing parts about food is the color,
and for a photograph of food, color is generally an essential aspect of the appeal.
Food just somehow loses some of its appetizing qualities
when the vibrant color contrast is removed.

This will be a challenge that can really test a photographers abilities,
as there will be no color to make the food really look like food as we know it.   
Contrast, shapes, textures and tones are more important
to have in balance for the overall look of the b/w photograph,
as to keep the food actually looking yummy enough as something palatable to eat.

So, I'm excited to see what our talented Steemit photographers come up with
in alchemizing the absence of color. 

I'm dying to give you a little taste of the entries so far, but I don't want to mess up the exposure or opportunities for those who are still yet to enter.  So....go to @daveks' b/w photo challenge, see for yourself,  and give the photographers there your support.  Perhaps even enter a b/w of your own.

Thank you @daveks for offering me this opportunity.
And thank you to all the photographers too for adding value here on Steemit,
supporting this great initiative,
and helping us to build a strong community.

I'll see you there!!!!