Before you study this photo to see what's wrong ask yourself where your eye is drawn to immediately at first glance.

If you said the picture on the TV set you have correctly answered the question to what's wrong with the photo.

As a professional photographer I have shot over a thousand homes in the last 10 years. Something I've noticed in the past few years is the number of photos with beautiful scenic images Photoshopped on TV sets in the MLS. I've had agents and sellers ask me to put a nice photo on the TV. Of course if they insist I will do it. After all, they are the client and you have to give them what they want.

However, I usually try to discourage them simply because it distracts the viewer and potential buyer from what really matters in the photo; and that is the home.

According to various studies you have anywhere from 5- 8 seconds to capture someone's attention with a photo. Do you really want to waste those precious few seconds on viewing a beach scene on the TV set at the risk of them not noticing the fireplace or some other beautiful feature in the home?

We never know what ultimately motivates a buyer to request a showing of a home. So in those few precious seconds we don't want to distract them from what really matters.

When we think about healthy eating many of us think of boring, unappetizing, minuscule portions of foods, that even Scarlett, (my 80 lb lab who eats everything) would probably refuse. However, with the right combinations of quality ingredients, eating healthy can be a thoroughly satisfying taste explosion for the palate.

The Italians have been known for substituting ingredients for recipes based on what was in season and not strictly

When I lived in New York I had a vegetable garden every summer. I grew the hearty beefsteak type as well as cherry tomatoes. I have yet to have a tomato that ever compared to the ones I grew in my garden. In fact, the best tomato sauce I ever made (and I make it every week) was from tomatoes grown in my backyard. I tried growing them here in Florida with very unsatisfactory results. I am not sure if it's the climate or the soil but they are not the same.

When I first got into photographing food a number of years ago, I discovered the heirloom tomato. It is a pretty good alternative to the often flat, bland tasting tomatoes we find in the grocery stores. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. I find them pretty tasty and have rarely, if ever, experienced them to be mushy or bland.

The dish pictured above is a combination of heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and red onions. There is a splash of high quality extra virgin olive oil and a balsamic reduction*.

As long as you stick to high quality ingredients that are fresh and in peak season, you will soon realize that eating healthy is definitely not boring. It can be very tasty, satisfying and, not to mention, a feast for the eyes!

My love for food has often had me wondering how a specific recipe originated. I found the story behind Pasta Puttanesca to be both interesting and humorous!

The Italian recipe for Pasta Puttanesca dates back to the 1950's in Ischia. Puttanesca is derived from the word puttanata, which means worthless or garbage.

It was invented late at night, near closing time, when a group of patrons in a restaurant wanted something to eat. The owner Sandro Petti, told them he was low on ingredients. They replied "Facci una puttanata qualsiasi (make any kind of garbage)". The only ingredients he had were a few tomatoes, capers and some olives.

When I decided to create an image of pasta puttanesca I wanted to capture the mood of the original recipe. So I envisioned a late night meal in a dimly lit restaurant in Ischia in the 1950's.