When I first came across Gerry Sibell's photos of backyard birds, I thought they were fake. In fact, I titled a slideshow I created about them to reflect that. They're so incredibly, so frozen in time that it's hard to realize they aren't paintings. I've been interested in just how Sibell manages to get such fantastic shots, and he was willing to talk about his strategies with us so we can learn from him. You'll love looking through these amazing photos.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for really good food photography. There's something about turning a meal into a piece of art that is just plain irresistable. Food photography is not as easy as it looks. You can't just aim a camera at a scruptious dish and expect the deliciousness to magically appear in the photograph. It takes a solid knowledge of lighting, styling, and an understanding of the emotional draw of food to make something that looks good enough to eat. Aran Goyoga has those skills. A foodie and photographer, she runs the award-winning blog Cannelle et Vanille (named second best food blog in the world by UK’s The Times and one of Gwyneth Paltrow’s personal favorites) and teaches workshops on food styling for photography. In the midst of working on a cookbook and flying back and forth to France, she took the time to talk with ShutterSalt about her work.