Two Days of Food and Light

I’d like to say that I’ve got it all together; that my ducks are all in a row…that I’ve minded my P’s and Q’s…all my i’s are dotted and my t’s crossed.  Wouldn’t it be lovely to always walk around with a glowing halo of originality?  The truth is, sometimes we all need a little inspiration.

This week, inspiration came just in time, at the Food and Light food photography and food styling workshop.  What better place than Rembrandt Yard art gallery Boulder, filled with 24 eager participants, and brimming with soft, natural light?

The setting alone would have made for good photography, but when you add Todd and Diane from White on Rice, Jen of Use Real Butter, and Helen, a.k.a: Tartelette to the equation, magic happens.

The topics ranged from practical to fanciful.  Exposures and shutter speed, mood and story…natural light and bounce…and my favorite, a food styling demonstration by Helen.  If heaven were made of food, I would like to bask in the light of Tartlette’s photographs.  In a particularly amusing demonstration, Helen managed to style bean dip and baguettes into a spread that made my mouth water, even knowing the ingredients.

After each lecture, my 23 peers and I were set free to put our new knowledge to practice, with the guidance of our instructors.  Jen gave us only one rule, which she re-iterated twice:  Do not eat the food–Do NOT eat the food, or else you will have nothing to photograph!  Easier said than done…just look at this!  Jen eventually broke down and gave us the okay to cut into the chocolate espresso cake (and yes, it tasted as good as it looked!)

At the end of the workshop, we all uploaded our best work to a flickr page and viewed each others’ work.  We voted on our favorites, and I was ecstatic to have been voted “most original” by my peers for my floating cupcake picture.

Needless to say, I feel like I’m finding my dots again, thanks to a little art gallery, beautiful food, and the inspirational mentors and peers at Food and Light.