From Plate to Page Ireland 2013 - A food inspiration to write and create
Working with Meeta and Jeanne earlier this year in London for our Food Photo and Styling Workshop and Supperclub, with me creating the food didn't give me much time to concentrate on their expert photopgrahy tips - but it fuelled a fire in me to learn more. I think myself more as a writer than a photographer but I see how hand in hand the two go when it comes to food and my never-ending thirst to learn more made me sign up to to Plate to Page Ireland 2013. This May changed my life in so many ways. I not only realised I had so much to learn, I made lasting friendships, opened up a creative potential I did not know I had and I learnt that my style of food writing had it's own voice - one that made it mine. One I could work on to improve and made me realise that I needed to think outside of the box - in fact, as my dear Scot's Larder mentioned to me recently, throw away the proverbial box.
Meeting (some again) and learning from Jeanne, Meeta, Ilva and the wonderful Jamie (my new mentor), I know that I am on the path to discovering so much about my potential in both food wrting and photograhy. Making friends with my house mates Mafe, Susana, Andres, Monica and Sofiah, I have found talented friends in 4 different corners of the world.
Some of the exercises we did were challenging to say the least but it is amazing what you can achieve under pressure, with no-nonsence feedback from our instructors - I think the results were quite exicitng. One of the most important lessons I learnt was that working with someone you have a good energy is key, learning from them, involving them and teamwork is something I find hard at the best of times. Working with Mafe on our finale project of producing a magazine article with photos was indeed tricky but fun at the same time - an experience that has create a will to work on something with Mafe in the future (she's a talented photographer from Colombia!) - watch this space!
Here is one of our exercises below, to write up for a mock magazine article for 'Womens Health' using one of our sponsor's products - and photos to go with it! We used Donegal's Rapeseed oil - I also add some other photos from the most wonderful enlighting weekend in beautiful Co. Meath, Ireland - despite the rubbish internet, though I think the prosecco from Nino Franco and our generous goodie bags made up for it! (and of course the exicitng Nino Franco photo compeition, prize being a stay at the gorgeous Villa Barbarina, my photo entered is below!) Thank you MIJJ x
