It’s hard to believe that it’s the last week of the online food photography and styling for bloggers workshop that started in early January! It’s been a great experience. Most of the photography classes I’ve taught have been one or two days events. While the face to face work is great… having 4 weeks to work with someone and see how they take your feedback and apply it to their work has been really amazing. I love to see those “a-ha” moments!

It’s also been great to work with photographers from around the world, and learn about some beautiful new food blogs, like The Winter Guest and AgoisFoto, both Spanish blogs by workshop students.

Here’s how the classes work. Ron Goldman & I craft 4 different lessons about various aspects of food photography, from the lighting, shooting angle and camera aperture to how to pick props and make the food look the freshest. We also cover some basics of how to prep your photos for the web so they look the best online. The lessons are packed with sample photos and setup shots (with natural light as well as with artificial light of various types).

Each week, students download the written lesson (in PDF form), and have the week to study it and practice shooting on their own schedule. Each lesson includes an assignment that introduces new skills to practice (as well as continuing to work on the skills from the previous weeks). Ron and I (and often, other students!) are available to answer questions on a Q&A forum, whether they are questions on the assignment or other aspects of food photography. In January’s class, this message board was very active with questions from everything from how to deal with reflections on silverware to what the best way to manage long term image storage to how to setup a blog.

If you wanted to attend the workshop that Béa & I were teaching in France but weren’t quite able to make the timing or the finances work, these online classes might be a great option for you! Sure, it’s not France, but you’ll have lots to learn from!

The class starts again this Friday, February 3rd, 2012 and again on March 2nd if you’d like to attend.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your interest in our Food Photography & Styling Workshop! We are opening up official registration today, as of now.

Here’s a little more about the workshop:

Student rate: $2250 US
Non-student rate: $1650 US (includes accommodation, same meals and drinks only as those offered in the workshop). There are limited spots.

Beside soaking in the French culture (hello farmer’s market and village life!), and a lot of hands-on exercices to teach you food styling and photography (we’ll cover from camera basics, use of Lightroom and Photoshop, to lighting), included in the workshop are:

- 5 night accommodation (May 19th to 23d) Note that rooms are shared
- 5 breakfasts
- 4 lunches
- 3 dinners
- Food/drinks we will shoot with the workshop
- Soda, coffee and tea all day
- Wine during critique hour
- Bikes which will be available for your use at no charge Saturday through Tuesday
- Transportation to and from group activities
- A goodie bag from Béa & Lara

We strongly recommend that students who want to attend the workshop own an SLR camera, if their main interest for attending the workshop is food photography.

Update: The workshop is now full, but we are taking names for the wait list if you are still interested.

To register, please send an email to lara AT laraferroni DOT com, that includes:
– Your name (and name of your traveling companion, if applicable. Non-student companion prices are listed above.)
- Your mailing address
- Your blog address, if applicable

(If you are concerned about potential email server delays, you can leave a comment here first, followed up by your email with your details.)

Registrants will then receive an email (and contract to be signed and returned), and details on how to submit a $300 non-refundable deposit to confirm their registration. In case the list is filled, they will be placed on a waiting list.

Confirmed attendees will then receive a detailed (but tentative) itinerary, and more details about how to complete the full registration.

We hope to see you there! We are excited to make this happen with you all.

Béa & Lara

Let us know whether you are interested so that we can confirm this time slot! We’ve had a lot of interest, so we’ll be opening up the official registration soon! Look for an announcement, and don’t delay signing up, as the class will likely sell out quickly.

We cannot wait to meet you there.

I hope you all had a very merry holiday and a great week leading up to the New Year! Just stopping in briefly to announce the winner of the giveaway of our Food Photography & Styling for Bloggers class. Via random number generator, our winner is Stacy Ernst!

Stacy – I don’t have your email, so please email me for further info.

Happy Holidays everyone!

I’m also happy to announce that we are giving away a free spot to one lucky participant! To enter (see fine print below), all you need to do is add a comment below this post, that contains the text “I want to take your class“. Only one of these comments per person gets you an entry. Additional comments won’t get you more chances to win. Make sure that the email address you leave with the comment is valid so we can contact you if you win!

You can also qualify for a second entry by letting others know about it. Simply post about this give away… on your blog with a link back to this page, on your Facebook page, pin this page on Pinterest, or simply Tweet about it with the hashtag #FoodPhotosForBloggers with a link back to this page. Then, come back here and leave a second comment here letting us know where you posted (with a link please!).

This giveaway runs this week only, from December 18, 2011 until 11:59pm (pst) December 23, 2011. All entries posted later than that will not be counted.

I’ll announce the winner here on December 26th. Wouldn’t this be a great way to ring in 2012?

Good luck everyone!

The inevitable fine print:

Want to know how we pick the winner? All entries will be assigned a number based on the order they are received. The first valid comment will be entry 1, the second entry 2, etc. At the end of the week, all entries will be added up and that number will be placed into a random number generator to select the winning entry.

The giveaway is limited to 2 entries per person.

This giveaway is void where prohibited by law. Winners will be responsible for any applicable taxes and/or fees associated with the receipt of this prize.

If you do not agree with or cannot follow these rules, please do not enter.

A few Wednesdays ago found me somewhere particularly unexpected: on the rooftop of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel with about a million bees. The bees are the project of Chef Gavin Stephenson, who was accidentally inspired after a chance meeting with Corky Luster, Bee Ambassador. I’ve heard that happens. What makes this particularly interesting though is that Stephenson, who shoulders the title beekeeper as well as chef, is allergic to bees, so epi-pens are always close at hand (luckily, he hasn’t had need of them yet).

The bees, I learned, all feast fairly close by, on the maples that are scattered around downtown. The bees all orient themselves by flying straight from the hive in a single direction. So, the best place to get stung is to stand right there. If you stand off to the side, they pretty much ignore you.

They are housing two types of bees at the Fairmont, although for the life of me I couldn’t tell you what kind they were. I was snapping, not taking down notes. The bees naturally segregate themselves into their own hives, and produce very different looking and tasting honey. One type is clear and golden, with citrus notes while the other has a greenish tint and I swear has a hint of freshly mowed sweet grass. Both are delicious.

I’ve been feeling a bit bee-like myself for the past few months. Flitting from project to project, and making the honey. It’s been chaotic and busy and pretty much wonderful. And, now, I finally have some great news to share from a couple of those projects!

First off, the food photography & styling book I began last year is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

I couldn’t be more excited about this book. While there are some great books out there on food photography now, I think this book is a bit different. Sure, there are lots of tips and techniques outlined by me on lighting and exposure as well as food styling basics that don’t require toxic chemicals, but what really makes me excited about this book are the case studies about some of my favorite food photographers and stylists currently working in the field. I had amazing contributions from Colin Cooke, Iain Bagwell, Lara Hata, Sara Remington, Lisa Golden Schroeder, Dennis Becker, Charlotte Tolhurst, David Land, Francine Zaslow, David Clancy, Valery Rizzo, Johan Vanbecelaere, Keiko Oikawa, Diane Cu & Todd Porter, each sharing their personal stories, tips and beautiful work. I know I learned a thing or two from them and I hope that you get as much from their insights as I did!

Right now, I’m just putting the finishing touches on the manuscript of my next cookbook! I’ve kept kind of quiet on this one, mostly because the publishing process is so long and I know that tempting you with something you can’t get for over a year is kind of crazy. But, the time has come to share a little and ask for some help. You might ask yourself what cookbook could possibly follow up one on Doughnuts. More doughnuts? Nope. But, definitely snack food!

But not just any snack food. After doughnuts, I started playing around with more whole grains and better sugars, and my next book is all about that: Real Snacks: Sweet & Salty Treats Made WIthout All the Junk. Think Twinkies, made with whole grains and no high fructose corn syrup. Or Doritos, with no MSG or Red #5. These are snacks that taste great, have the flavors we all crave, but made from real food so you don’t have to worry about consuming all those “ates” and “ites.” For those of you (or those with kids) with allergies, there are all sorts of suggestions for how to make version that are safe to eat, including nut free, gluten free and vegan options. There’s also a whole appendix on DIY pantry staples like powdered sugar, yogurt coating (for pretzels and the like), garlic & onion powder, vanilla extract, evaporated milk and chocolate syrup!

The book isn’t out until next fall (see, publishing takes a long time!), but I am looking for a few recipe testers to help me put the finishing touches on the recipes. If you are interested, send me mail with your favorite junk food and any dietary restrictions and I’ll send you a recipe or two to try.

There’s much more to come, including a little tour of my new food photo studio down here in Portland, and several other great cookbooks I’ve shot over the last couple of months, but now I have to fly!

What a difference a few years makes. These days, pro food photographers and stylists share all sorts of fantastic tips and behind the scenes on their blogs. There are two food styling books by folks by long time industry pros (both of which comprehensively cover both commercial and editorial work). There conferences, and more conferences. There is, right at the moment I’m typing this, a freaking amazing 3-day class with Penny de los Santos, going on. Not to mention, classes and multi-day workshops in amazing locations coming up later this year.

There is also a new book out on the subject, Plate to Pixel, by my friend, and very talented food blogger/stylist/photographer, Helene Dujardin.

“Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling” (Helene Dujardin)

Helene is a gal with style. Her French accent is peppered with a twangy Southern drawl, which is so charming it’ll make you feel like she just gave you a hug. And her book is kind of like that too. Filled with photos with her signature light and clean styling, she invites you in and tells stories about her work, sharing her working style and philosophy, and inspiring you to go out and find your own photographic style.

Plate to Pixel does a lovely job walking through the basics of using natural light, composition and food styling. It’s a book you’ll need to spend some time with, but Helene’s conversational tone makes that easy and entertaining to do. I think the thing I appreciate the most from this book (beyond the fact that it is really the first food photography to really cover natural lighting and styling techniques) is that Helene doesn’t preach or assume that there is a right or wrong way to make photos. She shows you her way in this book, but really pushes the reader to experiment, work and play with their photography; to drop any fear and dive in; that it is ok to make mistakes (if you aren’t, you aren’t trying hard enough!) and that from trial and error you’ll find the picture that really tells the story.

If you are really interested in technical studio lighting for commercial food photography, Plate to Pixel might not be quite the right book for you. Helene covers working with off camera strobe and small studio lights some, but really her preference is natural light, and that’s where the book’s strength lies. Given there are countless books on studio lighting, that is really not an issue; simply pair Helene’s tips for natural light with any lighting book (I’d suggest anything by the one-light master), and you’ll make yourself some gorgeous photos.

Food Photography & Styling Resources

Here’s a list of food photography resources that covers what I know about, but is probably woefully incomplete… if you have suggestions for the list, please add them in the comments!

Websites

Learn Food Photography

WrightFood

Penny de los Santos’s blog

Lara Hata’s blog

What Katie Ate

Charlotte Tolhurst’s Shoots, Eats and Leaves

Paula Walters’ Still Life Style blog

Jennifer Davik’s Dish on Photography blog

Steven Hamilton’s Restaurant Project

Food Blog Forum Food Photography and Styling

Nicolesy

Plate to Page

Culinographie (en Français)

Great Food Photos

Released (or soon to be) Books

“Plate to Pixel: Digital Food Photography & Styling” (Helene Dujardin)

WrightFood Food Photography Manual (all proceeds benefit Japan Earthquake Relief)

“Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots” (Nicole S. Young) (pre-order)

“Food Stylist’s Handbook, The” (Denise Vivaldo)

“Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food for the Camera” (Delores Custer)

“Food Styling for Photographers: A Guide to Creating Your Own Appetizing Art” (Linda Bellingham, Jean Ann Bybee)

“Digital Food Photography” (Lou Manna)

Workshops

Food and Light

Lighting Techniques for Food & Still Life

Digital Media Playground

Penny de los Santos workshops (on location)

Travel and Food Photography Workshop with Ignacio Urquiza

Culinary Entrepreneurship (Denise Vivaldo’s classes)

Cook, Shoot & Eat Gascony

Food Photography & Styling (Ireland)

Travel, Food & Photography

Natural Light Food Photography

Natural Light Natural Food

Fresh from the Garden to the Studio

Plate to Page Workshops

Conferences

BlogHer Food

IACP

International Conference on Food Styling & Photography

International Food Blogger Conference

Let’s start with the basic gear: body & lenses. I’m still using and loving my Canon 5D MII. There are some rumors out there that a 5D Mark III may be coming later this year (typically 6 months after the 1Ds replacement comes out, which folks are hoping to hear about in April).

I commented the other day on Twitter that you can make a great photo with any lens, but it might not be the photo you wanted to make. Lenses do make a difference; you aren’t going to get the same shot with a 50mm lens as a 100mm lens, and images with a 5.6 aperture aren’t the same as those with a 2.8. When you make a big investment in camera gear, it really should be in the lenses before the body. Save up, and get the best lenses you can for the type of work you want to do.

Taken with the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro with natural light via northern window

I’ve had the same 100mm 2.8 macro for over 6 or 7 years, and while the new “L” version is definitely tempting (shiny new lens!), I’m just not convinced that the difference is worth the $1700 when I still love the quality of images with the original. I use this lens on over 1/2 of the photos I take. When I do get around to a new lens purchase, however, it will probably be this upgrade.

Taken with the Canon 90mm 2.8 t/s with natural light via southwest window

The next lens I use often is the 90mm 2.8 tilt-shift. Again, this is a lens I’ve had for quite sometime. There was a period when I used it for almost every tabletop shot I took, but I’ve backed off from that some this year. The tilt-shift effect for food photography (not the Photoshop tilt-shift “miniturizing” effect you see all over the web) is incredibly useful for changing the plane of focus, so, for example, you can get the whole surface of the soup in focus while still keeping the image soft. This lens is a really huge investment though, and unless you are shooting for a lot of commercial applications, is beyond the needs of most photographers. Still, there are shots that you simply cannot capture without the tilt…

The newest lens I’ve gotten, and one that quickly made its way into my regular rotation, is the 24-70mm 2.8. I love this lens. I’ve had the 24-105 4.0 L for years, but that hasn’t really seen the light of day since I picked up the 24-70. It’s a great lens to take to the market or to use in the studio. The short minimal focal distance let’s you get right into the shot when you need a tight one, while it’s a fantastic wide angle for full tabletop shots. Did I mention I love this lens? I got the Sigma brand of this lens (all my other lenses are Canon). The Canon version is great, and maybe a touch sharper, but I’ve had no problem with the Sigma and the price difference is significant.

I still have a few other lenses that I use on the rare occasion. The 50mm 1.4 and the 80mm 1.8 still make it into my bag. And on a rare occasion, I pull out my 45mm 2.8 tilt-shift. But it’s really unusual when those get used these days.

Oh, and speaking of bags, I have a broad selection of bags to choose from, but I almost always grab my emera bag. Love this bag. Mine is in grey.

What has changed a lot is the lighting gear I’m using. Several years ago, I moved from the Tota lights to a set of speed lights (small, portable strobes). These little strobes are easy to throw into a bag, along with a stand and umbrella, and give you great, soft light that is easy to set up and bring with you on any shoot. And they don’t require a power source, something that can definitely pose a challenge on location.

Shot with two speedlights with umbrellas

Of course, shortly after I got rid of my continuous Tota lights, I started shooting some short videos with my dSLR, and once again needed continuous lights. Since these just live in the studio, I went for a pair of large continuous light soft boxes, which work great.

Most recently, I picked up a pair of Alien Bees SB800s for a bit of flash in the studio, when the day calls for it. These are fantastic studio strobes; not crazy expensive but plenty of power for any tabletop shot. Typically, when I use strobe, I use a single strobe diffused with a large softbox. The Alien Bees softboxes are super easy to setup (much quicker than the softboxes that are on the continuous lights I have) as they have a frame that collapses and opens sort of like an umbrella. No crazy straining to stick rod A into slot B. But, at least with the gigantic soft box, it is very easy to knock over (or fall over on of its own accord) even if you have the whole shebang on one of the heavy duty light stands. So, most of the time, I’m finding myself doing a simpler diffusion technique of just bouncing the light off the wall, shooting it through a muslin drape or even taping on a sheet of vellum over the front surface.

Shot with 1 diffused Alien Bees SB800s

While I do love using natural light, and still use it most of the time due to cable aversion, there is definitely something to be said for being able get just the right light just where you want it. Don’t trust anyone who says natural light is the only way.

For accessories, I’m still using the same old Manfrotto legs and Really Right Stuff ball head. These will last for years and years. I really can’t imagine getting another tripod; if I ever find I need more than this one, I’ll be stepping up to a studio camera stand (ooo…shiny studio camera stand!)

In the studio, I have 2 large C stands to hold up whatever needs holding. Some days, it’s curtains (or more likely a tablecloth hung up as a curtain) for a soft backdrop; some days it’s a large piece of foamboard bouncing light or blocking it off. Somedays it is football cards meticulously glue-gunned to crepe paper that sadly just never really made sense in the shot.

Software-wise, since making the switch to Lightroom a few years back, I couldn’t be happier. The latest version is even better, allowing you to make some quick and dirty pixel edits (like crumb removal) before exporting those raw files. I still do a round of deeper edits in Photoshop, but luckily, each image only takes about 5 or 10 minutes of fine detailed editing now. I’m using Photoshop CS4, but I’ve really stopped recommending full on Photoshop for editing unless you do a lot of serious graphic design. Lightroom + Photoshop Elements is all you really need and will save you a bundle.

By the way, Lightroom added the ability to shoot tethered directly, but they are still missing a critical piece for me… the ability to change the camera settings on the fly. So, I’m still using the Canon software to do the actual tethered shooting with the auto-import hack in Lightroom to import the images. It’s a little annoying to have to switch back and forth, but until Lightroom gets a real tethered shooting UI, it’s a better option.

Oh – while I’m thinking of it, I also picked up both of the new food styling books from the last year. If food styling is your thing, it’s worth grabbing both of them. My friends Denise Vivaldo and Cindie Flannagan wrote The Food Stylists Handbook which is packed with beautiful photos and practical tips whether you are starting a food styling business or just want to know more about the world of food styling. You’ll definitely pick up a few useful tips.

Delores Custer’s Food Styling is really the bible of food styling. While most of it covers very commercial techniques, there is plenty of useful information for those who don’t want to use shortening and powdered sugar in place of ice cream. The cover price is pretty hefty though, so it’s a better fit for those who really want to make food styling their career… in which case, I’d say it is a must have. If nothing else, you’ll learn a neat way to cut citrus fruits!

And, have I mentioned that I have a book coming out later this year? Oh yeah, I don’t think I have. Well, I do. And it’s on food photography and styling. I can’t share too many details yet, but the manuscript draft is in, photos are being uploaded as I type, and I’m sure I’ll be able to tell you more about it soon!

So one morning I woke up and thought, “Hey, how about a class where we make doughnuts and take pictures of them? What could be better than that?”

And, what do you know. Here it is!

Join me as I demystify making doughnuts with my family’s favorite: Crullers, those beautifully twisted fried treats.

The class will be held on Saturday, April 23rd from 12-4pm and then again on Monday, April 25th from 12-4pm (for those who can’t make a weekend class) at Spare Room. Class size is limited to 6 people, so don’t wait too long to sign up!

This class starts out with an interactive demonstration of how to make 2 different types of crullers… hearty cake doughnut crullers and the heavenly, airy and just a little bit eggy bites of bliss otherwise known as French crullers (or honey crullers for those Tim Horton’s fans out there). You’ll also learn my fool-proof, no measure technique for making glaze which is yummy on all sorts of things.

Then, between nibbles, we’ll pull out our cameras to learn and practice the basics of food styling and natural light photography. And try not to get our cameras too sticky.

The class also happens to include a copy of Doughnuts: Simple and Delicious Recipes to Make at Home and a few tools to help make crullers, so you can go home and tempt your friends and neighbors with your own homemade treats.

You can sign up here:

Saturday’s Crullers & Cameras (sold out)

Monday’s Crullers & Cameras

Don’t forget to bring your cameras and your sweet tooth!

The AMD awards honor outstanding folks in three categories: food, photography and entrepreneurship. A strange combination, for sure (although I personally feel connected to all three). I haven’t watched all the videos yet, but I encourage you to check out at least the photography section, where one of the photographers has created these amazing Alice in Wonderland type images while another helps connect photographers with non-profits to produce heart lifting (and breaking) images around the world. It’s powerful stuff.

Plus, if you vote, you might win something.