Seattle Bon Vivant

Food Photography Workshops in Seattle, with Andrew Scrivani

2011-05-18T12:53:14-07:00

"Andrew Scrivani is a New York based freelance photographer, food stylist, writer and blogger. He has been photographing for the New York Times Dining Section since 2002 as well as the Recipes for Health column by Martha Rose Shulman on The New York Times on the Web Fitness and Nutrition section since 2009.

Andrew has recently completed the photography for Melissa Clark’s new book “Eat This Now” and will be one of the featured photographers for the newly launched GILT Taste. You can read his columns on Food & Photography at The New York Times Diner's Journal and his own personal blog Making SundaySauce

Andrew’s most recent work has also been seen in books by Martha Rose Shulman and Melissa Clark, magazines like Newsweek and Edible Manhattan and in major adverting campaigns by Red Lobster and Sargento Cheese.

Although he has spent plenty of time on the West Coast, this will be his first trip to the wonderful city of Seattle.

WORKSHOP OUTLINE:

I Discussion (1 Hour)

Introduction
AV Presentation
Equipment, technique and approach to daylight food photography
Styling tips and prop selection

II Practical (5 groups of 3 working together on practical shooting scenarios) 2 Hours

Food Porn Approach

Taking Table Setting Shots in Small Spaces

Graphic Depiction Approach (aka The Ugly Food Dilemma)

Difficult Lighting Solutions

III Review and Q&A (1 Hour)

Review Practical

View Photos

Discuss Editing and Processing

The goal of these 4 hour workshops is to give people of any skill level the basic knowledge and confidence to improve their food photography. With a need for not much beyond a camera, some basic light manipulation tools and a better understanding of what makes food pictures evocative and beautiful, participants will hopefully come away with the skills to make better food pictures.

Equipment:

Digital Camera

Light discs, scrims and small and large black and white cards (if possible)

Tripod (if you own one)

Any personal props you would like to style with"

The workshop dates are June 7 (9am-1pm) and June 8 (9am-1pm). The workshop fee for this terrific opportunity to learn from Andrew is $150 per person. 30 spots only, 15 per session. Please send your payment with your preferred date to Mr. Scrivani via PayPal to: sundaysauce AT gmail DOT com

This Food Photography Workshop is being organized and hosted by yours truly. Please email me with any questions to seattlebonvivant AT gmail DOT com.

Thanks a bunch!

a few of my favorite things 2010

2010-12-19T15:31:11-08:00

a few of my favorite things: 2010 by seattlebonvivant on Polyvore.com

2010 has been an absolutely marvelous year for us here at Seattle Bon Vivant. And yes, I plan to sit down and properly write about some of my personal highlights of 2010 before the new year arrives.

But, for now, I wanted to share a few favorites from this year: cookbooks I've been reading and using, kitchen tools that have made my everyday baking, preserving and cooking more enjoyable and travel essentials that I can't see myself being without.

I've even included a recommendation for the one film that I find epitomizes the year in cinema for me. I hope you can find some new read or favorite thing for you to try in this collection.

Since some of these recommendations have been shared with me by good friends (ciao Marta!) and while I have your attention, please share your own favorite reads, kitchen and travel essentials of the year in the comment section. On December 31st, I'll use random.org to select a comment and will *mail you a copy of Salted by Mark Bitterman. So, do tell!

*USA addresses only, please. Thank you.

Updated January 5th, 2011: Using random.org we got the #1, so the first person who left a comment won the copy of Salted. Congratulations Shirley! You got the book yesterday. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. xo

Jam and Marmalade Workshops with Rachel Saunders of Blue Chair Fruit Co.

2010-11-28T17:14:59-08:00

Back in late September, about a week after her book The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook was published, we had the immense pleasure of meeting Rachel Saunders, right here at home, for a small gathering of friends and avid home preservers, most of us charter members of Canning Across America.

Rachel talked about her journey from curious home canner to selling her jams and marmalades at various Oakland-area farmers markets, she talked about the almost ten years of fruit and fruit preserving techniques research she did in order to start her company, Blue Chair Fruit Company in 2008 and later become a cookbook author.

Readers of this blog know how much I love preserving at home (17+ years and counting! ) so it is no surprise that since we found Rachel's approach so fresh, her personality so charming and the book such a terrific resource, we invited her to come back later in the year to teach a couple classes right here at chez vivante.

So she has returned to Seattle to teach two workshops, one on jam and the other on marmalade, over the next two days.

Classes will be held at home from 9am to 1pm and they include refreshments and snacks. To read more on the classes and to sign up (there are still a couple spaces left on each session), please visit Rachel's beautiful and mouth watering website or send me an email ASAP.

Follow Blue Chair Fruit Co. on Twitter

Follow Blue Chair Fruit Co. on Facebook

Rachel Saunders on The Martha Stewart Show

Buy Rachel's book on Amazon